Barbara Eden Says Hollywood Executives Used Elvis for Money
Barbara Eden believes that Elvis Presley's talents were exploited by Hollywood executives who were looking to make money off of his star power.
The 94-year-old actress, best known for her titular role on the classic sitcomI Dream of Jeannie, co-starred alongside Presley in the 1960 Western film Flaming Star. Eden played Presley's love interest in the film, which featured the singer as a half-white, half-Native American man attempting to keep the peace in his Texas community, much to his own detriment.
It was one of the most unique of Presley's 33 feature films, as Flaming Star was much more dramatic and less musical than films like G.I. Blues and Love Me Tender. It also didn't perform as well at the box office as the romantic musicals for which Presley became known, which Eden believes led to a stymying of his acting career.
"He was good. He was good in that movie," Eden told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published on Friday, July 3, conducted at the Project Angel Food's Lead With Love telethon. "I think all they did was use him to get the money."
"They didn't think about his career or how talented [he was] - my God. He was wonderful, and he was wonderful singing," she continued.
Eden also revealed that years after Flaming Star debuted, she reunited with Presley when they were both performing on the Las Vegas Strip. "I went to the hotel in between my shows. Oh my God… you walked in, and there was the thrumming of those guitars, and it was just - gives me goosebumps, even now, to talk about it," she recalled.
Eden has always spoken fondly of her time working with Presley on Flaming Star, telling PEOPLE last year, "I remember how good he was. He was a fine actor. This was a part that required good acting, and he did it, boy," adding, "I just think people didn't recognize or appreciate what a fine actor he was, and a lovely, lovely man."
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This story was originally published July 7, 2026 at 5:44 AM.