I didn't scorn the alternatives. I actually enjoyed the variety. 🙂
But you are right. Keds were the standard by which all other sneakers were measured. Some of them failed, but others measured up quite well.
Kinney Shoes, Sears (who probably had Keds make the shoes for them under contract) and 9 West had very good sneakers. Then there was a brand that looked exactly like Keds except that they had a pink label!