The Yellow Flick Road

SCARECROW

Scarecrow is the first of Dorothy's companions, and therefore has a special place in the Baum mythology. Wicked, a Broadway musical, depicts the Scarecrow as The Wicked Witch's love interest, Fiyero. The Witch crafts a spell that transforms him into a man of straw. Fiyero, not a bright bulb to begin with, doesn't notice that his head is filled with straw, until Dorothy begins to ask him questions.

Our first introduction to the scarecrow is in his mortal form as Hunk, a farmhand. Hunk serves as Dorothy's first love interest; perhaps that is how the term "hunk" came to represent "Mr. Right." Physically, Hunk is clumsy and accident-prone, jamming his finger in a carriage he and the other farmhands are repairing. However, his solution to Dorothy's problem with Miss Gulch is rather elegant and logical, indicating a propensity towards mental acuity.

The Scarecrow (as Hunk), is able is suggest a reasonable way to deal with Miss Gulch. Coming from Hunk, however, his advice seems too obvious and pat to work. "Nah, that's too simple."

SA - THE SCARECROW IS INTRODUCED AS A CLUMSY BUT LOGICAL "HUNK"

We see Hunk only twice more in Kansas - one when he and the others are taking shelter from the cyclone, and at the end of the film, when Dorothy wakes up and everyone is gathered around her bed. Hunk is magically transformed in to the Scarecrow as Dorothy is transported to Oz. In the 1939 film we do not see this transformation; in other versions of this story the transition is apparent or implied. In the Larry Semon production of 1925, the Scarecrow is used as a disguise. In Wicked, Fiyero, a Winkie prince, is transformed into a Scarecrow by Elphaba, the Witch of the West. Therefore, her continual attacks on the Scarecrow seem unjustified, unless you link it to his devotion to Dorothy, and how the Witch may look at that as a betrayal of their trust. From the Witch's perspective, Dorothy has killed her sister and stolen her man.

The Scarecrow is conveniently placed at a crossroads on the Yellow Brick Road. Scarecrows are generally inanimate objects, largely ignored, and it takes a moment for Dorothy to realize that the Scarecrow is talking to her. The Scarecrow is giving directions, but either the directions are meant to be philosophical, is are not helpful at all. It rings with the homespun wisdom of one who has never travelled.

First pointing one way, then the other, then finally point in both directions, crossing his arms to do so, suggests a strong whole brain, although the Scarecrow confesses to having no brain at all. Like the Greek philosopher Socrates, the Scarecrow knows that he knows nothing, and that makes him wise. His humility tempers any conceit that may arise from this state.

SB - SCARECROW HAS SO MUCH KNOWLEDGE THAT NONE OF IT USEFUL; HIS HEAD MAY AS WELL BE STUFFED WITH STRAW.

After formal introductions, Dorothy helps the Scarecrow down from his perch. He falls ungracefully to the ground, losing some straw in the process. "Oops, there goes some of me again," he remarks. We are given two insights to the Scarecrow's personality in this scene: One, the Scarecrow has very little physical strength or control, and two, if dismantled, he can be put back together rather easily by gathering straw and stuffing him with it.

SC - SCARECROW IS PHYSICALLY WEAK AND CLUMSY; EASILY DISPATCHED, BUT HE RECOVERS QUICKLY.

Hearing Dorothy scream after he falls down, he asks, "Did I scare you?" She says, "no," and he explains how he can't even scare a crow; that he is a failure because he does not have a brain.

SD - SCARECROW SINGS "IF I ONLY HAD A BRAIN" George A. Romero revolutionized the film industry with his horrific and inventive expansion of this theme in his "Living Dead" films. A classic of that genre, The Evil Dead, made brains a staple of the zombie diet.

Dorothy compliments the Scarecrow, and tells him of her plan to see the Wizard. The Scarecrow asks to come along.

SE - SCARECROW ASKS DOROTHY IF SHE THINKS THE WIZARD WOULD GIVE HIM SOME BRAINS.

Dorothy explains the risk of accompanying her - "I have a witch mad at me and you might get into trouble." The Scarecrow then admits her fears nothing, "except a lighted match." This confession is whispered, indicating that it is a secret between the two of them. This information sharing makes the relationship between Dorothy and the Scarecrow more intimate than the other relationships in the story. Perhaps this is why the Witch targets both Dorothy and the Scarecrow exclusively throughout their journey. All of the Witch's direct attacks - the physical ones - are aimed at the Scarecrow. It is obvious there is some jealous streak in the Witch.

SF - SCARECROW ADMITS HIS VULNERABILITY TO FIRE. A common belief about Frankenstein's monster is his fear of fire.

After coming across a grove of Apple trees, the Scarecrow demonstrates his cleverness by securing apples for Dorothy. These trees are sentient and hostile; the Scarecrow is able to goad the trees into throwing their apples at him.

