The Twilight Zone (1959–1964): Season 1, Episode 23 - A World of Difference - full transcript
Arthur Curtis is sitting his office chatting with secretary about plans for his daughter's birthday party and that he and his wife will be flying off for a couple of days of rest and relaxation. Suddenly he hears someone yell "cut" and he realizes he on a movie sound stage. He can't understand what has happened to him. Everyone refers to him as Gerry Reagan, but he insists that he is Arthur Curtis. He runs off but can't find any of the familiar landmarks he knows such as his house or his place of work. He is desperate to return to the world of Arthur Curtis but that window of opportunity may be closing on him.
A World of Difference
First Aired: 11 March 1960
English Subtitles by
Pandorafilm - Heerlen
There is a fifth dimension.
Beyond that which is known to man.
It is a dimension as vast as space.
And as timeless as infinity.
It is the middle ground
between light and shadow...
between science and superstition.
And it lies between
the pit of man's fears...
and the summit of his knowledge.
This is the dimension
of imagination.
It is an area which we call:
The Twilight Zone.
You're looking at
a tableau of reality.
Things of substance.
A desk, a window, a light.
These things exist
and have dimension.
This is Arthur Curtis, age 36.
Who also is real.
He has flesh and blood,
muscle and mind.
But in just a moment, we will see
things what we assume to be real...
and what has been manufactured
inside of a mind.
Good morning, Mr Curtis.
-Good morning, Sally.
I started early.
I gotta leave about 3:00.
My wife and I haven't gotten a
thing for Tina's birthday party yet.
It's Saturday afternoon, isn't it?
-If she can hold out that long.
That's all she can talk about.
Are the Matson contracts ready, yet?
-Sure.
I finished them
last night before I left.
Here they are.
-Thanks.
Well, to the grindstone.
Oh, I almost forgot.
Could you change the plane
reservations to Saturday night?
Straining at the bit, huh?
Our first real vacation in years.
And now we're using the weekend too.
I don't blame you, Mr Curtis.
-So...
Saturday night,
it's San Francisco, here we come.
Oh, for heaven's sake.
Cut.
Come on, Jerry.
Is it so hard to make a phone call?
Hey.
Remember me, Jerry?
Marty Fisher.
Your friendly neighborhood
movie director.
Sally, what...?
-What's the matter, Mr Raigan?
Where are you going?
I'm warning you. They won't take
it anymore. Wise up, boy.
It's okay, Marty. Just a little gag.
-Okay, we'll try it again.
We'll pick it up when you're phoning
your wife to meet her at 3:15.
What are you talking about?
Where am I?
Is this some kind of
a joke or something?
I don't know you.
I don't know any of you.
Don't let him get away.
-Marty, I swear the agency had no...
Just keep him here, Sam.
-Sure. I'll phone Brinkley.
Is there a telephone in here?
-Why don't you sit down?
If I have to call Brinkley on this,
you're dead.
Why don't you listen to me for one
minute? What's the matter with you?
Call an ambulance.
-Shall I use the stage phone?
No. If he finds out, there's no
telling what he'd do. Go on.
Let's go to your dressing room.
-Where's the nearest phone?
My name is Arthur Curtis.
Arthur Curtis?
Lunch, one hour.
May I have Information, please?
Would you get me the telephone
number of Arthur Curtis?
22437 Ventner Road
in Woodland Hills, please?
Ventner. V-e-n-t-n-e-r.
What?
Oh, no, you're mistaken.
Of course there's a phone there.
No, listen, it's my own home.
I'm Arthur Curtis...
I can't seem to remember it
at the moment. Will you...
No, it's not an unlisted number...
I don't think.
Will you please try again, operator?
I know there's a phone there.
Jerry?
-You're wrong, operator.
Please, connect me with your
supervisor. What are you doing?
I wanna talk to you in your
dressing room. You're not well.
I'm getting out of here.
I'm going home.
Are you out of your mind?
