The World Next Door (The Twilight Zone)

For most of us, our secret heart's desire seems to lie behind a bolted door. But what if the lives we find so familiar are someone's else's dream come true? Perhaps, for all of us, somewhere is a hidden door...into the Twilight Zone.

Barney Schlessinger spends his free time in his basement and is a failed part-time inventor. His wife Katy is not supportive and believes that he should concentrate on his job. Meanwhile, his friend Milton says he is "just out of step - a man with bad timing." On his way to work one morning, Barney tries to explain the dreams he has been having about living a different life, as if he lives two different lives simultaneously. Milton tells him to enjoy the fantasy. Barney falls asleep on the train and awakens in an alternate reality set in an older time (perhaps early 1900s) albeit with some amenities of the present. However, before his dream gets too far he is jolted back into the real world.

Barney comes home to find Katy has been rummaging through his basement workshop. She proclaims to Barney that if he does not get rid of his inventions their relationship will suffer. As he begins to clean the basement Barney accidentally destroys a bookshelf and discovers a bolted door behind it. He opens the door to discover a second door and opens that as well, and finds himself in the wine cellar of an adjacent house. His own appearance has changed to look like his "dream-self" circa 1900s. A woman's voice calls down for Barney to come up and rejoin the party where he finds his friend Milton. In this world, Barney is the president of a successful company along with Milton as his partner, and they have invented something to improve the fuel efficiency of automobiles.

After the party, Barney discovers his counterpart has the same dreams as he does only his counterpart dreams of the life Barney already has: an undemanding life without a lot of responsibilities. Soon after, everyone leaves during a storm. Katy (unmarried to him in this world) appears at his doorstep looking for help after her horse and carriage have run off.

Barney and Katy get to know each other but in this alternate world she is impressed with him and supportive of his career choice. Barney runs back to the wine cellar to retrieve one of his inventions from his own world when he discovers the counterpart has cleaned the basement and is being doted on by the other Katy. Barney and his counterpart exchange knowing glances and he shuts the door after wishing his counterpart good luck. Barney finds Katy and gives her the invention as a gift.

• "The World Next Door" at IMDb
• "The World Next Door" at TV.com