The Twilight Zone (TV Series) Mr. Bevis (1960) User Reviews

Be yourself.

[BA_Harrison · 6/10 · 17 December 2017]

When oddball James B.W. Bevis (Orson Bean) loses his job, his car and his apartment all in one day, his guardian angel, J. Hardy Hempstead (Henry Jones), offers to help, starting the day over with some changes to ensure success. Beavis must dress like a career man, put aside his more playful pursuits (no playing football with the kids on the street), and be serious about his job (keeping a clean, functional desk at work).

As Hempstead promises, Beavis' new life is certainly different, but it is at the cost of his happiness. Beavis tells his guardian angel to change things back to how they were, and is the better man for it.

Rod Serling's moral in Mr.Bevis is that it is better to be yourself, no matter how eccentric you might appear, than to try and pretend to be something you're not, especially if it means being unhappy. It's not the most profound of messages, but it probably rings true for many avid sci-fi/fantasy fans (myself included) for whom being successful and trendy comes second to being content.

"So let's get back to this morning, and start all over again".

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 28 March 2010]

You don't have to be a Twilight Zone junkie to know that for Mr. Bevis, James B.W. (Orson Bean), this just isn't gonna work. Even with the best of intentions, there was no way guardian angel J. Hardy Hempstead (Henry Jones) was going to convince Bevis that normalcy trumps being an oddball, even if it means a steady job, a raise and a brand new sports car. Bevis is a hero in a way, because being a permanent fixture in an optimistic world of your own is far superior to being an automaton in someone else's. Those office scenes where the secretaries droned on in methodical rhythm were particularly comical, almost as if they were gears on an assembly line. Funny how an observation like that could be made fifty years ago from today's vantage point, but Rod Serling had that kind of unique perspective to put the human condition under a microscope to discern it's good and bad. If there's a helpful takeaway to be gained from this episode, it would be to maintain that childlike wonder as we grow up, and be just enough of an oddball to maintain one's own identity.

Be true to yourself

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 4 July 2017]

Jolly and eccentric nonconformist Mr. James B.W. Bevis (a solid and likable performance by Orson Bean) winds up getting fired from his job. Bevis receives a chance at a new better life by his guardian angel J. Hardy Hempstead (a delightfully zesty portrayal by Henry Jones).

Director William Asher keeps the enjoyable story moving along at a snappy pace and maintains an engaging lighthearted tone throughout. Rod Serling's witty script makes an amusing point on how improving one's life in conventional ways doesn't necessarily ensure happiness as well as how one's idiosyncrasies are paramount to making a person unique and hence content. Moreover, there are neat bits by Charles Lane as stern boss Mr. Peckinpah and William Schallert as an amiable policeman. A nice show.

Changing behavior...

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 20 May 2017]

The Twilight Zone is one of most interesting series ever, the first episode that l've remember was in 1984 on TV around midnight, many years ago l watched it on TCM and taped some episodes, all them dubbed, in this episode Mr. Bevis is an eccentric, but happy guy who living an easy life until be fired one more time, then suddenly appears from nowhere your Guardian Angel trying helping Bevis to become a new winner person, however he has to change his silly behavior, good plot an interesting point of view for those that finds important to be a winner in their lives!!!

Enter Time Travelling Henry Jones

[StuOz · 28 August 2007]

We are now close to the end of year one and at this stage in the series many well dressed and well spoken angels/devils had appeared in mundane US settings. This kind of storyline was still fun but was now appearing a bit too often for my tastes. Can a great actor save an okay script? Most would say no but I say yes.

Henry Jones not only plays an angel in this episode but his light character is also a time traveller who makes passing comments about meeting Ben-Hur. I am guessing that this Zone character gave writer William Welch a few ideas when Welch would script two Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea episodes (A Time To Die/No Way Back) concerning a time traveller - Mr Pem - played by Henry Jones.