Jerry, if you're drunk again, so...
-Take your hands off me.
I don't care if they bounce you
and you never work again.
But you're gonna pay me what
the judge tells you to pay me...
or, I'll put you so far behind
bars they'll never find you again.
Mrs Raigan?
-I'm not Mrs Raigan anymore.
I'm sorry.
Can I talk to you in private?
No time. He's coming with me. He'll
be back for the afternoon shooting.
That's not what I had in mind.
I've called an ambulance.
Jerry's having a nervous breakdown.
-Ambulance?
I'm not joking, Mrs Raigan.
Okay, Marty, I called the hospital.
I'll drive. I'll drive, Jerry.
You'd think you're gonna kill us.
I'm gonna bleed you dry.
-Now listen to me, whoever you are.
I don't know who you think I am,
but you're wrong.
My name is Arthur Curtis. And I have
no idea what you're talking about.
I'm gonna drive to my home.
There you can have your car back.
You think you can chisel your way...
-My name is Arthur Curtis.
My wife's name is Marian.
I have a daughter named Tina.
We live at 22437 Ventner Road
in Woodland Hills.
I'm warning you, Jerry.
-My name is Arthur Curtis.
No, he isn't drunk, Mr Brinkley.
He's cracked. His mind is gone.
He swears he's Arthur Curtis.
That's right. Arthur Curtis,
The character he's
playing in the picture.
You'll let me know when the
grand tour is over, won't you?
I can't understand. I don't know
where I am and yet I must...
I live here.
-Do you want an academy award, Jerry?
I told you, my name is...
-Cut it out.
You never had a
less receptive audience.
You don't understand.
-You go ahead.
Play it out. Do what you please.
I couldn't care less.
That's right.
You ask where Ventner Road is.
Tina.
Tina.
-Mommy.
Get in.
Would you rather go to jail
for attempted assault?
Get in.
That's the one, mommy.
He's the one that grabbed me.
He scared me.
I wonder what Brinkley wants.
Your blood probably.
Well, he'll have to wait his turn.
Come on. I'd have you back for this
afternoon's shooting. Get out.
Where are we?
-Come on.
I gotta get home.
-You are home.
Now, let's go.
Where have you been? Sam phoned me
over an hour ago after you left.
Can't this wait, Nora?
-It can't. It's waited long enough.
I want my money before he
goes off on his next binge.
And I'm going to get it. Now.
Now, look, I tried to explain
to that woman...
that I'm not who you all seem to
think I am. My name is Curtis...
You don't seem to realize
the position you're in.
Where do you hide the checkbook?
I'll find it if I have
to tear this house apart.
I warn you. If you lose this
assignment, we'll have to drop you.
We can't cover up for you anymore.
-I'm sorry, but you're mistaken...
All right.
They can shoot around you today.
I'll tell them you're sick.
They won't buy it,
but I'll make it stick somehow.
But you've got to be there tomorrow,
bright and early. You've got...
I don't know what's going on.
All right, get over here.
-Nora, don't.
You stay out of this.
-Can't you see that he's upset?
You're gonna to sign this check
right now. Gerald Raigan.
G-e-r-a-l-d R-a-i-g-a-n.
That's not my name.
Listen, this has gone far enough.
I'm not Gerald Raigan.
I don't know any of you.
My name is Arthur Curtis.
Do you hear me? And I work for...
I'd like to have a telephone number
of the Davis Morton Company.
189 Brand Street, Los Angeles.
Of course there is.
I work there.
I've worked there for
the last seven years.
Hello? Hello.
Feeling better?
You don't believe me, do you?
I believe you've been overworked,
under a terrible strain.
You need help, Jerry.
-Help?
It's not in my province,
but I've known you a long time.
Can't you see what's happened?
'Cast of characters.
'Arthur Curtis, 36. A young business
executive, happily married.
'Curtis lives in Woodland Hills
with his wife and child. He...
'Marian Curtis, 33.
A charming young woman.
