Iconic Actress Barbara Eden Shocks Fans with Elvis Presley Confession

Barbara Eden is still singing Elvis Presley’s praises more than six decades after they worked together.

The I Dream of Jeannie star, now 94, fondly recalled her time with the King of Rock and Roll on the 1960 Western film Flaming Star. Eden stated that she was struck by his talent: “I remember how good he was. He was a fine actor. This was a part that required good acting, and he did it, boy. The whole thing was a beautiful piece.”

Though the movie struggled at the box office, partly because fans were disappointed Presley didn’t sing, producers eventually added a lighthearted musical moment with Eden and Elvis around a table. “It was supposed to be dancing,” she joked.

Eden emphasized how underrated he was as a performer. “I just think people didn’t recognize or appreciate what a fine actor he was, and a lovely, lovely man.” She remembered Presley keeping things lively on set by inviting his father and a friend to play guitars and sing between takes. “I just loved working with him,” she said.

Flaming Star told the story of Pacer Burton, the son of a White rancher and his Kiowa wife, caught between two worlds. Eden played Roslyn Pierce, the girlfriend of Pacer’s brother. While critics applauded Elvis’s dramatic performance, fans largely rejected the film for its lack of songs.

Presley had already made his movie debut in Love Me Tender in 1956 and would go on to star in over 30 films before his death at Graceland in 1977 at the age of 42.

For Eden, Flaming Star was just one chapter in a busy career that included movies throughout the 1960s and her iconic five-season run as Jeannie. She reprised the role in two TV movies and has remained a beloved figure in Hollywood.

Looking back, Eden said Elvis was not only talented but also kind and respectful. Unlike many of his leading ladies, she joked she “didn’t have a romance with Elvis” during filming, calling him a true gentleman.