The Scribe (1966)
The Scribe (1966), directed by John Sebert, starring Buster Keaton and Jack Creley.
score
Synopsis
Comedy short produced by the Construction Safety Association of Ontario, Canada. It demonstrates the dos and don'ts of construction site safety. The film is the last professionally filmed footage of film legend Buster Keaton, shot months before his death from lung cancer on February 1, 1966. He recreates several routines from his youth, as well as some new material for the film. 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.
- John SebertDirector
- Clifford BragginsWriter
- Paul SutherlandWriter
About the film
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 the 1918 film The Bell Boy, in which Fatty Arbuckle mops the floor using only the tip of the mop, little by little while sitting on the floor.
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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 the 1918 film The Bell Boy, in which Fatty Arbuckle mops the floor using only the tip of the mop, little by little while sitting on the floor.
References
External links
The Scribe at IMDb
Text from The Scribe (film) on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scribe_(film)
Trivia
- It premiered on January 8, 1966, a Saturday.
- This film's quiz has 9 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.
Production
- StudiosConstruction Safety Association of Ontario
- CountriesCanada
- LanguagesEnglish
- StatusReleased
Cast
Buster Keaton
Journalist 
Cec Linder
O'Malley (uncredited) Quiz about this movie
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Tags
Crew
- John Sebert Director
- Clifford Braggins Writer
- Paul Sutherland Writer
Questions about this film
What is The Scribe about?
The Scribe: Comedy short produced by the Construction Safety Association of Ontario, Canada. It demonstrates the dos and don'ts of construction site safety. The film is the last professionally filmed footage of film legend Buster Keaton, shot months before his death from lung cancer on February 1, 1966. He recreates several routi…
Who directed The Scribe?
The Scribe was directed by John Sebert in 1966.
Who stars in The Scribe?
The cast of The Scribe includes Buster Keaton, Jack Creley and Cec Linder.
How long is The Scribe?
The Scribe runs for 30 minutes, or 0h30.
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Page updated on 09/15/2026.
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