The arrogant angel/arrogant Mr Pem both appear in rooms with only the voice heard and then they materialize in person. Both characters constantly vanish into thin air and re-appear at the drop of a hat. However, Mr Pem was "remarkably stupid" and the angel was far from foolish. Mr Pem was more amusing, more entertaining, than the angel but I can't help thinking that Mr Pem was born out of The Twilight Zone.

Away from all this, you have to hand it to some of the often used MGM sets in this series. In the teaser we see that famous street, loaded with extras and nice old cars, that really puts the viewer into another time in Hollywood. If watching on a LCD monitor, press the zoom option (to get wide screen) so you can really take in that street, like me, you will want to jump into the screen and be at MGM. The next episode in screening order is much better than Mr Bevis, one of the best in fact...The After Hours

Cheerful and Chuckle-friendly

[miltrobinreynolds · 7/10 · 22 May 2020]

A lighthearted look at eccentricity and the cost of conforming to a culture that clings to the shallow illusion of joy and security proffered by money and the mundane. It touched upon all the cornerstones of myth and story: the trauma of collision, the despair of drunkenness, the mystery of divine providence, the bitterness of servitude, the betrayal of friendship, the delight of eclectic curiosity, the compassion of strangers, and the innocence of youth. It held it all with a tender, light touch.

Eccentric Oddball

[AaronCapenBanner · 6/10 · 26 October 2014]

Orson Bean plays James B.W. Bevis, who is considered a lovable eccentric by his friends and neighbors, and adored by the children. He likes to make model ships, play zither music, sing Christmas carols and such, but his employers(of which there have been many) are not so amused, and in one day, Bevis loses his job, apartment, and old car, but a family guardian angel(played by Henry Jones) comes to the rescue, but Bevis is difficult to change... Oddball episode is mostly unpopular with fans, but really isn't that bad; Bean is rather appealing as Bevis, and is likable enough, though message is pretty obvious, and supposed eccentric lifestyle seems harmless enough today.

one size doesn't fit all

[kellielulu · 6/10 · 17 March 2023]

Much like Cavandar is Coming in season three ( staring Carol Burnett and Jesse White) Mr. Bevis is the story of a guardian angel trying to make Mr. Bevis a sucessful person but by a very narrow definition .It's the idea that money,power and regognition makes people happy. Mr Bevis is an individual who does't fit that definintion of happiness so there must be something wrong? Following this forumla it's always the guardian angel that has the bigger lesson to learn. Mr Bevis is not happy trying to fit in and be " successful " and is happy to return to his own life and that's the point he's happy his way and that makes him a success.

A wonderful change of pace

[grantss · 9/10 · 19 January 2020]

Mr James BW Bevis is an eccentric young man, a scatterbrain with odd hobbies, fashion sense, tastes and habits. But he is also incredibly warm, generous and well-liked. Then one day everything goes wrong.

A change of pace for The Twilight Zone. No great twists, no great intrigue but instead we have a heart-warming story. A story that makes you examine your own priorities and what matters in life.

Wonderfully understated, engaging, warm and profound.

Just Leave Me Alone!

[Hitchcoc · 6/10 · 8 October 2008]

This episode is as harmless as its protagonist. The world is full of eccentrics and this guy is one of them. Why he is selected to be helped, we don't know. The help is unsolicited. Anywayt, "normalcy," whatever that is, is offered him, and being non-combative, he goes for it. Like so many free spirits, what he is is so all conforming, it drives him crazy. He is a happy man, and isn't that what we all want to be. Henry Jones is a good guardian angel, and he does the best, but when it comes to helping out, Bevis decides he doesn't need the help. Orson Bean reminds me a bit of Jim Carrey physically, but he is about as blah as you can get. He's one of those actors that we would have never heard of if "The Hollywood Squares" and "The Match Game" hadn't come along. It's a really harmless little episode, but doesn't say very much either.

Don't kill his vibes

[Calicodreamin · 5/10 · 2 June 2021]

I kind of enjoyed the message of this episode, just live your life, you only get one. But I'm not sure this really fit into the vibe of the twilight zone. Decent acting.

