History Recap / TheTwilightZoneS1E23AWorldOfDifference

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/curtisraig.JPG]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Arthur Curtis (or is it Gerald Raigan?) talks to Nora.]]

->'''Creator/RodSerling:''' You're looking at a tableau of reality, things of substance, of physical material: a desk, a window, a light. These things exist and have dimension. Now this is Arthur Curtis, age thirty-six, who also is real. He has flesh and blood, muscle and mind. But in just a moment we will see how thin a line separates that which we assume to be real with that manufactured inside of a mind.

Air date: March 11, 1960

It's just another day for Arthur Curtis (Howard Duff), a respectable businessman. After giving his secretary some instructions, he enters his office and tries to make a phone call, but finds that the phone isn't working. That's not his biggest problem, because his whole world is about to change with the utterance of a single word: "Cut."

Having thought he was alone in the office, Arthur turns around to discover that one of the walls has somehow been replaced by a soundstage, complete with director and a full production crew. According to these people, Arthur is actually Gerald Raigan, a struggling actor playing the titular role in the film ''The Private World of Arthur Curtis''. However, Gerald believes that he really is Arthur Curtis.

Gerald/Arthur is assaulted by his angry ex-wife Nora, who wants to squeeze the divorce money given to her by the court decision (as much of it as she can). However, he never caves in and continues claiming that he is Arthur Curtis to everyone around him.

----
!! A World of Tropes:

* TheAlcoholic: It's hinted that Gerald has a problem with the bottle.
* AmbiguousSituation: Is Arthur Curtis a real person? Or is he a delusional Gerald Raigan? We never find out for sure, but the story works either way.
* DivorceAssetsConflict: A harsh one between Gerald and his ex-wife Nora. Arthur doesn't seem to know anything about this conflict, prompting Nora to take a checkbook out of Gerald's drawer and literally spell his name to him so that he can sign the check.
* GainaxEnding: It is implied that our main character might have been Arthur all along. He lived in his own universe and only once crossed into a parallel universe where he's an actor named Gerald Raigan playing his own role. The end of the episode has Arthur happily returning to his wife Marian in his original universe.
* HappilyMarried: Arthur and his wife Marian, sharply contrasted with Gerald and Nora
* HeroStoleMyBike: Curtis/Raigan hijacks Brinkley's car, which was conveniently parked in front of his house. Brinkley runs out of the house to stop him, but can only see the departing vehicle.
* LongingForFictionland: Brinkley thinks that Gerald has convinced himself that he is Arthur Curtis, as he is attracted by the character's happy life, with his loving wife and daughter.
* LostInCharacter: What the film crew thinks is Gerald's problem.
* MindScrew: Par for the course for ''The Twilight Zone''. It is very convoluted and no-one can definitely say whether the character ultimately is Arthur Curtis or Gerald Raigan.
* MistakenFromBehind: Arthur Curtis mistakes a little girl for his daughter Tina from behind.
* NiceGuy: Brinkley, Gerald's agent, turns out to be the one in the harsh universe Arthur is stuck in. He is first demanding to him and warns that his career will stop if he continues to be negligent. However, as Raigan goes on saying that he is definitely Arthur, Brinkley confesses that he understands how fulfilling it is to be the hero, also wishing he was another character than he is.
* TheOner: Done to establish the reality of Curtis' world so that the ProsceniumReveal would be that much more shocking. Arthur enters his office, opens the blinds, then turns around to make a phone call. When he hears the word "Cut!" and turns back, the wall with the window is gone, replaced by the soundstage. The camera never cuts away from Arthur during the scene. According to Marc Scott Zicree's ''The Twilight Zone Companion'', director Ted Post accomplished the trick by having the office wall built on rails and silently moved out of the way while Arthur was making his phone call.
* ProsceniumReveal: The first several minutes of the film show businessman Arthur Curtis at his office. Then a camera and shooting crew are revealed to be facing Arthur from offcamera.
* RepeatingSoTheAudienceCanHear: Gerald, during his first phone call to the operator.
* ShowWithinAShow: Gerald Raigan plays the title character in the film ''The Private World of Arthur Curtis'' (the plot of which is never revealed).
* {{Tuckerization}}: Arthur's daughter Tina is named after Creator/RichardMatheson's daughter.
* WeAllDieSomeday: Subverted in the closing narration.
-----
->'''Creator/RodSerling:''' 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 thirty-six. His departure was along a highway with an exit sign that reads, 'This Way To Escape.' Arthur Curtis, en route to the Twilight Zone.

