Edward Boulden (center).     Frame enlargement: Silent Era low-res collection.

Cast: Edward Boulden [shoe clerk], [?] ? [the young lady], [?] ? [her chaperon].

Edison Manufacturing Company production; distributed by Edison Manufacturing Company. / Cinematography by Edwin S. Porter. / © 12 August 1903 by Thomas A. Edison [H34389]. Released August 1903. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.37:1 format. / The production was shot in Edison’s New York studio on 23 July 1903. Utilizes tight close-up shot.

Comedy.

Synopsis: A flirting shoe clerk manages a peek at a young lady’s ankle. He is then pummeled by her escort after kissing the young lady.
[From Edison promotional materials] : Interior of shoe-store. Young lady and chaperon enter. While a fresh young clerk is trying a pair of high-heeled slippers on the young lady, the chaperon seats herself and gets interested in a paper. The scene changes to a close view, showing the lady’s foot and the clerk’s hands tying the slipper. Her dress is slightly raised, showing a shapely ankle, and the clerk’s hands begin to tremble, making it difficult for him to tie the slipper. The picture returns to the previous scene. The clerk makes rapid progress with his fair customer, and while he is in the act of kissing her the chaperon looks up and proceeds to beat the clerk with an umbrella. Then she takes the young lady by the arm, and leads her from the store.

Survival Status: Prints exist in the Library of Congress film archive (paper print collection) [35mm paper positive], and in the Museum of Modern Art film archive [original Edison 35mm nitrate negative].

Keywords: Kissing - Shoes - Shoe stores - Umbrellas

Listing updated: 20 March 2008.

References: Film viewing : Bohn-Light p. 18; Fell-History pp. 36, 47, 48; Musser-Emerge pp. 347-348, 349, 493, 603; Niver-First p. 36; Robinson-Palace p. 122; Shipman-Cinema p. 28 : Website-AFI; Website-IMDb.

Home Video: DVD.