I can't understand why this is such a popular film except for the fact that it does feature an early closeup that shows clearly what is still going on in the scene. This was a technique developed by G. A. Smith in his "The Sick Kitten" and indeed this short is according to some a remake of Smith's "As Seen Through a Telescope". It's a sex comedy that is pretty harmless today but was shocking for its time. Anyway, I've seen more creative one-gag movies from early cinema but the joke here really isn't that funny and comes up very basic. The lighting is really bad which makes it come across as serious until the 'joke' at the end. One of the best things about it is that the closeup is very effective and given the surviving print, it looks very good. The joke is really cheap though.
Review of The Gay Shoe Clerk
