The Scarecrow

Buster and Luke the Dog

In this 1920 two-reeler, Buster Keaton and Joe Roberts are farmhands and rival suitors for farmer's daughter Sybil Seely. When an incident with a threshing machine leaves Buster undressed, he steals the clothes off a scarecrow. Hilarity Ensues.

This film is in the public domain and can be viewed in its entirety at Google Video.

Not to be confused with the Batman villain, the Wizard of Oz character, or the 1983 Soviet film Scarecrow.

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"The Scarecrow" provides examples of:

• Accidental Marriage: Sybil runs across Buster as he's getting up from tying a shoe, putting him in the classic one-knee marriage proposal pose. Cue intertitle: "This is so sudden." Luckily, he wants to marry her.
• Amplified Animal Aptitude: Did that dog just climb a ladder? And descend a ladder, headfirst?
• Amusing Injuries
• Aside Glance
  • Buster's double-handed farewell kiss to the audience before falling backward off a wall.
  • Sybil, after getting kissed by the "scarecrow."
• Bookcase Passage: The bathtub/sofa.
• But You Screw One Goat!: Invoked by the intertitle, "He's running away to get married with your horse."
• The Cast Showoff: Buster, always. Particularly of note here when he walks on his hands and runs around and around on top of narrow walls with no trouble.
• Chase Scene
• Clothing Damage: Going through a thresher leaves Buster in his undershirt, boxers, and shoes.
• Conveyor Belt O' Doom: Buster is accidentally fed into a thresher.
• Cue the Sun: Parodied. An inter-title reading "Slowly and majestically the sun steals gradually over the hill-tops" is followed by the sun shooting straight up from the horizon and then hanging in place.
• Double Take: Buster stares at the preacher, then glances up as if wondering whether the man fell from the sky.
• Fainting: The girl, upon seeing Buster in his underthings.
• Fan Service: Hellooooo, shirtless Buster!
• Hero Stole My Bike: Specifically, a horse and a motorcycle with sidecar.
• Let's You and Him Fight: Buster momentarily pulls this on his rival and the girl's father
• Literal Ass-Kicking
• Look Both Ways: Subverted. The preacher hit by Buster's motorcycle not only survives, he agrees to perform a marriage ceremony on the go.
• Love Triangle
• Nobody Here but Us Statues: Or in this case, scarecrows.
• Quick Nip
• Rube Goldberg Device
• Scary Scarecrows, parodied
• Super Multi-Purpose Room: "All the rooms in this house are in one room."
• Swiss Army Weapon: In this case, Swiss Army furnishings — record player/stove/oven, refrigerator/bookcase, rolltop desk/sink, bathtub/sofa, Murphy bed/piano.
• Synchronized Morning Routine
• Trap Door
• Walk On Water: Subverted. In order to ford a river without soaking his shoes, Buster crosses it by walking on his hands ... only to fall over just before reaching the far side. Moments later, the pursuing rival finds the one deep spot and falls in over his head.
• With This Ring: Buster gives her a lug nut.