SG - SCARECROW PROVIDES DOROTHY WITH A MEAL.

Their meeting with the tinman is marred by the sudden appearance of the Witch of the West, who first verbally threatens the Scarecrow ("I'll stuff a mattress with you"), and then attacks his weak side, hurling a fireball at his feet. The Scarecrow panics. but is saved by the tinman. Having this support system in place bolsters the Scarecrow's courage, and convinces him to continue on the journey, with Dorothy and the Tinman.

SH - SCARECROW ATTACKED BY WITCH; SURVIVES WITH TINMAN'S HELP In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, it is mostly through the efforts of Indy and his father, Dr. Henry Jones, that his colleague, Dr. Brody, is rescued by the Nazis on the trail towards Alexandreta.

Our heroes travel into a darker part of the forest, where they are attacked and harassed by the Lion. While scared, the Scarecrow takes offense at the Lion's insults:

Lion: Put your hands up, ya lopsided bag of hay.

Scarecrow: Now that's getting personal, Lion!

But when Dorothy retaliates after the Lion threatened Toto, she also defends the Scarecrow:

Dorothy: It's bad enough picking on a Straw Man...

SI - DOROTHY DEFENDS THE SCARECROW'S HONOR AGAINST THE LION

The Scarecrow is unaffected by the poppies, because he does not need to breathe. He deduces that the poppies are some type of spell, and since he is not strong enough to carry Dorothy or the Lion, he only begins to cry for help after the Tinman does. Their cries are heard by Glinda, who makes it snow.

SJ - THE SCARECROW IS ABLE TO DETERMINE A HIDDEN ATTACK

When the Major-domo palace guard is reluctant to allow the travelers to see The Great and Powerful Oz, the Scarecrow explains that they are with Dorothy, which gives the guard pause.

SH - THE SCARECROW RECOGNIZES DOROTHY'S IMPORTANCE

The Scarecrow's perception of the world continues to grow; he notices things first, he infers conclusions based upon what he has seen and experienced, and formulates plans and strategies for the team. Even a simple incident, like when the Lion pulls his own tail out of fear, and doesn't realize it, the Scarecrow points out that the Lion did it to himself.

SI - THE SCARECROW EMERGES AS THE PLANNER/STRATEGIST FOR THE TEAM In many films, the scarecrow is usually the one with the plan, and the one who notices things that the other characters overlook. Hermoine in the Harry Potter series is the Scarecrow.

After given the mission to retrieve the broom of the Wicked Witch of the West, The Scarecrow receives a gun, the most technical weapon in their arsenal.

SJ - THE SCARECROW IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE GADGETRY OF THE GROUP

After the team is ambushed by the Winged Monkeys, the Scarecrow is left in pieces, scattered across creation. The tinman and the Lion quip about his condition, and only after the Scarecrow takes command of the situation, ordering them to put him back together so that they can find Dorothy.

SK - DURING A MEND AFTER AN AMBUSH, THE SCARECROW TAKES COMMAND

The Scarecrow turns out to be a natural leader; taking opportunities as they come and making excellent quick decisions. When Toto escapes, and finds the Scarecrow, the tinman and the lion, it is the Scarecrow who realizes that the resourceful dog has sought them out to rescue Dorothy. As they approach the Witch's castle from the high ground, it is the Scarecrow who keeps his team calm (reminding the tinman not to cry because they cannot oil him without the oilcan) and formulates a plan to get into the castle. His plan is never quite revealed (or is it?) after the three of them get ambushed by three Winkies. The Scarecrow, Tinman and Lion manage to overpower the Winkie guards and disguise themselves using the Winkie uniforms, enabling them to enter the Witche's castle

SL - THE SCARECROW DEVISES A PLAN TO SNEAK INTO THE WITCH'S CASTLE

With the Scarecrow giving orders, the the warriors three manage to locate Dorothy, and begin their escape. However, they are intercepted by the Witch. By cutting a rope that holds a chandelier, the Scarecrow buys our heroes a few moments.

SM - THE SCARECROW IS ABLE TO THINK QUICKLY UNDER PRESSURE

The Scarecrow frantically leads the team, but to no avail. The witch and her guards have trapped them in both directions. The Witch sets the Scarecrow's arm on fire with her broomstick. This prompts Dorothy to pick up a bucket full of water to put out the flame, drenching the Witch in the process.

SN - WHEN THE SCARECROW IS IN DANGER, DOROTHY SAVES HIM

Back in Emerald City, Dorothy and her companions present the Witch's broomstick to The Wizard. Although it is Toto who pulls the curtain back, it is the Scarecrow who notices immediately afterwards. He is also the one who gives the Wizard the nomenclature "Humbug."

