Something Different.. Anyone ever thought

[kdawg1]

I don't know what made me think of this but I thought it would make a really sweet display peice Agent Maxwell Smart's shoe phone. I know there are a lot of youngsters out there but us old folks enjoy this hobby to. If any one has any info on this gem could you pass it along.

Thanks

 

[Darkknight0667]

That's a killer idea. The thought has crossed my minds in the past, but then got buried under other (as George Carlin calls them) brain droppings. I'd love to see this done.

 

[kdawg1]

I did find out it's a Florsheim 9-D Left foot shoe. There are some good looking photos out there but there are a lot of variations that I see already, the dial and the different transistors and the like. Let's try and keep this going and get some good info up on this one.

 

[juno]

I'm sure other's have better pics:
http://www.cia.gov/spy_fi/item15.html

 

[temponaut]

Originally posted by kdawg1@Mar 10 2006, 11:15 PM
There are some good looking photos out there but there are a lot of variations that I see already, the dial and the different transistors and the like.

There were 35 different screen-used versions of the shoe phone on Get Smart.

:confused

Uh... would you believe two shoe phones and a telegraphic sock?

There do seem to have been several different versions. Perhaps they differed from season to season? We need a Get Smart specialist or two to join in on this thread.

Thanks, Wackychimp, for hosting.

 

[dkwd]

I thought that there had been a thread on this last year or so. I am not sure how far they got.

David

 

[aljf]

I have the Nick@night Shoe phone from a few years ago. Someplace in my basement




aljf :confused

 

[temponaut]

Any progress at cobbling this replica together?

No doubt you Get Smart experts are busy, but it would be great if you could shoehorn this project into your schedule. :confused

We already know the type of shoe that was used for this prop. All that's really needed now is a bit of spit and polish.

I know, I know. Enough already. (Sorry about that, Chief.) Don't mean to be a heel. :confused

Sorry. That was poor. It was meant to be tongue in cheek.



Is this thing on?



But seriously: Anything happening here?





P.S. I sure hope that bad puns aren't grounds for banishment.

 

[Prop Runner]

Glad to see there's still some interest in this classic vintage prop since I posted a research thread two years ago. It's been an on-and-off R&D effort for me for the past three years. I even have an investor lined up to make these because he desperately wants one for himself. I've collected every conceivable photo reference, made one found item discovery thanks to a fellow member (the mouthpiece - see below) and have been searching high and low for the correct loafer. I even met Don Adams twice at celebrity cons before his death (duh. ), but unfortunately his memory was very foggy, to put it mildly.

Here are some photos of the original prop plus teasers of my progress:

The shoe is still the hardest part to reproduce, but I found an offshore vendor that could do a custom pattern based on the photo references as well as an electronics company that could replicate the vintage yellow phenolic circuit board. The ear piece, silver disc, and dial ring would be machined, and the mouthpiece is a found microphone, which would have to be reworked and mounted on a hinge. The replica will have a removable sole and heel, and a custom wooden display case and plaque.

I can't promise any progress in the near future, but I certainly plan on getting to it later this year after I clear my plate of my other projects.

- Gabe

 

[TK8410]

Originally posted by temponaut@Mar 21 2006, 11:12 PM
  I sure hope that bad puns aren't grounds for banishment. 

[snapback]1210711[/snapback]​

Shoe-rly not...

:lol

Cheers, Gord.

 

[temponaut]

Wow, Gabe, great reference pics.

I didn't know you've been at work on this for the past couple of years. Please keep us apprised. I realize this isn't an interested thread, but when one appears, I'll be there.

As for the shoe: In Post #03, kdawg1 identifies it as Florsheim 9-D Left. Does this jibe with what you've been able to discover? Do you think that, given photographs, someone at the Florsheim company might be willing and able to narrow it down to a specific model?

Gord: Maybe you and I should put together a "bad pun" act. You know, some jokes and a little soft shoe? Ba-da-BING.



{EDIT} Hey, you can see the manufacturer's logo on the inside of the shoe in the bottom left picture of Gabe's montage. Is that a Florsheim?

 

[Prop Runner]

{EDIT}  Hey, you can see the manufacturer's logo on the inside of the shoe in the bottom left picture of Gabe's montage.  Is that a Florsheim?

Sorry, I should have been more clear - those are NOT the correct shoes, only very close approximations I purchased from eBay to help me in the custom shoe design. Hope I didn't raise your hopes there. :angel

Sadly, there are very few photo references of the top of the shoes, and the problem is that there is discontinuity between the wearable shoes and the prop shoe, for obvious reasons:

I have yet to find a loafer that's either the "claimed make" which is Florsheim, or another make that has the same square-edged tongue, foot print, heel shape, and side stitch pattern. I've all but given up and will have the shoe vendor prototype a custom shoe based on my drawings and photo references, but I'm biding my time until the long-awaited, petition-driven series DVDs come out. There are bootleg DVDs of the series out there, but their quality is very poor and there are of course no exteras. You will not find them on Amazon, only on less-reputable sites. So I eagerly anticipate the studio-release of the series and I'll be on it like white on rice to get the best top, bottom, and side views of the shoe possible, even if I have to sit through the whole damn series in one sitting over an entire weekend. :lol

Read more here:

http://www.wouldyoubelieve.com/faq.html

- Gabe

 

[temponaut]

Gabe: I see you're already several steps ahead of me on the shoe.

Even if you could pin down the correct shoe, the chances of the same style being made today are almost nil. You'd be stuck searching for surviving and usable examples of the original shoe every time you wanted to produce a shoe phone repro... and, if you could find the shoes, you'd probably have to buy them in pairs. From your research, it certainly sounds as if a custom shoe is the "Smart" way to go.

Thanks for posting the link to www.wouldyoubelieve.com. I especially enjoyed reading the catchphrase page.

 

[Prop Runner]

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

I'm considering a temporary leave of absence from the RPF for personal reasons. Rest assured, this project is still very much a GO. If anything, I'll have more time and energy to devote to it as a result. If I do take a break, you'll still find me posting on this and other topics over at Prop Circle.

Thanks, and please no PMs, as my box is nearly full. I can always be reached by e-mail at proprunner@aol.com or on AOL/AIM as Prop Runner for a chat.

Sorry for the needless drama.

- Gabe