While one can't fault an actor for a script that is sometime incomprehensible, Pat Hingle's Horace Ford is about as unlikeable as a character can get. I'm not sure if we are supposed to sympathize with his demons or see him as a silly child of a man. I would have been interested in seeing how the writers would have explained how he ever got married (and to a pretty attractive woman, for that matter). He is whiny and self centered, living in the past. His boss should be considered a saint for putting up with him. I suppose he could be called an eccentric genius, but he never really accomplishes much. He drops into long, insufferable trips down memory lane. He and his wife also live with his mother in a terribly unhealthy circumstance. She treats him like a little boy but depends on his fairly healthy income. He has responsibilities but can't abide even a bit of criticism. He longs to be back on the street where he grew up (which is apparently within walking distance of his home). One day he finds himself back many years, facing the kids with whom he grew up. They are snotty nosed, toothless bullies who steal from people and harass shopkeepers and bystanders. He seems unable to connect with them and ends up back at the apartment to the relief of his loved ones. Something about his life is being tested but we don't know what it is. The problem is that one gets the jitters just watching his erratic, chaotic behavior. The conclusion is also quite hard to comprehend.
Review of The Incredible World of Horace Ford
