[eerie music]
(male narrator)
You are about to enter
Another dimension
A dimension not only of sight
And sound, but of mind
A journey into a wondrous
Land of imagination.
Next stop, the twilight zone.
[organ grinder plays
East side, west side]
[humming]
(male narrator)
In the parlance
Of the th century,
This is an oddball.
His name is James b.W. Bevis
And his tastes lean toward
Stuffed animals, zither music
Professional football,
Charles Dickens, moose heads,
Carnivals, dogs, children
And young ladies.
Mr. Bevis is accident-prone,
A little vague,
A little discombooberated,
With a life that possesses
All the security
Of a floating crap game.
But this can be said
Of our Mr. Bevis:
Without him, without his
Warmth, without his kindness,
The world would be
A considerably poorer place,
Albeit perhaps
A little saner.
[whistling]
Hey.
[ciicking teeth]
[whistling]
Hi, Michelle.
Good morning,
Mr. Bevis.
Why not, Mr. Bevis?
Why not?
Okay.
Hey!
Hey! Hey!
[laughing]
Hey, Tony.
Lovely morning,
Ain't it?
Thanks, Tony.
(male narrator)
Should it not
Be obvious by now,
James B.W. Bevis
Is a fixture
In his own private,
Optimistic, hopeful
Little world.
A world which
Has long ceased
Being surprised by him.
[whistles]
Hey, come on!
Come on!
[engine starting]
[backfiring]
James B.W. Bevis--
On whom dame fortune
Will shortly turn
Her back
But not before
She gives him a
Paste in the mouth.
Mr. James B.W. Bevis,
Just one block away
From the twilight zone.
Will you please
Tell the gentleman
Who occupies this--
This museum and
Livestock exhibit
I should like
To see him
When he finally deigns
To report for work.
[ticking]
[tsk, sighs]
Hi, Earl. Hi, Dwayne.
Hi, Maude.
Morning.
Hi, Margaret.
Uh, Mr. Bevis
Mr. Peckinpaugh
Wants to see you.
Oh.
Thanks.
(Peckinpaugh)
I'll be
Brief, Bevis.
You keep a ledger
Like an ape.
Your desk is an affront
To any orderly symmetry.
Your eccentricities are
Beyond any understanding.
Your bringing zither music
To play during the afternoon.
Your hiring
Christmas carolers
To serenade the office
During our busiest hour--
Thanks.
The sack, Mr. Bevis?
The sack.
This is the sixth
Job I've lost this
Year, Margaret.
Well, the best-laid
Plans of mice and
Men... And Bevis.
I'll help
You pack,
Mr. Bevis.
I was building this
For one of the kids.
It's old ironsides--
The constitution.
Well, she won't
Get launched today.
Old ironsides
Will get launched.
You'll get another job.
You always have.
The only job I've held
For more than six months
Was during the second
World w*r when I was
In the navy.
Here. This is me
Next to the Fantail.
Oh, he's fat,
Isn't he?
That's the
Bos'n's mate.
This is the Fantail.
[loud crashing]
[tires screeching]
Yours?
Does it do
This often?
Well, it never
Has before.
It's always
Been kind of like
An old friend to me.
Well, I'll phone
For the tow truck.
Do that.
Officer, you wouldn't
Be interested
In purchasing
A Rickenbacker,
Would you?
It's a late ' .
No, thanks.
I kinda got
My eye on a
' Maxwell.
But I'm gonna
Wait until the new
Models come out
Because that way
I can get a
Better deal.
Officer, did you ever
Have one of those days?
Not like this.
(Bevis)
Hi, bud.
Oh. Hello,
Mrs. Chetfield.
That's right, Bevis.
You're being evicted.
Six weeks in arrears
On your rent
And that's it, as far
As I'm concerned.
(bartender)
You said you
Wanted something
To fortify a man in the
Darkest hour of his life.
Are them it?
[slurring]
"Those" are it.
You can't use "Them"
In the nominative case.
Live and learn, huh?
Yep, live and learn.
Bartender!
You all
Right, bud?
Would you
Kindly tell me
What are
The ingredients
Of this drink?
You said you wanted
To get fortified, pal.
I put
Everything in there
But atomic energy.
Does that explain why
I can see him in
The mirror
But I can't see him
In the booth?
See who?
"Whom." objective case.
(man)
Quite right,
Mr. Bevis--
Whom. Objective case.
Well, Mr. Bevis,
We meet at last, eh?
That's very nice.
And who might you be?
Whom. Objective case.
The name,
For purposes
Of identification,
Is J. Hardy Hempstead.
I'm your
Guardian angel.
This is my friend,
Mr. J. Hardy Hempstead.
See what he's having.
