History Main / ShoeShineMister

* ''TheSimpsons'': The creator of Itchy & Scratchy is a homeless hobo who makes a living in part by shining shoes. After he successfully sues I&S Studios for all their money, he lives in a mansion, where he hangs out in front offering people a shine.

* For a little while on ''Series/NightCourt'' there was a shoeshine stand that was an important place in the courthouse, with the shiner as a recurring character.

* The song "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chattanooga_Choo_Choo Chattanooga Choo Choo]]" mentions a shoe shiner:

* A character in the opening of ''The Creature from Haunted Sea'' receives a message from a guy posing as shoe shiner. Then men with guns start shooting them.

Shoe shine stands do still exist, but this site is about tropes. You don't see them much in media set in the present anymore.

* In the movie ''Film/{{MASH}}'', the snippets of the song "Tokyo Shoe Shine Boy" are played at various times. The song is also on the movie soundtrack. In the film it is sung in Japanese, except for the words "Tokyo Shoe Shine Boy" in English. You can hear the entire song in Japanese [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC_jf6FUh-U here]].
* ''Film/YoungFrankenstein''. When Frederick's train pulls in, he asks a shoeshine boy, "Pardon me boy, is this the Transylvania Station?" The boy replies "Ja, ja. Track 29. Oh, can I give you a shine?" This is a ShoutOut to the 1941 song "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chattanooga_Choo_Choo Chattanooga Choo Choo]]".

* In ''Film/TheBandWagon'', Fred Astaire sings and dances [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4UUkui545I#t=1m20s "Shine on your Shoes"]] with the shoe shiner. He was a real dancing shoe shiner rather than an actor/dancer, and the inspiration for the song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEClMiOp6OY "Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy"]]. A [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment BLAM]] song.

* Kicks the skunk from ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingCityFolk[=/=]Let's Go To The City'' is a shoe shiner you can meet in the city. He changes the color of your shoes according to the clothes you're wearing at the time.

** The film is based on the real-life experiences of Henry Hill and the people he met through the Vario brothers, who owned a shoeshine stand and other businesses. In real life, Billy Batts taunted Tommy, calling him "spit-shine Tommy." [=DeSimone=] retorted by yelling, "Shine these fuckin' shoes," and then executing Batts.

* Kicks the skunk from ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing: City Folk/Let's Go To The City'' is a shoe shiner you can meet in the city. He changes the color of your shoes according to the clothes you're wearing at the time.

* In the movie ''Film/{{Mash}}'', the snippets of the song "Tokyo Shoe Shine Boy" are played at various times. The song is also on the movie soundtrack. In the film it is sung in Japanese, except for the words "Tokyo Shoe Shine Boy" in English. You can hear the entire song in Japanese [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC_jf6FUh-U here]].

* A hotel shoe shiner played a major role in ''Nick of Time'' with Creator/JohnnyDepp.
** Also featuring Johnny Depp is ''Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory''; toward the end, after [[spoiler: rejecting Wonka's desire to have him take over the factory and abandon his family]], Charlie is shining the shoes of an unknown man and insults Wonka. The man promptly drops the newspaper from in front of his face, revealing a rather offended Wonka.

* ''Film/NickOfTime''. A disabled war veteran earning money this way becomes a reluctant ally to the protagonist, after he overhears the villain discussing his EvilPlan while having his shoes shined (he suffers from hearing loss, but is not completely deaf as the villain had been lead to believe).

* In ''Film/TheBandWagon'', Fred Astaire sings and dances [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4UUkui545I#t=1m20s "Shine on your Shoes"]] with the shoe shiner. He was a real dancing shoe shiner rather than an actor/dancer, and the inspiration for the song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEClMiOp6OY "Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy"]]. A {{BLAM}} song.

** Music/RushLimbaugh– conservative radio talk show host and pundit, shined shoes as a young boy to make spending money.

* ''Series/ThePrisoner'' episode "The Girl who was Death" parodies secret agent adventures, and early on has Number Six exchanging info with a fellow agent who is posing as a shoe shine guy, complete with transmitter brush.

* ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}'' features a scene in which Tommy [=DeVito=] (Creator/JoePesci) brutally beats and knifes Billy Batts to death for insulting him about being a shoeshine boy in Tommy's younger days. This would eventually get Tommy killed, as Batts was a made man, and you do not kill a made man in the mob without a sitdown and an okay from the made man's boss. \\
\\
The film is based on the real-life experiences of Henry Hill and the people he met through the Vario brothers, who owned a shoeshine stand and other businesses. In real life, William "Billy Batts" Devino taunted Thomas "Two Gun Tommy" [=DeSimone=], calling him "spit-shine Tommy." [=DeSimone=] retorted by yelling, "Shine these fuckin' shoes," and then executing Batts.

--> '''Billy Batts''', ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}''

* One of them is in the city in the third ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' installment ''City Folk/Let's Go To The City''. He changes the color of your shoes according to the clothes you're wearing at the time.

Shoe shine stands do still exist, but this site is about tropes. You don't see them much in media anymore.

->''"Need a shine, mister?"''

* In one episode of ''SushiPack'', the Titanium Chef's evil plan involves shoeshine, even though his own minions point out that no one shines his shoes in this day and age. However, his plan also involves the power of [[PeerPressureMakesYouEvil peer pressure]], and sure enough, everyone wants to get his shoes shined to be "cool". One boy even volunteers to help them shine shoes.

* [[ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse Scrooge McDuck]] famously won his Number One Dime shining shoes.