A gag-stuffed, story-light short from Buster Keaton, co-written and co-directed with Edward F. Cline, The Scarecrow’s best bit isn’t the one from which it gets its title (Keaton impersonating a limp scarecrow in order to evade pursuers). Instead, the highlight is the lengthy opening sequence in which Keaton’s farmhand and his roommate (Joe Roberts) go through their morning routine, in which every item in their cramped space serves a dual purpose. (One example: the bathtub that flips over to become a couch, emptying its water outside into a pond for ducks to swim in. Surely such gadgetry was an influence on Jacques Tati’s Mon Oncle.) Especially impressive is the coordinated breakfast ballet involving various serving dishes and utensils hanging from strings in the ceiling, which the two men swing back and forth as needed while they eat. The invention fades a bit from there, with various misunderstandings involving a farmer (Joe Keaton, Buster’s real-life father) and his daughter (Sybil Seely), though special mention should go to an indefatigable Luke the Dog, who exhibits a deranged commitment to chasing Keaton, even up a ladder.
(2/22/2022)