Amusing, good episode

[richspenc · 8/10 · 23 April 2016]

"Mr. Bevis" shares some similarities to TZ episode "Cavender is coming", but 'Bevis" is better. First of all, "Cavender" showed the guardian angel in heaven and this one didn't. Showing heaven wouldn't have hurt that episode if they had actually made heaven look nice and convincing, but they instead made it look like some plain, boring, small dark room. The rest of that episode also had other faults that this episode doesn't.

I enjoyed "Mr. Bevis" for several reasons. Mr. Bevis himself was a cool, funny guy. He looked like Jim Carrey and also had goofball characteristics like Carrey. Bevis was fun loving, goofy, semi eccentric but in an entertaining way. He had a lot of people that seemed to like his fun, happy, energetic spirit. He liked sliding down bannisters, playing football with kids in the street, driving a zany car, and charming the girls in his office. The only two people that did not like him was his boss at work because he was sick of Bevis' eccentricities, and his landlady because he was always behind on his rent. Like in real life though, they are the two types of people hardest to make friends with yet are also the two people who have the most control over you. Without making good with them, you lose your source of income and you lose your place to live. That's exactly what happens to Bevis, he lost his job and got evicted from his apartment both the same day. While trying to drink away his sorrows about it that night at a bar, he meets his guardian angel. The angel allows him to relive the same day but as an entirely different form of himself. Now, Bevis not only is told to act and do things differently, but everyone now remembers his past in a different way as a different person who did everything differently in the past. Now his landlady loves him and his rent is all paid in advance, and his boss promotes him. (His boss says he's now getting $10 a week, but that's not exactly much for a new assistant supervisor. $10 in 1959 is around like $80 today. $80 a week is pretty poor pay for a full time office supervisor. I wonder if Bevis' boss actually meant he'd be getting $10 more a week than he was before) All of the novelty items such as his model ships and carnival prizes on Bevis' desk have disappeared too. He's never gotten them now. Bevis is basically getting a reverse social acceptance from before. Now his landlady and boss like him but all the people that liked him before like the football kids and the office girls now hardly acknowledge him. I guess that's because he went from happy, playful, and fun loving to a stuffed shirt and a goody goody. Couldn't Bevis' guardian angel give him a combination of both, happy and humorous and a good worker and responsible with paying his bills, instead of either/ or?

"Mr. Bevis" is lightweight entry in the Zone

[chuck-reilly · 6/10 · 11 April 2008]

Orson Bean is the eccentric and carefree Mr. Bevis is this 1960 entry in the series. He can't keep a job, dresses like a nerd, owes his landlady rent money and drives a 1924 Packard. On top of all that, he likes zither music and has the permanent wonderment of a 12-year-old boy. To sum him up, Mr. Bevis is an oddball who just doesn't fit into proper society. That may be why creator/writer Serling is so fond of his character. One of his favorite themes of the Twilight Zone is the importance of the individual and non-conformity, in general. Naturally, Mr. Bevis is one of the nicest and most harmless guys in the world. Too bad all non-conformists couldn't be just like him. In the real world, there is no one on the planet like Mr. Bevis. This cheery fellow resides strictly in the Twilight Zone.

The thin plot involves an angel (Henry Jones) who gives Bevis a chance to change his ways and become a "normal" guy. He arranges for Bevis to keep his job, get a raise, drive a better car, and even bestows upon him a nice formal business suit. It's all to no avail, however, because Bevis just can't be his lovable self anymore. Normal behavior only makes him as miserable as a fish out of water. The angel can see that his efforts are futile and, without missing a beat, allows Bevis to return to his prior state of chaos. I guess the point in this exercise is that the world needs eccentrics...unless you're Bevis' landlord.