'Typical of that breed which can
manage a house and family and...'
Stop it.
The only information you have about
Arthur Curtis...
is written in this script.
-No.
Jerry, sometimes I'd like to
escape myself away from this...
turmoil to some simpler existence.
You're telling me that
this is a delusion.
That I'm Gerald Raigan, a drunk...
-You are a sweet, unhappy man.
Burdened with that harpy.
Jerry Raigan, trying to find
a little happiness, that's all.
No. It's real.
It's real.
-I wish it were.
For your sake, I wish it were.
I've got to go, Jerry.
Try and get some rest.
Forget about the picture.
You don't have to finish it.
I just spoke to the studio
a few minutes ago.
They're canceling production.
Arthur Curtis is dead.
I've gotta get back.
-Too late, Jerry. It's finished.
I've gotta get back to my office.
If you mean the set, they're
probably tearing it down right now.
They can't.
Jerry.
Wait.
You can't do this.
We're just following orders,
Mr Raigan.
Don't leave me here.
Honey?
Marian.
My goodness. I've been phoning you
all day long. Where have you been?
Sally kept saying you were out.
She didn't see you go out...
Let's get out of here.
-Arty. Are you all right?
Well, sure.
-Where were you?
Mr Curtis? Are you leaving now?
-Yes.
Here are your tickets
for Saturday night.
Fine. Thanks.
All right. Let's get those lamps
and tables out of here.
Honey, what's the matter?
-Please.
Honey, let's not wait.
Let's go on our vacation right away.
Hey. What's wrong?
-Nothing, darling.
I just don't want to lose you.
Has Raigan been here?
-Yeah, he was here a minute ago.
You didn't see him leave?
-No, I didn't.
Any of you guys see Raigan leave?
-No, we didn't.
Would you look in his dressing room?
-Yeah. Sure.
He's not in his dressing room.
Wonder where he is.
The modus operandi for
the departure from life...
is usually a pine box of
such and such dimensions.
And this is the ultimate in reality.
But there are other ways for
a man to exit from life.
Take the case of Arthur Curtis,
age 36.
His departure was along a highway...
with an exit sign that reads
'This way to escape.'
Arthur Curtis en route...
to the Twilight Zone.
English Subtitles by
B. Cornelis - Pandorafilm - Heerlen
First Aired: 11 March 1960
English Subtitles by
Pandorafilm - Heerlen
There is a fifth dimension.
Beyond that which is known to man.
It is a dimension as vast as space.
And as timeless as infinity.
It is the middle ground
between light and shadow...
between science and superstition.
And it lies between
the pit of man's fears...
and the summit of his knowledge.
This is the dimension
of imagination.
It is an area which we call:
The Twilight Zone.
You're looking at
a tableau of reality.
Things of substance.
A desk, a window, a light.
These things exist
and have dimension.
This is Arthur Curtis, age 36.
Who also is real.
He has flesh and blood,
muscle and mind.
But in just a moment, we will see
things what we assume to be real...
and what has been manufactured
inside of a mind.
Good morning, Mr Curtis.
-Good morning, Sally.
I started early.
I gotta leave about 3:00.
My wife and I haven't gotten a
thing for Tina's birthday party yet.
It's Saturday afternoon, isn't it?
-If she can hold out that long.
That's all she can talk about.
Are the Matson contracts ready, yet?
-Sure.
I finished them
last night before I left.
Here they are.
-Thanks.
Well, to the grindstone.
Oh, I almost forgot.
Could you change the plane
reservations to Saturday night?
Straining at the bit, huh?
Our first real vacation in years.
And now we're using the weekend too.
I don't blame you, Mr Curtis.
-So...
Saturday night,
it's San Francisco, here we come.
Oh, for heaven's sake.
Cut.
Come on, Jerry.
Is it so hard to make a phone call?
Hey.
Remember me, Jerry?
Marty Fisher.
Your friendly neighborhood
movie director.
Sally, what...?
