Shelley Berman plays Archibald Beechcroft, a misanthropic loner who decides to make the world go away in 1961's "The Mind and the Matter." It seems Beechcroft can't tolerate all the different and repugnant (to him) personalities of the real world, at both his work and his home life. He discovers a magical book that shows him how to eliminate all these cultural oddities and turn everyone into who he considers the ideal person: himself. After performing the transformation and populating his world with clones of his miserable self, it doesn't take long for old Archie to realize the world was better off the way it was.
Nothing substantial or thought-provoking in this entry. Berman's performance is merely run-of-the-mill---as is the story. Although there's an underlining theme regarding prejudice and intolerance in our society, the point is too obvious and belabored to really hit home. Prolific TV and film director Buzz Kulik tries to keep the story moving but he has little to work with here. Berman has kept working throughout his career and can still be seen in recently released films ("The Fockers"). Lately, he's even showed up on "Hannah Montana" as Miley Cyrus' very patient dentist. He was certainly an innovative stand-up comic in his heyday, although you'd never know it from watching him in this episode.
Nothing substantial or thought-provoking in this entry. Berman's performance is merely run-of-the-mill---as is the story. Although there's an underlining theme regarding prejudice and intolerance in our society, the point is too obvious and belabored to really hit home. Prolific TV and film director Buzz Kulik tries to keep the story moving but he has little to work with here. Berman has kept working throughout his career and can still be seen in recently released films ("The Fockers"). Lately, he's even showed up on "Hannah Montana" as Miley Cyrus' very patient dentist. He was certainly an innovative stand-up comic in his heyday, although you'd never know it from watching him in this episode.