A World of Difference

"A World of Difference" is episode 23 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.

Plot

Arthur Curtis is a businessman planning a vacation with his wife. One day, he finds that his phone no longer works, and discovers his office to be a set on a sound stage. He is told that Arthur Curtis is merely a role he is playing, and that his real name is Gerald Raigan, an alcoholic movie star caught in the middle of a brutal divorce from a hostile wife, his own alcoholism, and a declining career. He tries to locate Arthur Curtis's house, but cannot find any evidence of it, and Raigan's agent tells him that the movie, called The Private World of Arthur Curtis, is being cancelled because the filmmakers believe that Raigan has had a nervous breakdown. Raigan/Curtis rushes back to the set, which is being dismantled, and demands not to be left in the uncaring world of Gerald Raigan. Curtis reappears in his office as it was before, just as his wife arrives. Arthur Curtis' secretary Sally then gives Arthur his plane tickets.

As Arthur hears echoes of the studio sounds, he tells Marian that he doesn't want to lose her and that they should leave for their vacation immediately. Meanwhile, in the "real" world, Raigan's agent shows up on the set to find that Raigan has vanished. As the set is being dismantled, a teaser shows the "Arthur Curtis" script left on a table, waiting to be thrown in the rubbish bin.

In the last scene, Curtis and his wife board a plane, which takes flight and fades away into the sky.

Episode notes

This episode shows similarities to John Cheever's short story "The Swimmer" as both main characters are delusional yet this story has a much happier ending.

This episode of The Twilight Zone is one of ultimate fantasy. It is an escape-type episode not dissimilar to "A Stop at Willoughby". Also, as an aside in Rod Serling's show, the male character—in this case Arthur Curtis—is often depicted as 36 years old whereas the female lead is usually depicted in her mid to late 20's as Serling often gives the age of his main character in his opening narration.

Further reading

• DeVoe, Bill. (2008). Trivia from The Twilight Zone. Albany, GA: Bear Manor Media. ISBN 978-1-59393-136-0
• Grams, Martin. (2008). The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic. Churchville, MD: OTR Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9703310-9-0

External links

• "A World of Difference" at the Internet Movie Database
• "A World of Difference" at TV.com
• the-croc.com episode page (unlike TV.com, lists Frank Maxwell playing Marty)
• Full video of the episode at CBS.com