It's just another workday for Arthur Curtis (Howard Duff), a respectable businessman. After giving his secretary some instructions, he enters his office and tries to make a phone call, but the phone isn't working. However, that's not his biggest problem, because his whole world is about to change with the utterance of one word: "Cut."

Arthur, who thought he was alone in the office, turns around. He discovers that one of the walls has somehow been replaced by a soundstage, complete with director and a full production crew! According to these people, Arthur is actually Gerald Raigan, an actor playing the titular role in the film ''The Private World of Arthur Curtis''. However, Gerald believes that he really is Arthur Curtis.

Gerald is assaulted by his angry former wife Nora, who wants to squeeze from him the money given to her by the court decision (as much of it as she can). However he never caves in and continues claiming that he is Arthur Curtis. The episode is dedicated to his tribulations in the in-universe RealLife where he is always treated as Gerald Raigan but continues to insist that he is Arthur Curtis.

->'''Creator/RodSerling:''' 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 thirty-six. His departure was along a highway with an exit sign that reads, 'This Way To Escape.' Arthur Curtis, en route to the Twilight Zone.

* TheAlcoholic: It's hinted that Gerald Raigan has a problem with the bottle.
* AmbiguousSituation: Is Arthur Curtis a real person, or is he a delusional Gerald Raigan? We never find out for sure, and the story works either way.
* DivorceAssetsConflict: It is harsh between Gerald Raigan and his wife Nora. However, Arthur Curtis doesn't seem to know anything about that conflict. His wife even takes the checkbook out of Gerald's drawer and literally spells his name to him so that he can sign a check.
* GainaxEnding: It is implied that the character might indeed have been Arthur Curtis all along. He lived in his own universe and only once crossed into the universe where the most part of this episode is set and where he had to be an actor named Gerald Raigan playing his own role. Then Arthur happily returned to his wife Marian.
* HappilyMarried: Arthur Curtis and his wife Marian.
* HeroStoleMyBike: Curtis/Raigan hijacks Brinkley's car, which was conveniently parked in front of his house. Brinkley runs out of the house but can only see the departing vehicle.
* LongingForFictionland: Brinkley thinks that Gerald Raigan has convinced himself that he is Arthur Curtis as he is attracted by the character's happy life with his loving wife Marian and daughter Tina.
* LostInCharacter: What the crew thinks is Gerald's problem.

* NiceGuy: Brinkley (Creator/DavidWhite), Gerald's agent, turns out to be the one in the harsh universe of Gerald. He is first demanding to him and warns that his career can stop if he continues to be as negligent as before. However, later, as Curtis/Raigan goes on saying that he is definitely Curtis the lawyer, but not Raigan the actor, Brinkley confesses that he understands the hero and he also wishes he was another character than he is. Later Curtis/Raigan steals Brinkley's car to arrive in time before the set is dismantled to return to the other universe.
* TheOner: Done to establish the reality of Arthur Curtis' world so that the ProsceniumReveal would be that much more shocking. Arthur enters his office, opens the blinds on the window, then turns around to make a phone call. When he hears the word "Cut!" and turns back, the wall with the window is gone, replaced by the soundstage! The camera never cuts away from Arthur during the scene. According to Marc Scott Zicree's ''The Twilight Zone Companion'', director Ted Post accomplished the trick by having the office wall built on rails and silently moved out of the way while Arthur was making his phone call.
* ProsceniumReveal: The first several minutes of the film show the businessman Arthur Curtis at his work. Then it is this trope and the viewer sees the camera and the shooting crew so one can think that the previous part was about simply Gerald Raigan playing Arthur Curtis. The rest is a bit more complicated, though...
* RepeatingSoTheAudienceCanHear: Gerald during his first phone call to the operator.

* {{Tuckerization}}: Arthur Curtis' daughter Tina is named after Creator/RichardMatheson's daughter.

----

Gerald is assaulted by his angry former wife who wants to squeeze from him the money given to her by the court decision (as much of it as she can). However he never caves in and continues claiming that he is Arthur Curtis. The episode is dedicated to his tribulations in the in-universe RealLife where he is always treated as Gerald Raigan but continues to insist that he is Arthur Curtis.

