Concerned with Richard Nixon's popular image as an uptight curmudgeon who was incapable of having fun, his campaign advisors hoped to portray the president as a "man of the people" during his reelection in 1972. As such, a photo shoot was arranged to showcase "Nixon the man" -- all the president had to do was take a casual stroll on the beautiful beach of San Clemente, California. These images would surely evoke the Kennedy-esque aura of camelot -- certainly Nixon was able to let his hair down from time to time?
Not exactly. The photo shoot backfired, and the result only further reinforced the stereotype that Nixon's people had hoped to avoid. Why? Because the president insisted on wearing his wingtip dress shoes as he meandered along the surf. Yes, shiny black wingtip oxfords, on the beach no less. Photo below:
Nixon's faux-pas was famously portrayed in the modern political comedy DICK in a scene where love-struck youngster Arlene, played by Michelle Williams, shares an intimate moment with the president: