''The Scribe'' is a 1966

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

starring Buster Keaton in his last film role before his death from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...

on February 1, 1966. It was produced by the Construction Safety Association of Ontario, Canada to promote

Construction site safety Construction site safety is an aspect of construction-related activities concerned with protecting construction site workers and others from death, injury, disease or other health-related risks. Construction is an often hazardous, predominantly la ...

, and was filmed where the

Ontario Government Buildings The Macdonald Block Complex is a set of office buildings in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that houses 12 cabinet ministers, 15 Ontario government ministries (as of 2016) and the largest concentration of Ontario public servants. Its address is 900 Ba ...

were under construction in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

. 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 the 1918 film ''

The Bell Boy ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' in which Fatty Arbuckle mops the floor using only the tip of the mop, little by little while sitting on the floor.

External links

* 1966 films 1966 comedy films English-language Canadian films Canadian independent films 1966 short films 1966 independent films Canadian comedy short films 1960s Canadian films {{1960s-Canada-film-stub