The Scribe
Encyclopedia
The Scribe is a 1966 comedy film
short starring Buster Keaton
in his last film role before his death from lung cancer
on February 1, 1966. It was produced by the Construction Safety Association of Ontario, Canada to promote Construction site safety
, and was filmed where the Ontario Government Buildings
were under construction in Toronto
. The director was John Sebert.
Keaton portrays the janitor at a newspaper who accidentally intercepts a call from the editor, ordering him to do a story about safety practices at a massive construction site. He sneaks onto the construction site and finds a list of 16 safety rules posted on a wall. He takes the list and attempts to confront workers when he sees them acting in an unsafe manner, often causing more accidents than he prevents. Keaton is silent throughout the film as he recreates several routines from his youth. Most notable was his recreation of a gag from his 1918 film The Bell Boy
in which he mops the floor using only the tip of the mop, little by little while sitting on the floor.
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
short starring Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
in his last film role before his death from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
on February 1, 1966. It was produced by the Construction Safety Association of Ontario, Canada to promote Construction site safety
Construction site safety
Construction is the most dangerous land-based work sector in Europe, after the fishing industry. In the European Union, the fatal accident rate is nearly 13 workers per 100,000 as against 5 per 100,000 for the all sector average ....
, and was filmed where the Ontario Government Buildings
Ontario Government Buildings
The Ontario Government Buildings are a set of office buildings in Toronto, Canada home to most of the various ministries of Ontario's provincial government. They are located just east of Queen's Park on Bay Street...
were under construction in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. The director was John Sebert.
Keaton portrays the janitor at a newspaper who accidentally intercepts a call from the editor, ordering him to do a story about safety practices at a massive construction site. He sneaks onto the construction site and finds a list of 16 safety rules posted on a wall. He takes the list and attempts to confront workers when he sees them acting in an unsafe manner, often causing more accidents than he prevents. Keaton is silent throughout the film as he recreates several routines from his youth. Most notable was his recreation of a gag from his 1918 film The Bell Boy
The Bell Boy
The Bell Boy is a short film produced and released in 1918 by the Comique film company.The film stars Fatty Arbuckle and Buster Keaton as bellboys in Elk's Head Hotel. They cause trouble with each other and guests. The elevator is powered by a stubborn horse, a sham robbery turns into a real one,...
in which he mops the floor using only the tip of the mop, little by little while sitting on the floor.