Orson Bean tries his best with this weak story, but there's nothing he can do to save this episode from being a clunker. Luckily for him, Bean's career is still active; he recently showed up on "Desperate Housewives" in a recurring role. The other main actor in the story, Henry Jones, fares a bit better than Bean's one-note take on Mr. Bevis. Jones could smirk with the best of them and he gets an opportunity to chew up the scenery with little effort on his part. Old-time character actor Charles Lane is also in the cast as Bevis' boss, Mr. Peckinpaugh. Lane, who seemingly was around forever, recently passed away at the advanced age of 102.

Forgettable

[Samuel-Shovel · 5/10 · 11 April 2017]

This is about the most lighthearted TZ episode that you'll ever see. While Mr. Bevis is a likable character that sticks to his beliefs and lifestyle even when greener pastures arise, the episode itself is not exactly spectacular. It is definitely one of the low-lights of Season 1. Nothing extraordinary regarding the plot, acting, or cinematography really occurs. It almost seems like Sterling wrote this episode just so he could try a few quirky special effects.

A man who live trough his desire

[AvionPrince16 · 6/10 · 5 March 2023]

So we follow a man who just get fired, losed his job, his appartment too. And he have some problems to be that regular guy and just want to assume what he wants to do in life and his desires (play with kids). I found the episode pretty informative and let us know more about that man and how he deal with it. An interesting episode with a morality like the usual episodes. Nice episode but i found it a little bit superficial and dont really make us think about how to live or what we can really think trough that man: his actions and desire who make us realise maybe to enjoy life and to live simply without any judgment.

Guardian Angels.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 3 February 2013]

In retrospect the story seems a little familiar. A man leads a particular kind of life, a supernatural force enters the picture, and the man finds his dreams fulfilled but they aren't what he thought. Did it begin with W. W. Jacob's short story, "The Monkey's Paw," in 1902? Probably not.

Orson Bean is Mr. Bevis, an "oddball" who has numerous marginalized hobbies and is liked by everyone for his good-natured personality. However, he's often late for work, is behind in his rent, and drives a crazy old car. And one day his cavalier attitude bears fruit. He gets fired, evicted, and his car rolls away and turns over.

Enter his guardian angel, Henry Jones, giving his usual, delightfully off-kilter performance. Jones gives Bevis the success that has always bypassed him. Instead of his loud sports jacket and bow tie, he's immediately garbed as "an undertaker." His rent is now paid up. His antique car is replaced by some kind of SuperDuper sports convertible. When he shows up for work, the other workers, instead of greeting him warmly as usual, ignore him. Then the boss loudly and happily announces that Bevis is so efficient that he's getting a raise.

It's all too much for Bevis and he tells Jones he wants his old life back. In keeping with the light-hearted spirit of the story, Jones reluctantly disappears. However, he's still hanging around in the ether, keeping an eye on his charge, and getting him out of scrapes, so Bevis gets to keep his old personality but avoid serious problems at the same time.

Nicest touch: When Bevis first shows up for work, he's called into the boss's office to be fired. From behind the closed door we hear angry shrieking as a cascade of insults is uncorked. And there's a quick shot of the boss's portrait on the office wall -- wearing a beaming paternal grin.

The street peddler, Tony, is played by Vito Scotti, who had quite a career as a character actor. Fans of "Columbo" might recognize him because he appeared so often as an undertaker, a bum, a high-end tailor, the proprietor of an expensive restaurant, and so forth.

Mr. Bevis, the likable Butt-Head

[Coventry · 6/10 · 27 July 2017]

