The Gay Shoe Clerk(Movie, 1903)

The Gay Shoe Clerk is a 1903 silent short film directed by Edwin S. Porter. The film depicts a risqué comic encounter between a clerk and his female customer while she is trying on shoes. In the film, a young woman enters the shoe store, accompanied by an elderly companion. While the older woman settles down in a chair to read, the young customer sits in the shoe demonstration chair and raises her foot. The customer selects a high-heeled slipper, and the eager clerk removes her shoe, and puts on the new shoe. The shot changes to a close-up of the young woman's ankle as the clerk ties her laces. The woman's skirt rises slowly, revealing her ankle and her leg. The camera returns to a wide shot, and we see the clerk lean in to kiss the customer, which she happily returns. Seeing their embrace, the elderly woman stands up, and beats the clerk over the head with her umbrella. The film ends as the clerk flees, and the old woman ushers the young woman out of the store. ()