-What's the matter, Mr Raigan?
Where are you going?
I'm warning you. They won't take
it anymore. Wise up, boy.
It's okay, Marty. Just a little gag.
-Okay, we'll try it again.
We'll pick it up when you're phoning
your wife to meet her at 3:15.
What are you talking about?
Where am I?
Is this some kind of
a joke or something?
I don't know you.
I don't know any of you.
Don't let him get away.
-Marty, I swear the agency had no...
Just keep him here, Sam.
-Sure. I'll phone Brinkley.
Is there a telephone in here?
-Why don't you sit down?
If I have to call Brinkley on this,
you're dead.
Why don't you listen to me for one
minute? What's the matter with you?
Call an ambulance.
-Shall I use the stage phone?
No. If he finds out, there's no
telling what he'd do. Go on.
Let's go to your dressing room.
-Where's the nearest phone?
My name is Arthur Curtis.
Arthur Curtis?
Lunch, one hour.
May I have Information, please?
Would you get me the telephone
number of Arthur Curtis?
22437 Ventner Road
in Woodland Hills, please?
Ventner. V-e-n-t-n-e-r.
What?
Oh, no, you're mistaken.
Of course there's a phone there.
No, listen, it's my own home.
I'm Arthur Curtis...
I can't seem to remember it
at the moment. Will you...
No, it's not an unlisted number...
I don't think.
Will you please try again, operator?
I know there's a phone there.
Jerry?
-You're wrong, operator.
Please, connect me with your
supervisor. What are you doing?
I wanna talk to you in your
dressing room. You're not well.
I'm getting out of here.
I'm going home.
Are you out of your mind?
Jerry, if you're drunk again, so...
-Take your hands off me.
I don't care if they bounce you
and you never work again.
But you're gonna pay me what
the judge tells you to pay me...
or, I'll put you so far behind
bars they'll never find you again.
Mrs Raigan?
-I'm not Mrs Raigan anymore.
I'm sorry.
Can I talk to you in private?
No time. He's coming with me. He'll
be back for the afternoon shooting.
That's not what I had in mind.
I've called an ambulance.
Jerry's having a nervous breakdown.
-Ambulance?
I'm not joking, Mrs Raigan.
Okay, Marty, I called the hospital.
I'll drive. I'll drive, Jerry.
You'd think you're gonna kill us.
I'm gonna bleed you dry.
-Now listen to me, whoever you are.
I don't know who you think I am,
but you're wrong.
My name is Arthur Curtis. And I have
no idea what you're talking about.
I'm gonna drive to my home.
There you can have your car back.
You think you can chisel your way...
-My name is Arthur Curtis.
My wife's name is Marian.
I have a daughter named Tina.
We live at 22437 Ventner Road
in Woodland Hills.
I'm warning you, Jerry.
-My name is Arthur Curtis.
No, he isn't drunk, Mr Brinkley.
He's cracked. His mind is gone.
He swears he's Arthur Curtis.
That's right. Arthur Curtis,
The character he's
playing in the picture.
You'll let me know when the
grand tour is over, won't you?
I can't understand. I don't know
where I am and yet I must...
I live here.
-Do you want an academy award, Jerry?
I told you, my name is...
-Cut it out.
You never had a
less receptive audience.
You don't understand.
-You go ahead.
Play it out. Do what you please.
I couldn't care less.
That's right.
You ask where Ventner Road is.
Tina.
Tina.
-Mommy.
Get in.
Would you rather go to jail
for attempted assault?
Get in.
That's the one, mommy.
He's the one that grabbed me.
He scared me.
I wonder what Brinkley wants.
Your blood probably.
Well, he'll have to wait his turn.
Come on. I'd have you back for this
afternoon's shooting. Get out.
Where are we?
-Come on.
I gotta get home.
-You are home.
Now, let's go.
Where have you been? Sam phoned me
over an hour ago after you left.
Can't this wait, Nora?
-It can't. It's waited long enough.
