Decades Ago, an Infamously Dark Sci-Fi Anthology Concluded With a Happy Ending

Inverse ^ | June 19, 2024 | Jon O'Brien

[fwdude]

After five seasons and 155 episodes of macabre twists and turns, the original run of the CBS anthology The Twilight Zone concluded with an uncharacteristically happy ending.

First screened 60 years ago, “The Bewitchin’ Pool” centers on Sport (Mary Badham) and Jeb (Jeffrey Byron) Sharewood, two affluent young siblings seemingly unperturbed when a straw-hatted boy suddenly emerges from their swimming pool, the latter poetically described by creator and narrator Rod Serling as “a structure built of tile and cement and money, a backyard toy for the affluent, wet entertainment for the well-to-do.” The pair subsequently accept his invitation to follow him back to his homeland, and after diving in after him, find themselves in a fantasy world that evokes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

[fwdude]

Loved this episode. And I loved the not subtle references in the names Scout and Jeb.

[BipolarBob]

I remember this one well.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Not sure it’s a happy ending.

Peter Pan is not the happy story we all thought it was.

It was written by a guy who worked at a children’s hospital and saw many children die.

Neverland was where there souls went after they died.

Tinkerbell would come to take them to Neverland so they wouldn’t be frightened.

[GSWarrior]

Watching all of TZ for the first time. Just about done with season 1

[CTyank]

My wife and I share an inside joke whenever we’re frustrated with work status quo...

“Willoughby!... Next stop Willoughby!”

[fwdude]

Watching all of TZ for the first time. Just about done with season 1

prepare to fall down a very interesting rabbit hole.

I've got the entire series on VHS, but no working player. :(

I believe Season 3 tried hour-long episodes, but went back to half-hour episodes in Season 4. I liked the longer episodes, they were more like short movies.

[cuban leaf]

That one is my absolute favorite episode.

[cuban leaf]

😉

[Dr. Sivana]

Great show, and gave a starring part to a lot of new comer actors. Everyone knows Shatner, but Peter Falk played a VERY convincing Fidel Castro wannabe, and Robert Redford was perfectly cast as Mr. Death.

[fwdude]

Yes, lots of early acting careers started here.

Charles Bronson was pared with Elizabeth Montgomery in “Two.”

[Robert DeLong]

FWIW, the consensus seems to indicate there were 156 episodes Duration October 2, 1959 – June 19, 1964:

The episode highlighted in this article is episode 156.

Season 1: 36 episodes
Season 2: 29 episodes
Season 3: 37 episodes
Season 4: 18 episodes
Season 5: 36 episodes

IMDB: Twilight Zones episodes list

Wikipedia; Twilight Zone

Also there were three iterations of Twilight Zones after the original:

The Twilight Zone (1985–89)
The Twilight Zone (2002–03)
The Twilight Zone (2019–20)

[CatOwner]

The CBS Blu-Ray set for The Twilight Zone also indicates 156 total episodes. I found the box set some time ago for a great deal. I need to start watching it.

[fwdude]

I actually liked Rod Serling’s 70’s endeavor “Night Gallery.” Similar format to TZ with unrelated vignettes exploring a horror/supernatural suggestion. Some of them were terrifying to me as a kid.

[Robert DeLong]

The complete TV series Seasons 1-5 on DVD 60.00 + US $9.99 Economy Shipping

[fwdude]

Are DVD’s still a thing or did they phase them out too?

[Danie_2023]

I vaguely recall an episode about a totalitarian regime where an incompetent vegetable male was being ‘presented’ as the supreme leader of the nation by the nefarious real leaders .. but I can’t remember the name of the episode or even if it was the Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, or some other SciFi show.

I keep thinking how ironic it is... that way back then (decades ago)... they had a writer writing about a scenario that we seem to be going through today with Biden, the dementia-patient puppet and Obama, the puppet-master... and all the while the current regime pretending and presenting the brain-addled ‘supreme leader’ as the one really in charge. Life imitates art... or just prophetic writing?

[gymbeau]

I believe that was the original Star Trek episode “Patterns of Force”, which had Nazis. The figurehead was a Star Fleet officer.

[fwdude]

I don't believe what you describe is a TZ episode, although the series did depict some totalitarian regimes. "The Obsolete Man" was one of them, starring Burgess Meredith.

One of my favorites is "Long Live Walter Jamison," which explored immortality and its possible drawbacks.

[Dr. Sivana]

Are DVD’s still a thing or did they phase them out too?

They are still a thing. You can copy them to flash drive or mobile if you like, and they do not rely on an Internet connection.

Also, we use them with the Clearplay service, which does a great job of cutting bad language, and an okay job on cutting out bedroom scenes, if desired.

[Danie_2023]

“I don’t believe what you describe is a TZ episode, although the series did depict some totalitarian regimes. “The Obsolete Man” was one of them, starring Burgess Meredith.”

Yeah, it could have been an Outer Limits one. Can you think of any other SciFi series back then that it could have been? My memory seems to have faded somewhat. But I do remember the similarity to the theme there and what’s going on today. I can even remember the face of the poser they had playing the pretenda supreme leader.