His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz (1914)

Director:

J. Farrell MacDonald

Writers:

L. Frank Baum (novels)
L. Frank Baum (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 October 1914 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Fantasy | Adventure | Comedy

Tagline:

The Oz Film Company presents L. Frank Baum's famous comedy

Plot:

A wicked king has taken over the Emerald City, and wants his daughter, Princess Gloria to marry the horrid courtier Googly-Goo...

Plot Keywords:

Sequel | Adaptation Directed By Original Author | Based On Novel

Cast

Violet MacMillan	...	Dorothy, a Kansas girl who is wandering in the Land of Oz
Frank Moore	...	The Scarecrow
Pierre Couderc	...	The Tin Woodman
Fred Woodward	...	The Cowardly Lion / The Kangaroo / The Crow / The Cow / The Mule
Raymond Russell	...	King Krewl
Arthur Smollet	...	Googly-Goo, a wealthy courtier
J. Charles Haydon	...	The Wizard of Oz (as J. Charles Hayden)
Todd Wright	...	Pon, the Gardener's Boy
Vivian Reed	...	Princess Gloria, niece to King Krewl
Mai Wells	...	Old Mombi
Mildred Harris	...	Button-Bright, who is lost and doesn't care
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Louise Emmons
Jacqueline Lovell	...	Narrator (1996 version) (voice)

Also Known As:

His Majesty, the Scarecrow (USA) (review title)
The New Wizard of Oz (USA) (new title)
The Scarecrow of Oz (USA) (alternative title)
The Wizard of Oz (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

59 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Company:

The Oz Film Manufacturing Company

Movie Connections:

Follows The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1914)

Often Unrefined, But Enjoyable & Creative

There are times when the rather unrefined nature of this Oz fantasy feature stands out, but any rough edges are smoothed out by the enjoyable and creative nature of the story and the characters. It's one of an unfortunately small number of Oz features made by L. Frank Baum's own production company, and it is easy to see his influence, in the way that the story and characters are brought to life with such energy and imagination.

The story of "His Majesty, The Scarecrow of Oz" includes several of the characters who are familiar from the much better known "The Wizard of Oz", plus some added characters, but it is a much different story, and pretty interesting in its own right. The cast all do a solid job with the characters, and the cast includes several performers who were regulars in the short-lived series. Fred Woodward also performs several of his costume animal characters.

The old-fashioned style would probably keep this and the other movies in the series from enjoying a wide popularity now, but it's of good quality for its era. The special effects are sometimes rough, but imaginative, and several of them come off pretty well. There are times when the editing seems pretty odd, but that could well be a result of physical defects that have occurred over time. The movie has its occasional flaws, but it was obviously made with care, good humor, and enthusiasm, and it is certainly worth seeing for silent movie fans.