The Bewitchin' Pool 

Two children escape their bickering parents through a portal in the bottom of their swimming pool to a magical land watched over by a kindly old woman the children call Aunt T.

Director:

Joseph M. Newman

Writers:

Earl Hamner Jr., Rod Serling (created by)

Stars:

Mary Badham, Dee Hartford, Tod Andrews

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Mary Badham	...	Sport Sharewood
Dee Hartford	...	Gloria Sharewood
Tod Andrews	...	Gil Sharewood
Jeffrey Byron	...	Jeb Sharewood (as Tim Stafford)
Kim Hector	...	Whitt
Georgia Simmons	...	Aunt T.

Storyline

Told by their parents that they are getting a divorce, Sport and Jeb Sharewood now have to decide who they are going to live with. They decide they would rather live with Aunt T, the woman they've met by traveling through a portal at the bottom of their swimming pool. At the other end is an idyllic world where children play and there are few adults. Aunt T is a kindly old woman but Sport is far more reluctant than Jeb to accept her invitation to stay with them.

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Plot Keywords:

swimming pool | portal | cake | male and female protagonists | escapism | 

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

This was essentially the series finale as the show was cancelled a short time later in January 1964.

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Goofs

The last time that Sport jumps in the pool to return to Aunt T's house, she is wearing a housecoat over her swimsuit. When she surfaces on 'the other side', she is no longer wearing the coat. Apparently the surfacing scene is the same scene used for their original arrival.

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Quotes

[opening narration]
Narrator: A swimming pool not unlike any other pool. A structure built of tile and cement and money, a backyard toy for the affluent, wet entertainment for the well-to-do. But to Jeb and Sport Sharewood, this pool holds mysteries not dreamed of by the building contractor. Not guaranteed in any sales brochure. For this pool has a secret exit that leads to a never-never land, a place designed for junior citizens who need a long voyage away from reality into the bottomless regions of The ...

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Connections

References To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

User Reviews

The Escape

Mary Badham & Tim Stafford play Sport & Jeb Sharewood, two unhappy siblings who are suddenly faced with the reality that their long-bickering parents are going to finally divorce. They find solace swimming in their pool, but instead are amazed to find that the bottom is a portal that leads to a children's paradise run by a loving old woman named Aunt T.(played by Georgia Simmons) They love it there, but Sport becomes concerned about leaving behind their parents, though since the paradise is a sanctuary from unworthy parents, the two of them decide to make a final swim back there upon return... Last broadcast episode of the series has become notorious for the bad post-production dubbing, but this is still a sweet(if flawed) fable about escape, which is after all what the Twilight Zone was all about.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 June 1964 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

CBS Television Network, Cayuga Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

25 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1