The Shoemaker Of Bensonhurst Still Going Strong

A Huffington Post article keyed us onto The Shoemaker, a gorgeous short film featuring the fantastic life of Frank Catalfumo, a 91-year-old World War II wonder who has been repairing shoes in Bensonhurst for more than 50 years.

The film, beautifully crafted by Dustin Cohen, captures Catalfumo and his son as they go about sewing, buffing and cleaning shoes at their practically historic Bensonhurst storefront, F&C Shoes.

Catalfumo, who works five days a week expressed a simple maxim to account for his incredible longevity.

“I’m not the retiring person. You’ve got to keep moving in life,” he said.

I was personally fascinated by Catalfumo’s bewilderment at how his neighborhood, which he knew as “Bay 50th” as a kid growing up in the 1920s, all of a sudden was called Bensonhurst. Hmm…even old New York was once New Amsterdam, I suppose.

Anyway, this is a wonderful work of art that captures the spirit and beauty of Catalfumo’s work and is well worth watching.