Dead Man's Shoes (The Twilight Zone)


"Dead Man's Shoes" is episode 83 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It originally aired on January 19, 1962 on CBS.

Opening narration

Plot

A homeless man, Nate Bledsoe, snatches a pair of shoes from Dane, the target of a mob hit dumped in an alley. Two of his homeless associates try to con him out of the plainly expensive shoes, to no avail. Wearing the shoes infuses him with the personality and memories of the victim; and he continues his life as Dane. Nate stops by the home of the victim’s girlfriend, who recognizes his manner and kisses him. Nate then goes to a bar to confront Dagget, the boss who had him killed. Dagget is at first unsettled, but then realizes who Nate is and has him gunned down. Before he dies, he promises, "I'll be back, Bernie, and I'll keep coming back… again, and again." The body is dumped in the same place as the original victim. One of Nate's acquaintances from earlier finds his corpse, takes the shoes, and puts them on and the cycle begins anew.

Closing narration

Cast

The episode was remade in the 1985 revival as "Dead Woman's Shoes" and in the 2002 revival as "Dead Man's Eyes". This makes it the only original episode to be remade in two of the revival series.