Him?
And a happy
Thanksgiving to you.
Well, cheers,
Mr. Hempstead
And to
Better days.
Oh, aren't
You drinking?
Now then, you were
Saying you were my--
What was it?
Your guardian angel.
Mr. Bevis,
Here's the way
The cookie crumbles.
Several hundred years ago
One of your ancestors
Performed an act
Of great courage.
Part of his reward
Was to have a guardian angel
Assigned to one
Of his descendants
In each generation.
Current subject:
James B.W. Bevis--
That's you.
Mr. Bevis,
In the past
Few generations
I've handled
Some extremely
Solid citizens
Among your progenitors.
For instance,
Magellan Bevis--
An intrepid explorer
Of the th century.
Parnell Bevis--
A member of the
British parliament
Who fought for home rule
Against insurmountable odds.
And more recently,
Gunner Lou Bevis
The first marine
To hit the beach
At Nicaragua.
That's Uncle Louie!
I tell you what,
Look, look
Look, I'll close my
Eyes real tight and
You disappear
And then go away and
Haunt somebody else.
I am not a figment
Of your imagination.
As of now, you are
Being watched over
By the
Same guardian angel,
J. Hardy Hempstead,
Your obedient servant.
Watched over?
Watched over--
Assisted by
Minor miracles
From time to time
Given small
Heavenly aids
When the
Situation calls
For them.
Getting it, Mr. Bevis?
Watched over.
Now today you had
A very
Uncomfortable time.
You were fired
From what was
Your th job
In months.
Mr. Peckinpaugh didn't
Like zither music.
I can't say
I blame him for that
But that's
Neither here
Nor there.
I can reconstitute
The whole day, Mr. Bevis,
So that its final upshot
Will be exactly opposite
To what it was.
So let's go back
To this morning
And start all
Over again, hm?
You mean, I
Can have the day
To live over again
And it won't be
The way it was?
Definitely not.
We'd change some aspects.
Inevitably, we'd
Have to change
Certain characteristics
Of your own.
Your clothes,
For instance,
Mr. Bevis.
Are you serious?
I look like
An undertaker!
That may well be.
But if you
Want the day
To end differently
You're going
To have to be
Different yourself.
Let's go.
There isn't
Much time.
I want to thank you
For taking this
Trouble with me
Mr. Hempstead,
Whoever you are.
[organ grinder plays
East side, west side]
Hey!
[dog barks
And growis]
Hi, Michelle.
Good morning.
Uh-uh-uh.
That nonsense is
For the old Bevis.
You are the
New Bevis.
[sighs]
Coming, Mr. Hempstead?
Oh, yes, yes.
I'm coming, Mr. Bevis.
Mrs. Chetfield--
Good morning there,
Mr. Bevis.
Look, about the rent--
I found it
In the box.
Three weeks
In advance.
You're a wonderful,
Wonderful roomer,
Mr. Bevis.
Okay there, boys!
Let's go!
I'm ready, pass
It right over here.
Yes, right there,
Right in there.
Right there...
Hey, Tony!
[laughs]
How are you, Tony?
Well, where's my apple?
For free,
I give-a
Nobody nothing.
Bananas!
Bananas!
What are you
Looking for?
My car,
My Rickenbacker.
Correction. You
Don't drive
A Rickenbacker.
That's your car.
That little thing?
Well, gee, do
You think it fits?
Mr. Bevis,
Live it up,
Will you?
But have
You ever driven
A Rickenbacker?
My dear Bevis,
I've driven
A chariot
With horses.
I'm the guy responsible
For Ben Hur winning.
And the old Rickenbacker
Went out with the
Old Bevis.
You're a different
Person now!
No more bowties.
No more
Zither music.
No more Christmas
Carolers in the office.
Though the
Latter idiosyncrasy
Met with some approval
From the organization.
Shall we, Mr. Bevis?
[tires screech]
Sorry, pal.
You'll get on to it.
Look, somebody
Cleared off
My desk.
Nothing of the kind.
You'll see.
'morning. 'morning.
Maude.
'morning. 'morning.
Margaret?
Good morning,
Mr. Bevis.
What happened
To the clock I
Won at the carnival?
Where's the ship
I was building?
What ship?
I don't know
What you're
Talking about.
Ah!
Good morning, Bevis.
Associates--
Associates, one moment.
I want you all to share
This bit of good news.
As of this moment,
Mr. James B.W. Bevis
Has been given
A raise in salary.
$ a week, starting
From this very moment.
And I might add,
Your work has
Been admirable.
Since you've
Been here
For months
I think it's time
You got a raise.
A raise,
Mr. Peckinpaugh?
Quite right, Bevis.
Quite right.