[[caption-width-right:350: Arthur Curtis talks to Gerald Raigan's wife.]]

* NiceGuy: Brinkley (Creator/DavidWhite), Gerald's agent, turns out to be the one in the harsh universe of Gerald. He is first demanding to him and warns that his career can stop if he continues to be as negligent as before. However, later, as Curtis/Raigan goes on saying that he is definitely Curtis the lawyer, but not Raigan the actor, Brinkley confesses that he understands the hero and he also wishes he was another character than he is. Later Curtis/Raigan steals Brinkley's car to arrive in time before the set was dismantled to return in the other universe.

Arthur Curtis, a respectable businessman, instructs his secretary in her room what she should do. Then he enters his cabinet and is suddenly approached by a film director. He is actually Gerald Raigan, an actor playing a businessman and it was a shooting all the time. The problem is Gerald still believes he is a businessman now after "Cut" was said and he is supposed to go out of his role.

Gerald is assaulted by his angry former wife who wants to squeeze from him the money given to her by the court decision (as much of it as she can). However he never caves in and continues claiming that he is Arthur Curtis. The episode is dedicated to his tribulations in the in-universe RealLife where he is always treated as Gerald Raigan but always says he is Arthur Curtis.

!! A World of Tropes

* DivorceAssetsConflict: It is harsh between Gerald Raigan and his wife Nora. Arthur Curtis however does not seem to know anything about that conflict. His wife even takes the checkbook out of Gerald's drawer and literally spells his name to him so that he can sign a check.

* HeroStoleMyBike: Curtis/Raigan hijacks the car of Brinkley which was conveniently parked in front of his house. Brinkley runs out of the house but can only see the departing vehicle.

* MindScrew: Par for the course for the Twilight Zone. It is very convoluted and no-one can definitely say whether the character ultimately was Arthur Curtis or Gerald Raigan.

* NiceGuy: Brinkley in the end turns out to be the one in the harsh universe of Gerald. He is first demanding to him and warns that his career can stop if he continues to be as negligent as before. However, later, as Curtis/Raigan goes on saying that he is definitely Curtis the lawyer, but not Raigan the actor, Brinkley confesses that he understands the hero and he also wishes he was another character than he is. Later Curtis/Raigan steals Brinkley's car to arrive in time before the set was dismantled to return in the other universe.

* ShowWithinAShow: Gerald Raigan plays the title character in the film ''The Private World of Arthur Curtis''.

!! Tropes

* LongingForFictionland: Brinkley thinks that Gerald Raigan has convinced himself that he is Arthur Curtis as he attracted by the character's happy life with his loving wife Marian and daughter Tina.

* NiceGuy: Brinkly in the end turns out to be the one in the harsh universe of Gerald. He is first demanding to him and warns that his career can stop if he continues to be as negligent as before. However, later, as Curtis/Raigan goes on saying that he is definitely Curtis the lawyer, but not Raigan the actor, Brinkley confesses that he understands the hero and he also wishes he was another character than he is. Later Curtis/Raigan steals Brinkley's car to arrive in time before the set was dismantled to return in the other universe.

* DivorceAssetsConflict: It is harsh between Gerald Raigan and his wife Nora. Arthur Curtis however does not seem to know anything about that conflict. His wife even takes the checkbook out of the Gerald's drawer and literally spells his name to him so that he can sign a check.
* GainaxEnding: It is implied that the character might indeed have been Arthur Curtis all along. He lived in his own universe and only once crossed into the universe where the most part of this episode is set and where he had to be an actor playing his own role. Then Arthur happily returned to his wife.

* MistakenFromBehind: The protagonist mistakes a little girl for his daughter from behind.

[[caption-width-right:350]]

[[caption-width-right:350:Sign it!]]

* LostInCharacter: What the crew thinks about Arthur .

* RepeatSoTheAudienceCanHear: Gerald during his first phone call to the operator.

* DivorceAssetsConflict: It is harsh between Gerald Raigan and his wife Nora. Arthur Curtis however does not seem to know anything about that conflict.

* GoldDigger: Nora Reagan. She takes the checkbook out of the Gerald's drawer and literally spells his name to him so that he can sign a check.
* HappilyMarried: Arthur Curtis and his wife Marian

* GainaxEnding: [[spoiler: It is implied that the character might indeed have been Arthur Curtis all along. He lived in his own universe and only once crossed into the universe where the most part of this episode is set and where he had to be an actor playing his own role. Then Arthur happily returned to his wife.]]

