August 17, 2025 and 110 years ago on this day in 1915, Edgar Rice Burroughs completed the unpublished and unproduced film synopsis, “His Majesty, The Janitor.” Alas, it never made it past the synopsis point. It never became a ‘treatment’ or a script. We don’t really know about the story.
There were at least three silent films about janitors. Two of them were released before Ed wrote his treatment. Charlie Chaplin's "The New Janitor" (1914) is a notable example, where Chaplin plays a janitor who gets caught up in a bank robbery. Another film, "A Janitor's Wife's Temptation" (1915), explores a more melodramatic plot involving a janitor, his wife, and an artist. Additionally, a 1928 film, "The Working Side of the Museum," provides a glimpse into the lives of museum staff, including janitors, during that era.
The drabble for today, “Who’s the Boss,” was inspired by the title, “His Majesty, The Janitor.”
The building superintendent said, “Henry, you’re just the janitor, but you’ve been telling everyone that you’re the king of the building. If anyone’s the king around here, it’s me.”
“No, boss. The man who cleans up the rubbish is really the king, just like the colon is king of the body.”
“Naw, Henry. Either the heart or the brain are the king.”
“Think about how quickly the goes to pot if the colon quits working. It’s the same with the janitor. If no one takes out the trash, everything goes to the devil in a heartbeat. King of the World!”
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