In 1961, Shelley Berman was a hot commercial property. Unknown now, in those days he was hailed as one of the rising wave of new comedians that included the better known Bob Newhart and Bill Cosby, along with other lesser names. Their inventive monologues included clever telephone skits, a shtick totally unlike the generations of comics preceding them, but really very funny. Perhaps the one-way telephone conversation got old, but except for Newhart and Cosby, the 'New Wave' didn't last. Thus, viewers of this episode may be wondering: just who in the heck is Shelley Berman.
The episode seems tailor-made for the average-looking Berman. He's caught up in the rat race of earning a living in a high-pressure urban environment and wants relief. A book teaches him 'mind over matter', so he simply wishes away everyone besides himself. They vanish and now he's alone. Unfortunately, the show is devoid of high points. In short, it's flat and uninspired, leaving a good premise under-explored. The real problem is Berman, who can't really act, thus demonstrating why he belongs in front of a night club audience instead of a dramatic show camera. Too bad.