O-oh, perhaps it's only my imagination, but I'm noticing an alarming trend towards the end of the first season of "The Twilight Zone". The stories are becoming more sentimental and even moralistic rather than sardonic and unsettling! I certainly hope this will change soon, as I personally like my Sci-Fi and Cult series dark, scary and depressing, with unhappy endings and preferably lots of casualties. That being said, however, I can't deny that I did enjoy "Mr. Bevis" until a certain level, even though the sappy messages like "be true to yourself" and "live life to the fullest" are shoved down our throats a bit over-enthusiastically. Mr. Bevis is a rather eccentric thirty-something single man with simple philosophies in life. Most people would call him a loser, because he dresses funnily, wastes time playing football with the kids in the street, can't ever pay the rent for his apartment in time, drives a ridiculous and ramshackle old car and never succeeds to keep the same job for longer than six weeks. After getting sacked for the umpteenth time, Mr. Bevis is approached by a strange individual who calls himself J. Hardy Hempstead and claims to the guardian angel for the Bevis bloodline since many centuries already. In the simple blink of an eye, Hempstead arranges that Mr. Bevis suddenly wears fancy suits and drives a macho sports car! Suddenly his rent is paid for several months in advance, and rather than getting fired from his job, he gets promoted! But in spite the theoretical progresses in his life, Bevis doesn't feel comfortable at all… His successful new life doesn't allow for him to act silly, play with the kids or decorate his desk with hideous little gadgets … and those things made him the happiest person in the world. Much like its protagonist, this episode of "The Twilight Zone" is harmless and fairly insignificant, but it definitely brings a smile on your face and provides from distraction from life's harsh realities.

Maybe Some Zither Music Would Help

[dougdoepke · 9 July 2006]

Eccentric young man has chance to mend errant ways when guardian angel pays a concerned visit.

The role of Bevis is pivotal to this half-hour and calls for the acting skills of someone like the late Hans Conreid, who specialized in humorous eccentrics. Unfortunately, Orson Bean's performance demonstrates all the skills of an earnest teenager placing second in a high school audition. You would think with a name like 'Bean", he could bring off a nutty character who likes 'zither music' and broken-down old cars. But he doesn't, and with him goes the episode. There are two possible redeeming features-- Henry Jones as the delightfully smug guardian angel, and the story's subtext, which appears to be an unflattering comment on businessman conformity during the button-down 1950's (a recurring concern of Serling's). With better central casting, this could have been a whimsical and revealing half-hour, instead of the flat-liner it is.

Good.... but something missing.

[vitoscotti · 6/10 · 3 June 2023]

I'm a big Orsen Bean fan. But, more from his "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson appearances. Not necessarily from any of his acting. I kept thinking during this was Orsen Bean the right choice to play Mr Bevis? Maybe somebody like Tony Randall would have nailed the part better. The highlight of the episode were all the characters from "The Andy Griffith Show" appearing. Colleen O'Sullivan (marriage license), Vito Scotti (gypsy), Charles Lane (moonshiner being foreclosed), Dorothy Neuman (brilliant portrayal of Otis Campbell's wife Rita), Florence McMichael (early Barney Fife girlfriend). Not a bad episode. Not a classic.

Is the moral good?

[ericstevenson · 8/10 · 17 July 2018]

This episode features a guy who is obviously named Mr. Bevis. I couldn't stop thinking about "Butt-Head" while using that name. Anyway, Mr. Bevis has a knack for collecting weird things and playing with children, which gets him fired. He's also kicked out of his apartment. He's approached by an angel who lets him change his lifestyle to get a better life. Unfortunately, he isn't happy with it.

He goes back to his old and gets fired and loses his apartment. Now, I know the intentions were good, but I couldn't help but think that this may have been sending a bad message. I mean, people do need to change their lifestyles if they want to have steady jobs and pay rent, right? I guess there wasn't really anything wrong with what he was doing. I guess it's implied he'll find a better job and a better place to live. The moral seemed to be just be yourself, but work ethic is important too. ***

Weak,...seriously you guys.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 9 June 2010]

This is one of the weakest episodes of the original "Twilight Zone" series. Now is it NOT unpleasant or stupid--it just seems totally out of place for this series and is far from Rod Serling's best work. I read on IMDb that it was intended as a pilot (just like the god-awful episode with Carol Burnett) and I am glad the network didn't pick up the series.

Mr. Bevis (Orson Bean) is a dippy loser. He's just lost his job, drives a craptastic car and enjoys life despite its many shortcomings. However, an angel (Henry Jones) appears and makes his life more successful...but by the end of the show, Bevis finds he prefers his quirky, goofy life. The show is obviously a rip-off of "It's a Wonderful Life" and was kind of cute but had absolutely no irony or horror--it was just ordinary at best. And, as a result, it seemed to have nothing to do with the series and was simply an excuse to try out a bad idea for a potential TV series. Unremarkable and nothing more.

