Episode no. Season 1
Episode 33 Written by Rod Serling Original air date June 3, 1960 | Directed by William Asher Production code 173-3631 | |
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"Mr. Bevis" is episode thirty-three of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It originally aired on June 3, 1960 on CBS. This episode is notable for being one of only four episodes to feature the "blinking eye" opening sequence, and the first to feature the opening narration which would then be used for every episode throughout season 2 and 3 (though the presentation would vary slightly).
Contents
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's previous jalopy, a soot-spewing 1924 Rickenbacker.
But 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.