Dead Man's Shoes

"Dead Man's Shoes" is not a great, but nonetheless very competent and enjoyable "Twilight Zone" episode. The credits list the name of the almighty Charles Beaumont as writer, but the plot seems based - or, at least, heavily inspired - by the legendary Maurice Renard novel "The Hands of Orlac". This classic horror story already got adapted into a handful of genre milestones (including the silent "Orlac's Hände" starring Conrad Veidt and "Mad Love" starring Peter Lorre), and revolves around a talented pianist who loses both his hands in an accident. Via a medically ground-breaking transplant operation, he receives a new pair of hands, but they belonged to an executed murderer and gradually force the new owner to commit horrible crimes.

Although uncredited, this episode is a slick variation on the same plot. The homeless Nate witnesses how mobsters dispose of a dead body in a dark alley. The corpse wears brand new and funky shoes, and Nate isn't too shy to try them on. As soon as he wears the shoes, however, Nate somehow becomes the dead gangster - Dale - and remembers where he lived, what his favorite drink was, and who killed him. The shoes naturally force their new owner to seek revenge. There's nothing extraordinary about "Dead Man's Shoes", but the performances are good, and the end-twist is fairly original and unexpected.

The bump Nathan 'Nate' Bledsoe is sleeping in an alley. Out of the blue, he sees a body dumped in the alley and steals his shoes and his keys. When he wears the pair of shoes of the dead man, he acquires the life of the deceased gangster. He goes to his apartment where he meets his girlfriend, Wilma. Then he looks for his clothes and weapon, and goes chasing his former partner Dagget, who killed him, seeking revenge. What will happen in this encounter?

"Dead Man's Shoes" is a great tale of revenge in "The Twilight Zone". The plot is intriguing and also funny, with the deceased gangster using a homeless guy to seek revenge. The conclusion with his promise and another homeless man finding the shoes is also funny. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Sapatos de Outro Mundo" ("Shoes from Other World")

That's an old saying, I believe, and I always took it to be the point of this story. The episode is a good film noir gangster picture with shoes symbolic of a grand idea that men will always have--- an idea that could have just as easily been about the need to create transportation other than a horse and so on.

As someone born in the late 1980s I have always half heartedly loved the Twilight Zone. Looking back in time some of these episodes aged really well and some where junk. But this Episode I remember first seeing on Cable TV in the late 1990s during the XMas/New Years marathons. Even the 1980s version of Dead Woman's shoes did it justice and the 2002 version was ok. This is one of the handful of Twilight Zone Episodes that is absolutely timeless and classic!!! I really can't recommend this episode enough. Probably on the rate side even though I am now in my mid 30's that people not of this era hold it in such high regard. Watching this never gets old for me!!!

As a common rule, leave dead men lie. Solid storyline and a decent execution. Acting was good from the whole cast.