Synopsis
Arthur and Norma Lewis are slowly descending into abject poverty. One day, they receive a mysterious locked box with a button on it and a note that says a Mr. Steward will come visit. Then, just as the note says, a smartly-dressed stranger who introduces himself as Steward comes to their door when Arthur is out. He gives Norma the key to the box and explains that if they press the button, two things will happen: they will receive $200,000, and someone "whom you don't know" will die.
After the stranger leaves, the Lewises wonder whether Steward's proposal is genuine, and agonize over whether to press the button. Norma rationalizes that they could make good use of the money, and that the one who dies might be some Chinese peasant or cancer sufferer who is living a miserable life. Arthur takes the side that since they do not know who will die, pressing the button may cause the death of an innocent baby. They open the box and discover no mechanism inside it - it is simply an empty box with a button on it. Arthur angrily throws the box in the trash. However, in the middle of the night while Arthur is asleep, Norma goes to the apartment building's dumpster and retrieves the device. The next day, Arthur leaves for work and sees Norma sitting at the kitchen table, her gaze transfixed on the button. At the end of the day, he returns from work and it appears that nothing has changed; Norma is still concentrating only on the button and sitting. The days go by. Norma and Arthur keep talking about the box, when suddenly Norma decides that she will push the button. She does it and her husband looks at her with disgust. They go to bed after seeing nothing happens.
However, the next day Mr. Steward returns, takes back the box, and gives them a briefcase with the $200,000. The Lewises are in shock and ask what will happen next. Steward ominously replies that the button will be "reprogrammed" and offered to someone else with the same terms and conditions, adding as he focuses on Norma: "I can assure you it will be offered to someone whom you don't know." A horrified, knowing expression crosses Norma's face.
Short story
"Button, Button" was first published in Playboy, June 1970, a short story written by Richard Matheson. The story was republished as part of a collection of Matheson's short stories.
In the original short story, the plot is resolved differently. Norma presses the button, and receives the money — after her husband dies in a train incident where Arthur is pushed onto the tracks (the money was the no-fault insurance settlement, which is $50,000 instead of the $200,000 in the Twilight Zone episode). A despondent Norma asks the stranger why her husband was the one who was killed. The stranger replies, "Did you really think you knew your husband?"
Matheson strongly disapproved of the Twilight Zone version, especially the new ending, and used his pseudonym Logan Swanson for the teleplay.
Film
The Box, a feature film based on this story, starring Cameron Diaz and James Marsden, was released in 2009 to mediocre reviews. The original Twilight Zone episode is played out within the first hour, followed by further events within the context of the film's additional plot. Basil Hoffman, the actor who plays Steward in the Twilight Zone episode, also appears in the film, but as character Don Poates.
Radio
A radio play version of the story, written by Henry Slesar, was also produced. As the CBS Radio Mystery Theater Presents 15th episode, "The Chinaman Button", was first broadcast January 20, 1974. It was repeated at least twice: on March 15, 1974, and again October 7, 1978.
In this version of the story, a man who is desperate for money is offered the chance to make a fortune. All he has to do is commit an anonymous murder where he will not even have to see the victim. Actors for this radio play were: Mason Adams, Paul Hecht, Evie Juster, Ralph Bell, and Will Hare.
