The Shoes (1960), a little-known black-and-white short starring 37-year-old Buddy Hackett, begins with the title "Once there was a man who was lonely and sad..." Hackett, in bittersweet mode, plays a sad sack who lolls about his Bronx apartment in his underwear, reading cheap magazines and befriended only by his dog, a feisty terrier called Pepper.

During a window-shopping expedition, the lonely guy spots a pair of shoes - snappy black and white wingtips - that so catch his fancy he breaks the store window and steals them. The shoes give him the self-confidence to go out on the town to woo a pretty girl (Jaquelyn Hyde) at a bar. But waiting at home is Pepper, who has his own designs on the coveted shoes.

Ernest Pintoff, who wrote, produced, directed and co-edited The Shoes as well as composing its background score, had earned an Oscar® nomination for his animated short, The Violinist (1959). He later won the Oscar® for Best Animated short for The Critic (1963), a satire on modern art written and narrated by Mel Brooks. Pintoff would direct several low-budget films including Who Killed Mary What's 'Er Name? (1971) and Dynamite Chicken (1972), plus numerous episodes of TV series including Hawaii Five-O, The Six Million Dollar Man and Falcon Crest. He also taught painting and design and wrote textbooks on animation and directing.

Cinematographer Arthur Ornitz (later billed as Arthur J. Ornitz) went on to photograph many major films including Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962), The World of Henry Orient (1964), A Thousand Clowns (1965), Serpico (1973) and Death Wish (1974).

Producers: Ernest Pintoff, Arnold Stone (Associate)
Director/Screenplay/Original Music: Ernest Pintoff
Cinematography: Arthur Ornitz
Editing: Ernest Pintoff, Richard Stone
Principal Cast: Buddy Hackett (The Man), Jacquelyn Hyde (The Girl).
C-24m.

by Roger Fristoe