I often wish the studio system would turn back time (in a sense) and begin to focus on developing short films again. A wonderful way to cultivate and produce young talents (think Charlie Chaplin or The Three Stooges), it also provides the audience with fun, brief excursions into fantastic worlds before even delving into the main feature. Comedy, drama, horror and even action work nicely in shortened versions, which is why I like to highlight certain pint-sized motion pictures from time to time – today, we will look at Buster Keaton’s 1920 comedy The Scarecrow.
A premier example of ingenuity and the genius of motion, the nineteen minute tale follows two farmhands (diminutive Keaton and the much larger Joe Roberts – another example of the ever-comical combo of fatty and skinny) as they vie for the hand of the youthful and pretty farmer’s daughter (Sybil Seely). The two room together in a house of contraptions – the record player seconds as a stove, bed as a solid wooden piece of furniture/piano, bathtub as a settee and so on. Perhaps even more impressive is their dinner table design – ropes hang from the rafters on pulleys, meaning that everything from salt and pepper to food and beverages are attainable from anywhere at the table (Keaton had originally developed a similar mechanism at their family’s summer home when he was just a child). When done, they have a speedy way to do the dishes as well – afterwhich the ropes disappear and a light fixture descends from the ceiling. It is a spy’s house without the spy.
Featuring many impressive vignettes, Keaton finds himself being chased by a dog (Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle’s pet Luke) that has white dripping from his fangs (the farmhand thinks that it has rabies, but it has just gotten into the farmer’s daughter’s cream pie). An example of the immense skill The Great Stone Face had, Keaton finds himself at an old, deteriorating rock structure – to dodge the canine, he jumps and flips through windows and even runs the narrow walls where the roof once stood. Like watching an animated Super Mario make ridiculous jumps and flips, it is hard to fathom just how talented and nimble the man is.
After the lengthy chase, he returns to the farm again only to be pursued by the ever vigilant farmer (played by Keaton’s own father Joe) and the competing farmhand (as they both think he is after the young woman). Replacing his ruined clothes with that of a nearby scarecrow, he utilizes the disguise to try to bring a rift between the farmer and massive farmhand. Fleeing, he comes to a creek – not wanting to wet his clothes, he walks across it on his hands – need I say again, highly impressive. Will he evade their detection and find affection in the arms of the lovely lady, or will he fail in his meandering quest?
Directed by Keaton and co-director Edward F. Cline, producer Joseph M. Schenck (who would one day become a co-founder of 20th Century Fox), who had worked with Keaton and Arbuckle on their shorts, provided the talented silent film star with complete creative control while they worked together – and it shows. The story is simple yet effective, always developed with the movement of the gag in mind. Keaton’s character darts around, left and right, up and down and sometimes off into the distance, always making the most of his perfectly framed shots.
It’s funny – you learn something new every day. As I researched this movie, I continuously kept running into the name Rube Goldberg in the context of the kooky devices found in the farmhands’ home. A famous American cartoonist, inventor, author as well as many other things, Goldberg often drew and developed unusual devices somewhat like the ones captured in The Scarecrow. He is worth looking into when you get a free moment.
A wholly enjoyable little romp, The Scarecrow is an easy watch for both silent film enthusiasts and newbies to the early era of motion pictures. At a serviceable nineteen minutes, it is certainly the perfect length for even the busiest of individuals. At the beginning of Keaton’s most creative time, this is a man who is just reaching his high point, on the precipice of becoming a major star. For the next ten years, the man worked with artistic independence, transporting him to the pantheon of auteurship – a talented writer, director, actor and all around filmmaker, it is for this reason that he is still fondly remembered today. So, don’t run away from this silent feature, marry the idea of delving into this classic short and enjoy an artist who wasn’t just another cog in the wheel.
If this piques your interest, you can search for it on www.youtube.com and should easily find it.