Well, Mr. Peckinpaugh--
Yes, Bevis?
But Mr. Peckinpaugh, what
About the zither music?
What about
The Christmas carols?
I don't know
What you're
Talking about.
Mr. Bevis,
You no longer
Have an interest
In zither music
Or Christmas carolers
Or any of
That nonsense.
Oh.
"Oh," what, Bevis?
Nothing, nothing,
Mr. Peckinpaugh.
Ah.
It--it looks... Nude!
It doesn't look decent.
I'm going to go
Get a little air.
I got a raise.
Things are
Really looking up
For you, aren't they?
Yeah, I guess
They are.
Where are
You going?
Oh, I'm going to go out
And get a little air.
Or I may go
Over to my place
And play football
With the kids in
The street.
Mr. Bevis.
Yeah?
They won't
Play with you.
Uh, not anymore.
You're not
The same Bevis.
I see.
Bevis!
What do you say
We level, hmm?
Now, what is it
That you really want?
You know,
For a fellow
Like you
A $ raise is the most
That even I can
Get for you.
To use the
Vernacular, Bevis
Frankly, I
Don't dig you.
I'm used to Bevises
With big dreams
Gigantic hopes,
Fantastic aspirations--
Magellan Bevis,
Sailing around the horn;
Parnell Bevis, standing
Alone in parliament
Thundering out
His convictions ;
Gunner Lou Bevis,
Semper fidelis.
"Over the top, boys.
"Nobody lives forever.
Let's go!"
Look, Mr. Hempstead,
I don't like
To appear ungracious
But, well,
The things
I like
The things I believe in,
I know they're odd
But they are worth
Considerably more
Than $ a week.
So I'm to take it
That you prefer
The bowtie
And old ironsides, hmm?
I'm afraid that seems
To be the case.
You realize it's going
To be the way it was--
No job, no car,
No place to live?
Well, it's been
That way before.
[deep sigh]
It's complicated,
Is it?
Hardly.
Take a good look.
Won't be around
Very long.
The cars will
Hook bumpers
Just as it
Was ordained
They should.
Better get it
Over with.
Here comes Peckinpaugh.
This time he won't be
Talking about a raise.
It doesn't make a bit
Of difference.
Not a bit of difference.
(Peckinpaugh)
Would you kindly
Tell the gentleman
Who occupies this museum
And livestock exhibit
That I should like
To see him
When he finally
Deigns to report
To work.
Hi, Harry. Hi, Gwen.
Hi, Maude. Harriet.
Hi, Margaret.
Mr. Bevis,
Mr. Peckinpaugh
Wants to see you.
Oh.
Thanks.
You feel fortified
Now, pal?
I certainly do.
You know, I lost
My job today.
And my car,
And I was evicted.
But you know what?
I love zither music
And model shipbuilding
And if you can't bring kids
Into an office at Christmastime
To sing carols
Then what's the point
Of being alive?
Beats me.
Well, there is
No point.
[shouts]
No point at all!
Now, I'm gonna go out
And try to find myself
Another job,
And I'm gonna find myself
An apartment,
And then I'm gonna start
Finishing old ironsides
For a little kid,
Eight years old,
With a dirty face
Who happens to love
Model shipbuilding
Just the same as I do.
$ . , pal.
Still with me, huh,
Mr. Hempstead?
Officer, officer,um...
Your car, mister?
Well, I-I-I...
We take a dim view
Of parking
In front
Of a hydrant.
Still with me, huh,
Mr. Hempstead?
(hempstead)
Still with you,
Mr. Bevis.
Still with you.
[backfires]
(male narrator)
Mr. James B.W. Bevis,
Who believes in a magic
All his own
The magic of a child's smile.
The magic of liking
And being liked.
The strange
And wondrous mysticism
That is a simple act
Of living.
Mr. James B.W. Bevis,
Specie of th century male,
Who has his own private
And special twilight zone.
(male presenter)
Rod Serling, the
Creator of twilight zone,
Will tell you about
Next week's story
After this word from
Our alternate sponsor.
And now,
Mr. Serling.
Next week,
You'll see our
Friends here,
Along with Anne Francis
And Elizabeth Allen
In one of the
Strangest stories
We've yet presented
On the twilight zone.
It's called
"The After Hours"
And concerns
The shadowy time
When normal people
Go back to their homes
And concurrently,
What happens to those
Who are perhaps
Not quite so normal
Or perhaps
Not quite so human.
Intriguing? I think
You'll find it so,
Next week,
On the twilight zone.
[eerie music]
(male presenter, off)
Kimberly Clark invites you
To watch
Steve McQueen
In "Wanted Dead or Alive."
Saturday nights over
Most of these
Same stations.