The Scarecrow (1920 film)
| The Scarecrow | |
|---|---|
 Buster Keaton and Luke | |
| Directed by | Edward F. Cline Buster Keaton |
| Written by | Edward F. Cline Buster Keaton |
| Produced by | Joseph M. Schenck |
| Starring | Buster Keaton Sybil Seely Joe Keaton Joe Roberts |
| Cinematography | Elgin Lessley |
| Edited by | Buster Keaton |
| Distributed by | Metro Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 21 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
The Scarecrow is a 1920 American two-reel silent comedy film starring Buster Keaton, and written and directed by Keaton and Edward F. Cline.[2]
Plot
[edit]Buster plays a farmhand who competes with his housemate (Roberts) to win the love of the farmer's daughter (Sybil Seely). Running from a dog that he believes is rabid, he races around brick walls, jumps through windows, and falls into a hay thresher that rips off most of his clothes. He is forced to borrow a scarecrow's clothes in a nearby field. He then trips into a kneeling position while tying his shoes, and Sybil believes he is proposing marriage. They speed off on a motorcycle, with Joe and the farmer (played by Buster's father, Joe) in hot pursuit. Scooping up a minister during the chase, they are married on the speeding motorcycle and splash into a stream, where they are pronounced man and wife.
Cast
[edit]
- Buster Keaton as Farmhand #1
- Edward F. Cline as Hit-and-Run Truck Driver (uncredited)
- Luke the Dog as The "Mad" Dog (uncredited)
- Joe Keaton as Farmer (uncredited)
- Joe Roberts as Farmhand #2 (uncredited)
- Sybil Seely as Farmer's Daughter (uncredited)
- Al St. John as Man with Motorbike (uncredited)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "'Leopard Woman' Thrills American Theater Patrons". The Salt Lake Tribune. November 8, 1920. p. 7. "The picture, which yesterday opened a week's run at the American Theatre to capacity business, is a production truly big from a production angle [...] The new Buster Keaton comedy, 'The Scarecrow,' made a real impression upon the audience. It has been aptly termed the best comedy Mr. Keaton ever made and one of the best productions of its kind ever seen on the screen." Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- ^ Fristoe, Roger. "The Scarecrow." Turner Classic Movies. November 7, 2017.
External links
[edit]
- The short film The Scarecrow is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.
- The Scarecrow at IMDb
- The Scarecrow on YouTube
- The Scarecrow at AllMovie
- The Scarecrow at the International Buster Keaton Society
- 1920 films
- 1920 comedy films
- 1920 short films
- 1920s American films
- 1920s English-language films
- American black-and-white films
- American silent short films
- Films directed by Buster Keaton
- Films directed by Edward F. Cline
- Films produced by Joseph M. Schenck
- Films with screenplays by Buster Keaton
- Metro Pictures films
- Silent American comedy films
- Surviving American silent films
- English-language short films