'Cavender Is Coming', an episode of the third season of 'Twilight Zone', is generally despised by fans. Carol Burnett plays 'Agnes Grep', whom we are reliably informed, was born with two left feet, a preponderance of thumbs, and a propensity for falling down manholes. When we first see her, she is working ( if that's the word ) as a cinema usherette. She makes a pig's ear out of the job, and is fired. Travelling home, a strange man materialises on the bus seat next to her. He is Harmon Cavender ( Jesse White ), an Angel. Keen to earn his wings ( quitting smoking those foul cigars would be a good start ), he offers her a new life, sort of like 'Seconds' only without the plastic surgery bit. Agnes suddenly finds herself independently wealthy, a socialite. But she misses her old lifestyle and so Cavender gives it back to her before returning to Heaven.
Rod Serling was a brilliant man, but we all have our off days and he must have written this on one of them. Plots about poor people becoming rich and hating it so much they want to become poor again bore the pants off me generally, tending to serve as a stern rejoinder to those deluded souls daring to aspire to a higher standard of living. It is almost as idiotic as the view ( still held by some incredibly ) that wealth redistribution does not work because the poor would spend their money so fast as to be poor all over again. The 'Angel in need of his wings' idea was not original as anyone who's seen Frank Capra's 'Its A Wonderful Life' will testify.
The main reason for watching is Burnett. It was made just before she achieved television stardom, and you can see why she got to the top. She is very funny as the hapless 'Grep', a female 'Frank Spencer'. Serling's idea of comedy though is to have people crashing through windows every few minutes, and it soon becomes wearing. Give it a go though.
Rod Serling was a brilliant man, but we all have our off days and he must have written this on one of them. Plots about poor people becoming rich and hating it so much they want to become poor again bore the pants off me generally, tending to serve as a stern rejoinder to those deluded souls daring to aspire to a higher standard of living. It is almost as idiotic as the view ( still held by some incredibly ) that wealth redistribution does not work because the poor would spend their money so fast as to be poor all over again. The 'Angel in need of his wings' idea was not original as anyone who's seen Frank Capra's 'Its A Wonderful Life' will testify.
The main reason for watching is Burnett. It was made just before she achieved television stardom, and you can see why she got to the top. She is very funny as the hapless 'Grep', a female 'Frank Spencer'. Serling's idea of comedy though is to have people crashing through windows every few minutes, and it soon becomes wearing. Give it a go though.