MovieChat Forums > The Phenix City Story (1955) Discussion > John McIntire's prosthetic shoe

John McIntire's prosthetic shoe

posted 13 years ago by BigJohnPilgrim
6 replies | jump to latest

At the beginning of the movie, John McIntire's character Albert Patterson is shown putting on or adjusting a shoe prosthetic with a sole about 2-3 inches thick. His other shoe has a normal sole, and although he walks with a slight limp, it's obvious the thick-soled shoe does not make his one leg longer than the other.

So, it's clear either John McIntire actually had one leg shorter than the other (neither his IMDB or his Wikipedia bio mention this affliction), or the prosthetic was a fake (actually a shoe with a normal sole but with the upper built up and the shoe exterior made to look like it had a thick-soled prosthetic). If the prosthetic was a fake, there was a reason for it, as it was prominently featured at the beginning of the movie and then never shown afterward (and never was mentioned at all, just the one scene where it showed him putting it on or adjusting it). And since movies never waste time showing insignificant material, it was featured for a reason.

So, on the hunch that it was a fake prosthetic and featured for a reason, I checked Albert Patterson's bio on Wikipedia. It mentioned that he was seriously wounded in France in WWI. So, this must be the injury that resulted in having one leg shorter than the other, and must have been a prominent and known feature of his personage, causing the person who played him in the movie to not only wear a fake prosthetic, but to even spend an entire scene demonstrating that he was wearing it.

So, the director went out of his way to pay homage to Albert's bum leg, but it was never mentioned why in the movie nor has it been mentioned here on IMDB, which appears to be a shortcoming. Oh well, at least it is there.
Come see a fat old man sometime!

[–] The_Dying_Flutchman 13 years ago

This is the only thing I found of interest in this excruciatingly trite tale.

Let it be unsaid: insignificance is the locus of true increpation.

[–] BigJohnPilgrim 13 years ago

Well, it was, after all, a true story about some rather bad times in a southern town back in the day, but which was not only not sensationalized with much in the way of a plot, but had little character development (as evidenced by this post), not even delving into Albert Patterson's (admittedly the protagonist in the story) background enough to explain why his character was wearing the prosthetic shoe!

On the other hand, it must have been a captivating story at the time, probably national news. It was apparently rushed to the theaters while the bad guys were still being prosecuted. So it was intended more as a documentary than a movie. Shame, because with a little more time and effort it could have been a good movie in its own right.

Come see a fat old man sometime!

[–] The_Dying_Flutchman 13 years ago

I realise it was a big thing all those years ago and so I think of it as a piece of history that has lost its fizz.

Let it be unsaid: insignificance is the locus of true increpation.

[–] Jonny_B_Lately 10 years ago

If you go to the wikipedia entry (again) for Mr. Patterson you'll find a photograph of a statue dedicated to him. Take a close look at the "shoes" on the statue. One shoe sole is considerably thicker than the other.

Watta ya lookn here for?

[–] BigJohnPilgrim 10 years ago

Thanks, I missed that, and you are corect. Intrigued, I searched a little further by Googling the following: "what happened to Albert Patterson's foot?" and among the results, found this article from a website called 'The Malefactor's Register' for crime/punishment/law/writing. This article (http://malefactorsregister.com/wp/?p=815) contained the following sentence in the first paragraph after mentioning Patterson's assassination: "Patterson, who could only walk with the help of a cane because of his war wound...". So, my guess was correct and it was the war wound that caused this issue and it was a prominent enough feature that it merited inclusion in the movie. And was obviously prominent enough to also merit inclusion in the statue representing him for all time.

Come see a fat old man sometime!

[–] sherryangl 10 years ago

Am watching the movie right now. I had seen it years ago and wanted Dad to see this. He was stationed in Panama when all of this went on so does not recall hearing of it. I am glad your research showed the reason for the shoe scene. I always wonder about those small things, that have some significance.