An obvious and poorly executed rip-off of "It's a Wonderful Life," this Twilight Zone episode is mostly fluff and filler and entirely forgettable. Jesse White (the idle Maytag man of commercial fame) plays the title role (Cavender), an angel who's trying to win his first pair of wings. Sound familiar? Although White is a fine actor and could do this role in his sleep (which he does here), there isn't much for him to do except watch Carol Burnett act like an imbecile. Creator Rod Serling had a "thing" for non-conformists, and Burnett plays one here, but unconvincingly and with poorly-written dialog. Despite Ms. Burnett's best efforts, it's the kind of performance that she probably wants buried in a time capsule somewhere. Luckily for her, it's only shown on TV once in a blue moon.
Rod Serling can take the blame for "Cavender..." as he was the writer of this nonsense. It's the classic case of over-stating the obvious and then whacking viewers over the head with it for a very long and dull half hour. Sadly, Carol Burnett, an exceptional actress and comedienne, is made to look ridiculous. I believe this was her one and only time in the "Zone." Can you blame her? Jesse White, a man of many talents and accomplishments, has the appearance of a man who wishes he was someplace else. Even Maytag commercials were more challenging than this hokum. Christian Nyby is listed as the director for this episode and I doubt if he worked up so much as a bead of sweat on the set. When all is said and done, "Cavender is Coming" ranks in the "Bottom Ten" of Twilight Zone episodes. Burnett and White certainly deserved better.
Rod Serling can take the blame for "Cavender..." as he was the writer of this nonsense. It's the classic case of over-stating the obvious and then whacking viewers over the head with it for a very long and dull half hour. Sadly, Carol Burnett, an exceptional actress and comedienne, is made to look ridiculous. I believe this was her one and only time in the "Zone." Can you blame her? Jesse White, a man of many talents and accomplishments, has the appearance of a man who wishes he was someplace else. Even Maytag commercials were more challenging than this hokum. Christian Nyby is listed as the director for this episode and I doubt if he worked up so much as a bead of sweat on the set. When all is said and done, "Cavender is Coming" ranks in the "Bottom Ten" of Twilight Zone episodes. Burnett and White certainly deserved better.