SO - THE SCARECROW POINTS OUT THAT THE WIZARD MAY NOT BE ALL THAT HE SEEMS

Next, the Scarecrow immediately demands fulfillment of their promises, starting with the Tinman's heart and the Lion's courage.

SP - THE SCARECROW IS CONCERNED ABOUT ALL MATTERS LEGAL

The Wizard bestows the Scarecrow with a Diploma, a "Th.D", to be precise (that's Doctor of Thinkology). The Scarecrow then rattles off some mathematical nonsense:

The sum of the square roots of any two sides of an isosceles triangle is equal to the square root of the remaining side.

This understanding (or lack thereof) can be explained any number of ways. One, the Scarecrow was always smart, but he needed validation. Two, this is a fantasy, and the formula he recites actually works in the Land of Oz. If he was aiming for the Pythagorean Theorem, then what he should have said was:

The sum of the squares of the two shortest sides of a right triangle is equal to the square of the remaining side (a.k.a. the hypotenuse).

If you want to take it literally, the formula the Scarecrow recites just doesn't work, unless we're talking about an equilateral triangle. An isosceles triangle is a triangle in which two sides are equal. The third side is irrelevant; it could be equal, but doesn't have to be.

Again, another possibility is that the Diploma is strictly honorary; it does not translate to any real study whatsoever - The Wizard simply does not want to get jumped. Regardless, the Scarecrow is ecstatic, barely registering the Wizard's brush off:

Scarecrow: How will I ever thank you enough?

Wizard: You can't.

For the Theory, I take the diploma to mean:

SQ - THE SCARECROW RECEIVES SOME HONORARIUM (SOMETHING SYMBOLIC)

While the Tinman and the Lion are dazzled by the Wizard's gifts, the Scarecrow reminds the Wizard about Dorothy's desire to return home. The Wizard then announces that in order to return Dorothy home, he has to take her there himself. As the Wizard gives his farewell speech, he confers his leadership of Oz to the Scarecrow.

SR - THE SCARECROW IS GIVEN COMMAND OF THE REALM

Due to circumstances beyond their control, Dorothy does not float away with the Wizard in his balloon (probably a good thing). She asks the Scarecrow what to do. The Scarecrow notices the arrival of Glinda (Look! There's someone who can help you!) When Glinda arrives, the Scarecrow asks the logical question - "Then why didn't you tell her before?" based on the knowledge that Dorothy could have left OZ anytime she wished.

SS - THE SCARECROW WOULD BE EXCELLENT AT CINEMASINS

Dorothy saves the Scarecrow for last in her farewells, probably because they have the most history. They have been together the longest, and had the benefit of developing a one on one relationship. When Hunk comes to her bedside, she affectionately touches him on his cheek.

ST - THE SCARECROW HAS SECRETLY WON DOROTHY’S HEART

The New Scarecrow

Originally, the Scarecrow was a foil for Dorothy, her witless guide through the strange world of Oz. He was clumsy, absentminded, and for the most part helpless. Dorothy had to help him down from his perch. His flammability nearly made him a liability to his party. In the end, however, the Scarecrow more than proved his worth, developing the strategy that not enabled the rescue of Dorothy later on, but helped to engineer the end of the Wicked Witch of the West.

This primary Scarecrow was socially competent, but felt a lack of education. His position in a cornfield was probably meant to reflect a stereotype: that of a dumb farm boy. It is a stereotype that pervades film even into the future (examine the first encounter between Kirk and Uhura in J.J. Abrams Star Trek). It is also telling that he was the first person that Dorothy meets when she starts her journey to Oz after her encounter with the Munchkins. There is a familiarity to the Scarecrow, like an old friend. This archetype persists in movies from the 1940s until the 1960s, when the Scarecrow begins to evolve.

Then, there is a shift: the Scarecrow becomes more educated and less socially adept. By the 1980s, Scarecrows are typecast as nerds: intelligently gifted but socially inept. This persists again into the future with films such as Back to the Future and Escape from New York.

Next, another shift. Scarecrows become the center of attention. There are given more balance - good looks, sex appeal, physicality - the problem becomes memory. The New Scarecrow suffers from memory problems. He has no memory, his memory has been erased, altered, edited or corrupted. These new films where the Scarecrow is the focus often replaces the typical Dorothy, in that Dorothy is an omnipotent being, and the Scarecrow is not. Typically, the Scarecrow is immortal, but renderable. Torn apart, and put back together with a little effort.

Examples of Scarecrow films - an incomplete list

1941: The Wolfman (I think)

1942: Casablanca

1948: Red River (I think)

1949: The Third Man

1963: The Nutty Professor

1992: The Lawnmower Man

2000: Momento

2003: Paycheck

2010: Tron: Legacy

2011: Limitless

2015: The Revenant