WE WILL NEVER FORGET MR. BEVIS.

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 16 March 2023]

10 Plus Stars.

Perhaps the most beloved character of the TWILIGHT ZONE series, and truly, as you get slightly older, there's a Mister Bevis in all of us at one time or another. Orson Bean is perfectly cast (in what would be a defining role for him) as the down on his luck gentleman, a kindly, giving sole to one and all, but slightly eccentric at times. His apartment is a work of art, and the set decorators at MGM must have had a field day.

Accordingly.... Mr. Bevis has the dumb luck of coming into contact with his guardain angel, played by the incomporable Henry Jones ( a role he is also well known for). Comes an intriguing proposition. Leave the insanity behind to become a very polished and dapper soul with a future. Shades of the classic Carol Burnett and Jesse White episode, with Carol playing a female Bevis of sorts and White as the perplexed angel.

There's enough material here to do an hour show as the possibilities are endless, and what a supporting cast. Scowling Charles Lane plays the boss, so named Mr. Peckinpah. Florence MacMichael (of MR. ED fame) plays Mr. Bevis' sympathetic co-worker and tv detective Horace MacMahon (NAKED CITY) turns up as a bartender! This had to be a gag role.

You have to love the cars in this story, a novel addition, especially for all us classic car addicts.

Truly a duel as to whose performance bats this one out of the park; Orson Bean or Henry Jones.

You be the judge. Absolutely the best.

SEASON 1 EPISODE 33 1960. CBS remastered dvd box set.

Bevis, or Joab?

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 22 February 2019]

Is this a Twilight Zone episode or a sitcom pilot? I guess there had to be one weakness among the excellent first season of the series, and while this is not a bad episode, it fails to live up to the standards preceded by it in the thirty two episodes before. It deals with Orson Bean, a loser of a young man who has no idea how to make his way in the world, losing job after job and spending more time dreaming and collecting silly knickknacks and playing with the neighborhood kids then trying to pay his bills. On this day, he falls off a stair banister, is late for work and loses his job, since his car wrecked and is nearly killed. But along comes guardian angel Henry Jones who gives him the opportunity to see what his life could be like if he got his act together. Getting to live one day as a responsible person, he finds a completely different life which makes him well respected by the boss but hardly any fun.

Amusing but pointless, this is more memorable for its cast then it's story, with Bean and Jones quite good, and Charles Lane hysterically funny as the cantankerous boss who has a picture of himself overhanging the secretarial pool with a huge smile but seeing with a huge frown as he waits for Bean to arrive. If the point of the story is to say that you can either be irresponsible and fun or respectable but boring, then it is just as irresponsible and false as Bean's character is with either trait. this is just so out of step with the other episodes that I've seen in my first season Marathon that it ranks is the only one that falls below the description of a good episode.

Very slight

[darrenpearce111 · 5/10 · 26 January 2014]

No better than the later TZ tale of an angel's intervention from series three ,'Cavender Is Coming'. What I don't understand is why ever did Rod Serling think comedy angels (or genies for that matter) merited trying twice when the first result was was insipid? In 'Mr Bevis' the eponymous hero (Orson Bean) is first seen sliding down a banister and tumbling into the road, where a hurdy-gurdy plays 'Sidewalks of New York'. Serling then tells us just about everything that is going to happen. Orson Bean manages to make the oddball eccentric come to some sort of life, but the whole scenario is just too much like a very dated situation comedy rather than TZ. The story is about having a second chance to live a bad day over again, but this time as a winner, not a loser.

Quaint only goes so far in The Twilight Zone...

[mrgoodvibrationsmichigan · 2/10 · 13 December 2019]

Another lightweight 'feel good' TZ, boring but entertaining only the first time viewing. After viewing more than once it loses its lustar rather fast.