Mr. Bevis
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This article consists almost entirely of a plot summary and should be expanded to provide more balanced coverage that includes real-world context. Please edit the article to focus on discussing the work rather than merely reiterating the plot. (December 2011) |
| "Mr. Bevis" | |||
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| The Twilight Zone episode | |||
 Orson Bean as "Mr. Bevis" |
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| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 33 |
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| Directed by | William Asher | ||
| Written by | Rod Serling | ||
| Production code | 173-3631 | ||
| Original air date | June 3, 1960 | ||
| Guest stars | |||
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Orson Bean: James B. W. Bevis |
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| Episode chronology | |||
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| List of Twilight Zone episodes | |||
"Mr. Bevis" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.
[edit] Plot
A kindly fellow's life is turned topsy-turvy when he receives "help" from his guardian angel.
Mr. Bevis loses his job, gets tickets on his car (which has tipped over) and gets evicted from his apartment, all in one day. Bevis then meets and gets assistance from his guardian angel, one J. Hardy Hempstead. Bevis gets to start the day over again, except now he is a success at work, his rent is paid and his personal transportation is now a sportscar (Austin-Healey) instead of Bevis' previous jalopy, a soot-spewing 1924 Rickenbacher.
But of course there's a catch. In order to continue in his new life, Bevis must make some changes: no strange clothes, no loud zither music, no longer can he be the well-liked neighborhood goofball. Realizing all these things are what makes him happy, Bevis asks that things be returned to the way they were. Hempstead obliges, initially warning him that he'll still have no job, car or apartment—but, perhaps moved by his kindness and the warmth people have for him, arranges for Bevis to get his old jalopy back.
In the final scene of the episode, Mr. Bevis is shown finishing his fifth shot of whiskey, and he pays his total tab of $5.00 with one bill. He then leaves the bar, where his Rickenbacker was parked in front of a fire hydrant. When Bevis is about to be ticketed for this infraction, the hydrant suddenly disappears and then reappears next to the officer's motorcycle. 'J. Hardy Hempstead' is still watching over him after all.
[edit] Further readings
- DeVoe, Bill. (2008). Trivia from The Twilight Zone. Albany, GA: Bear Manor Media. ISBN 978-1-59393-136-0
- Grams, Martin. (2008). The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic. Churchville, MD: OTR Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9703310-9-0
