"Fly Me to the Moon" opened the third season, with Majors Nelson and Healey involved in training a chimpanzee named Sam to be the first living creature to reach the moon. One misplaced blink from Jeannie, and tiny Sam disappears from Dr. Bellows' office, reappearing opposite Tony and Roger as a human being (Larry Storch). Initially unaware of Sam's identity, the two listen to Sam's tales of being captured in equatorial Africa, proclaiming himself the first scientist in the family, before it dawns on them that this is the former chimp that Dr. Bellows is anxious to recover: "don't let him take me, he treated me like a monkey!" (he'd much rather drive around with a blonde in a convertible instead of going back to his hairy mate). A second misplaced blink from Jeannie, and Major Nelson becomes a chimp, baffling Dr. Bellows with his ability to read and write like a human being, believing he's just discovered the missing link! Like Richard Deacon and Bob Denver, this season would see guest stars of recently canceled comedies appearing with greater frequency, with F TROOP's Larry Storch hilarious in a role that no one else could have pulled off so well. The breathtaking Judy Pace plays a receptionist, while the episode's one shot general is played by Parley Baer.
