Directed by Will Jason, “Safety Sleuth” is a 1944 short written by Joe Ansen, starring Dave O’Brien, and produced by the War Department Safety Council. It features a re-enactment (at the end) of the famed “Bricklayer’s Accident”.
Produced during the war when efficiency was key, “Safety Sleuth” focuses on the fact that were 2 million injuries in American factories during the first year of the war. A group of “safety sleuths” work to fix various problems with machines and improve safety. At 1:10, a punch press operator is observed by a safety sleuth, fainting at his machine. The cause is identified as a hypnotic pattern produced by the machine in action. At 2:00, a “foolish Joe” is seen having an accident with a ladder, with its base too close to the building, resulting in disaster. A variety of other ladder accidents are shown (in the background of some of them appears to be a movie studio — possibly this was shot on the MGM lot!) At 4:20, more accidents are seen with filling oil barrels, a problem solved by placing the barrels on a scale and shutting off the flow when an appropriate weight is received. At 5:20, problems are shown with a drinking fountain. At 6:10, the film shows a pre-occupied carpenter making a series of mistakes, including sitting on a soldering iron and putting his cigarette in his mouth backwards. The film ends with a focus on freak accidents, with a “case history of a recent mishap” at 8:11 involving a barrel of bricks. This particular case is one of the more infamous in human history known as the “Bricklayer’s Accident.” See: http://www.snopes.com/humor/letters/bricks.asp
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
