Of course it would do good. That's six months of salary and experience and he has a job when it comes time to look for a new one, which is a huge benefit.
Really, he totally blew this opportunity.
Not sure if others have responded to this point yet but most decent recruiters are not going to see a six month stint at any company and think it's a good thing. If anything, it raises red flags, because it opens the door to all sorts of questions like "Why were you only at X place for such a short amount of time?" Obviously the job market is still totally upside down so some of the "old" wisdom doesn't necessarily apply, but a lot of the old wisdom absolutely still does. The only way 6-month blocks benefit the job seeker is if he or she is a contractor moving from project to project, client to client, being placed by one company. Otherwise, it doesn't indicate stability, which is a big issue.
Could the OP have handled things differently? Absolutely. He absolutely should have asked what was thing on. He should have made his presence known beyond making small talk with the receptionist.
Hell, almost five years ago, I was in a similar interview situation. IT support position, interview scheduled for 9:30am with the IT manager. Guy didn't get in until 10. I was waiting in the lobby since 9:20. That was in the middle of the recession and I was desperate, so I stuck it out, but I also had a few in's at the place and knew what was going on.
A lot of people understate the importance of instinct in situations like these. If a manager's behavior and actions don't seem quite right, there's probably a good reason why. If a place had two sudden and unexpected resignations the week before, there could be a good reason why. When times are tough, like this, it's the smaller shops that typically fall apart. I'm talking 6-14 people. Sounds like that's exactly what's going on here.
So, even though the OP didn't handle the situation correctly, he still made the right call in getting out of there. There will be other interviews, other better opportunities, at far more stable places.
Stability is the name of the game on both sides. Applicant looking for stability. Employer looking for stability.