I want my money before he
goes off on his next binge.
And I'm going to get it. Now.
Now, look, I tried to explain
to that woman...
that I'm not who you all seem to
think I am. My name is Curtis...
You don't seem to realize
the position you're in.
Where do you hide the checkbook?
I'll find it if I have
to tear this house apart.
I warn you. If you lose this
assignment, we'll have to drop you.
We can't cover up for you anymore.
-I'm sorry, but you're mistaken...
All right.
They can shoot around you today.
I'll tell them you're sick.
They won't buy it,
but I'll make it stick somehow.
But you've got to be there tomorrow,
bright and early. You've got...
I don't know what's going on.
All right, get over here.
-Nora, don't.
You stay out of this.
-Can't you see that he's upset?
You're gonna to sign this check
right now. Gerald Raigan.
G-e-r-a-l-d R-a-i-g-a-n.
That's not my name.
Listen, this has gone far enough.
I'm not Gerald Raigan.
I don't know any of you.
My name is Arthur Curtis.
Do you hear me? And I work for...
I'd like to have a telephone number
of the Davis Morton Company.
189 Brand Street, Los Angeles.
Of course there is.
I work there.
I've worked there for
the last seven years.
Hello? Hello.
Feeling better?
You don't believe me, do you?
I believe you've been overworked,
under a terrible strain.
You need help, Jerry.
-Help?
It's not in my province,
but I've known you a long time.
Can't you see what's happened?
'Cast of characters.
'Arthur Curtis, 36. A young business
executive, happily married.
'Curtis lives in Woodland Hills
with his wife and child. He...
'Marian Curtis, 33.
A charming young woman.
'Typical of that breed which can
manage a house and family and...'
Stop it.
The only information you have about
Arthur Curtis...
is written in this script.
-No.
Jerry, sometimes I'd like to
escape myself away from this...
turmoil to some simpler existence.
You're telling me that
this is a delusion.
That I'm Gerald Raigan, a drunk...
-You are a sweet, unhappy man.
Burdened with that harpy.
Jerry Raigan, trying to find
a little happiness, that's all.
No. It's real.
It's real.
-I wish it were.
For your sake, I wish it were.
I've got to go, Jerry.
Try and get some rest.
Forget about the picture.
You don't have to finish it.
I just spoke to the studio
a few minutes ago.
They're canceling production.
Arthur Curtis is dead.
I've gotta get back.
-Too late, Jerry. It's finished.
I've gotta get back to my office.
If you mean the set, they're
probably tearing it down right now.
They can't.
Jerry.
Wait.
You can't do this.
We're just following orders,
Mr Raigan.
Don't leave me here.
Honey?
Marian.
My goodness. I've been phoning you
all day long. Where have you been?
Sally kept saying you were out.
She didn't see you go out...
Let's get out of here.
-Arty. Are you all right?
Well, sure.
-Where were you?
Mr Curtis? Are you leaving now?
-Yes.
Here are your tickets
for Saturday night.
Fine. Thanks.
All right. Let's get those lamps
and tables out of here.
Honey, what's the matter?
-Please.
Honey, let's not wait.
Let's go on our vacation right away.
Hey. What's wrong?
-Nothing, darling.
I just don't want to lose you.
Has Raigan been here?
-Yeah, he was here a minute ago.
You didn't see him leave?
-No, I didn't.
Any of you guys see Raigan leave?
-No, we didn't.
Would you look in his dressing room?
-Yeah. Sure.
He's not in his dressing room.
Wonder where he is.
The modus operandi for
the departure from life...
is usually a pine box of
such and such dimensions.
And this is the ultimate in reality.
But there are other ways for
a man to exit from life.
Take the case of Arthur Curtis,
age 36.
His departure was along a highway...
with an exit sign that reads
'This way to escape.'
Arthur Curtis en route...
to the Twilight Zone.
English Subtitles by
B. Cornelis - Pandorafilm - Heerlen