* NiceGuy: Brinkly in the end turns out to be the one in the harsh universe of Gerald. He is first demanding to him and warns that his career can stop if he continues to be as negligent as before. However, later, as Curtis/Raigan goes on saying that he is definitely Curtis the lawyer, but not Raigan the actor, Brinkley confesses that he understands the hero and he also wishes he was another character than he is. Later Curtis/Raigan steals Brinkley's car [[spoiler: to arrive in time before the set was dismantled to return in the other universe.]]

* GoldDigger: Nora Reagan. She takes the checkbook out of the Gerald's drawerand literally spells his name to him so that he can sign a check.
* HappilyMarried: Arthur Curtis and his wife Matian

* MindScrew: Par the course for the Twilight Zone. It is very convoluted and no-one can definitely say whether the character ultimately was Arthur Curtis or Gerald Raigan
* NiceGuy: Brinkly in the end turns out to be the one in the harsh universe of Gerald. He is first demanding to him and warns that his career can stop if he will be as negligent as before. However later as Curtis/Reigan goes on saying that he is definitely Curtis the lawyer but not Raigan the actor he confesses that he understands the hero and he also wishes he was another character than he is. Later Curtis/Raigan steals his car too [[spoiler: to arrive in time before the set was dismantled to return in the other universe.]]
* ProsceniumReveal: The first several minutes of the film are showing the businessman Arthur Curtis at his work. Then it is this trope and the viewer sees the camera and the shooting crew so one can think that the previous part was about simply Gerald Raigan playing Arthur Curtis. However later things aggravate.

* NiceGuy: Brinkly in the end turns out to be the one in the harsh universe of Gerald. He is first demanding to him and warns that his career can stop if he will be as negligent as before. However later as Curtis/Reigan goes on saying that he is definitely Curtis the lawyer but not Raigan the actor he confesses that he understands the hero and he also wishes he was another character than he is. Later Curtis/Raigan steals his car too [spoiler: to arrive in time before the set was dismantled to return in the other universe.]

* GainaxEnding: [spoiler: It is implied that the character might indeed have been Arthur Curtis all along. He lived in his own universe and only once crossed into the universe where the most part of this episode is set and where he had to be an actor playing his own role. Then Arthur happily returned to his wife.]

[[caption-width-right:350:sign it!]]

A World of Difference is a Series/TheTwilightZone1959 episode which deals with Arthur Curtis, a respectable businessman, who instructs his secretary in her room what she should do. Then he enters his cabinet and is suddenly approached by a film director. He is actually Gerald Raigan, an actor playing a businessman and it was a shooting all the time. The problem is Gerald still believes he is a businessman now after "Cut" was said and he is supposed to go out of his role.

!! tropes

* Golddigger: Nora Reagan. She takes the checkbook out of the Gerald's drawerand literally spells his name to him so that he can sign a check.

* WeAllDieSomeday: Subverted in the closed narration.
---->'''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 thirty-six. His departure was along a highway with an exit sign that reads, 'This Way To Escape.' Arthur Curtis, en route to the Twilight Zone.'''

Gerald is assaulted by his angry former wife who wants to squeeze from him the money given to her by the court decision (as mcuh of it as she can). However he never caves in and continues claiming that he is Arthur Curtis. The episode is dedicated to his tribulations to the in-universe RealLife where he is always treated as Gerald Raigan but always says he is Arthur Curtis.

A World of Difference is a Series/TwilightZone1959 episode which deals with Arthur Curtis, a respectable businessman, who instructs his secretary in her room what she should do. Then he enters his cabinet and is suddenly approached by a film director. He is actually Gerald Raigan, an actor playing a businessman and it was a shooting all the time. The problem is Gerald still believes he is a businessman now after "Cut" was said and he is supposed to go out of his role.

A World of Difference is a Twilight Zone episode which deals with Arthur Curtis, a respectable businessman, who instructs his secretary in her room what she should do. Then he enters his cabinet and is suddenly approached by a film director. He is actually Gerald Raigan, an actor playing a businessman and it was a shooting all the time. The problem is Gerald still believes he is a businessman now after "Cut" was said and he is supposed to go out of his role.