Tight Shoes
Cast & Crew
Albert S. Rogell
John Howard
Binnie Barnes
Broderick Crawford
Anne Gwynne
Leo Carrillo
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Allan McGrath, editor of the Star-Dispatch , is having dinner with a group of newspapermen, when one complains of "tight shoes," prompting Alan to tell them the story of Jimmy Rupert and Speedy Miller. With election time rolling around, the district attorney had gone after New York's gambling houses, but he was unable to find the den of Speedy Miller, and therefore, was unable to uncover the political boss known only as "The Brain," who protects Speedy. The Brain tells Speedy that he must set up more games in his district, in order to make up for their losses in other areas. Speedy is then given $5,000 to bet on a fixed horse race. Speedy and his hoods, Blooch and Okay, go to Amalfi's shoe store, where they force the proprietor to sell out, as they plan to make the store the "front" for their new gambling house. Before they leave, however, Blooch ruins Speedy's shoes, and when he forces clerk Jimmy Rupert to serve him, the two argue over Speedy's shoe size. Jimmy later complains to his waitress girl friend Ruth that even though he is a college graduate, he makes so little money they cannot get married. At the race track, Speedy, who is now suffering from "tight shoes," bets on a long shot hunch named Feet First instead of sure thing Pam's Mam, and loses all his money when Feet First is disqualified. His girl friend, show girl Sybil Ash, becomes so upset that she kicks him, and he punches her in the jaw in return. Speedy blames his loses on Jimmy and orders him fired from Amalfi's. Jimmy then complains to Ruth about the crooked politicians like "Honest John" Beebe, who allow men like Speedy to run the city. McGrath overhears Jimmy and takes him to one of Beebe's political rallies. At the rally, Jimmy challenges the crooked politician and ends up leading a raid on Amalfi's. A riot breaks out, and Sybil and Ruth are arrested in the midst of the madness. With the help of McGrath and the district attorney, Jimmy is nominated to run against Beebe. Unknown to McGrath, this is contrary to the desires of his boss, Horace Grover, the managing editor of his paper, who is, in actuality, The Brain. Later, Jimmy is met at his home by a group of reporters, and Ruth and Sybil are present as well. When Sybil learns that Jimmy is the one who sold Speedy his "tight shoes," she offers him her full support. While Grover blocks McGrath's efforts, Sybil's work on the young man's behalf turns the election. Jimmy's success soon goes to his head, but he still proclaims his love to Ruth. She, however, sees him turning toward Sybil and Grover, and rejects him. The now down-and-out Speedy goes to Amalfi for help, and the retailer hires the ex-gangster as a clerk. Jimmy and Sybil become engaged, and Amalfi orders Speedy to take a pair of shoes to the new councilman for his wedding. Speedy deliberately selects takes a pair of "tight shoes," the box for which Ruth assumes is a bomb. When Sybil sees Speedy at the church, she asks him to give her away and he agrees. After he delivers the shoes, however, Speedy is knocked out by Ruth, who explains to Sybil her conviction about the "bomb." The two women start fighting, with Jimmy in the middle. After Sybil strikes both Ruth and Jimmy, he throws her into a flower arrangement. Speedy then awakens, but before he can strike Jimmy, he is stopped by Grover, whom he exposes as The Brain. While Grover exits with the district attorney, the two couples begin fighting, and eventually become reunited and married as originally intended.
Director
Albert S. Rogell
Cast
John Howard
Binnie Barnes
Broderick Crawford
Anne Gwynne
Leo Carrillo
Samuel S. Hinds
Shemp Howard
Richard Lane
Sarah Padden
Ed Gargan
Selmer Jackson
Robert E. O'connor
Tom Dugan
Beatrice Roberts
Don Terry
Mike Frankovich
Johnny Arthur
Charles Arnt
Mary Kelley
Emmett Vogan
Jack Arnold
Billy Wayne
George Guhl
Hal Price
Ralph Peters
Joe Devlin
Chuck Morrison
David Oliver
Roberta Smith
Betty Jane Graham
Stanley Mann
Bernice Pilot
Mickey Simpson
Billy Bletcher
Charles Sherlock
Richard Kean
John Butler
Kathryn Sheldon
Jane Keckley
Lester Dorr
Duke York
Eddie Foster
Jimmy Lucas
Ed Mortimer
Larry Mcgrath
Crew
Art Arthur
Elwood Bredell
Bernard B. Brown
Howard Christie
Ralph M. Delacy
R. A. Gausman
Jules Levey
Otto Ludwig
Jack Otterson
Robert Pritchard
Jaik Rosenstein
H. J. Salter
Leonard Spigelgass
Vera West
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The film's title card lists the title as Damon Runyon's Tight Shoes. Hollywood Reporter reported that Mayfair Productions purchased two short stories from writer Damon Runyon in October 1940, this one and "Butch Minds the Baby," which was also produced through Universal under that title (see entry above). Hollywood Reporter reported that actor Broderick Crawford had been loaned by Universal to Warner Bros. for Manpower (see entry above), but when casting problems delayed the production of that film, he returned to Universal to star in Tight Shoes. The Daily Variety review called the film "...the closest interpretation of the Damon Runyon humor that has yet been brought to the screen." Actress Binnie Barnes and actor, radio announcer Mike Frankovich had been married in real life since 1940. Frankovich was also a prominent producer and production executive from the 1940s on. This was the only film in which Barnes and Frankovich, who were married until his death in 1992, appeared together.
