The Scarecrow is the deuteragonist of The Wiz. He was portrayed by Michael Jackson. Dorothy rescues him from a pack of crows and he joins her to get a brain from The Wiz.
Biography[]
He first appears in a cornfield abandoned where he is being teased and harassed by a flock of crows who say that he can't come down from the pole. After singing the Crow Anthem aka You Can't Win, Dorothy and her dog Toto help him by scaring off the crows and helping him get down from the pole. He then shows Dorothy that his head is full of garbage and he doesn't have a brain. Dorothy decides to invite him to see the Wiz so he can get a brain. At first Dorothy doesn't know where to find the Yellow Brick Road until the Scarecrow manages to find it despite not having a brain. Through his journey with Dorothy he shows more of his intelligence by getting them out of situations, including how he warned the Tin Man of the deadly Poppies and hinting Dorothy to pull the fire alarm to stop the furnace fire and kill the Wicked Witch.
Final Scarecrow Design
Jackson's rendition and appearance of the character is much different from the original and many other adaptations of the character. In the movie, the scarecrow is made entirely of garbage (old newspapers and discarded junk). From his hat all the way to his pants and even big dusty old boots.
The character seems more curious, innocent and child-like in the film. Michael exclaimed that he enjoyed playing the character so much. He even expressed that he loved wearing the prosthetic makeup and having his nose covered during the film.
While the film was panned by critics, Jackson was one of the main positive aspects of the film for them.
“I auditioned for the part of the Scarecrow because I thought this character best fit my style. I was too bouncy for the Tin Man and too light for the Lion, so I had a definite goal, and I tried to put a lot of thought into my reading and dancing for the part.” –Michael Jackson
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