Gone But Not Forgotten

I like oldies movies and with today's endless political garbage on television, I find myself channel surfing for movies often. A few night past, I came across one of those classic gangster flicks recalling  those prohibition bootlegging stories. My goodness, it doesn't get any better than watching the likes of George Raft, Peter Lorre and Edward G. Robinson playing tough-guy characters.

While watching the Tommy-gun shoot'em-up movie, I couldn't help but notice the number of 'things,' particularly fashions, which have disappeared from our lives. Even this writer at age eighty cannot recall seeing men wearing SPATS. Spats were those contrasting color cloth coverings men wore over their shoes in the 1910-to-late 1930's, to keep the mud and dirt from their socks and shoes. Then there is the FEDORA. Now, I can recall the men's Fedora hats, which gave way to the more causal men's look in the late 1950's. (Personal note: I purchased a white Stetson Fedora with a black ban back in 1955... I thought it complimented my White Buck shoes and blue pin-strip cord pegged pants). You don't see any those fashion items today except perhaps the Stetsons worn by country western singers.
One scene in the movie I watched depicted a shootout in an alley behind a Speak Easy. Both the alley and speak easy have long disappeared from our neighborhoods.

A few years ago, I purchased two new pairs of leather dress shoes. One pair was reasonable in cost  while the second pair was listed at $235.00. I likely reminded the young female sales clerk of her grandfather because she looked about and then leaned towards me and said, "If you really want these shoes, I'll hold them for you because next week they are coming on sale." The following week, I  bought the Johnston & Murphy, Gino Vitale two-tone brown leather shoes for $75.00. Now the only thing I cannot find is a 'Shoe Shine Boy' outside the Von Maur Store...but it seems they've disappeared, also.
(Touch)
Shoe Shine Boy