I knew I was going to order a copy the second I saw the colorful AGFA blue-ray cover while scrolling through Vinegar Syndrome. 
Checking out the synopsis and watching the exuberantly eccentric trailer fully sealed the deal.With expectations skyrocketing, I popped in SCARECROW IN A GARDEN OF CUCUMBERS the day it arrived. What did I think? Did it live up to my cucumber dreams or was I left tending a garden of disappointments? 
The film wasn’t quite the zippy-zany romp the trailer’s infectiously quirky music implied. In fact, that piece of music tragically does not appear in the film. However, putting aside that disappointment, SCARECROW IN A GARDEN OF CUCUMBERS defied my expectations by taking me on an unexpected journey. 
Eve Harrington (yes, everyone is named after famous Hollywood characters) leaves home and seemingly conservative parents in Topeka, Kansas for the chance of being a star in New York City. Upon arriving in the Big Apple, Eve is taken to the Chelsea Hotel by an aggressive taxi driver nun and then reconnects with longtime friend Margo Channing. This connection opens doors to Eve’s dreams of finding a man, a roommate and stardom. One door leads to Mary Poppins, a force of fabulous nature who doesn’t offer a spoonful of sugar with her roommate recommendations. Another door is a passageway to Eve’s first New York party and a film producer who is more than he appears. Will Eve find a man or a roommate? Will Eve succeed in the quest to become a twinkling star? 
Due in large part to the trailer, I was expecting a fast-paced, crazy blast of lost 1970’s queer cinema. SCARECROW IN A GARDEN OF CUCUMBERS was rediscovered a few years ago and it ultimately is a joyfully fun experience, just with a more mellow, low-key zany vibe. Screenwriter Sandra Scoppettone and director Robert J. Kaplan crafted a loosey-goosey film celebrating the outsider, but it may take a couple of viewings to fully appreciate what they accomplished.
I must shine the twinkling spotlight on the two main reasons to seek out SCARECROW IN A GARDEN OF CUCUMBERS. Tally Brown as Mary Poppins steals every scene with style. Ms. Brown could be the cabaret love child of Divine and Edith Massey, especially when Miss Poppins belts out a tune about being born and raised in a brothel. Then there is Holly Woodlawn (known for being one of Andy Warhol’s Superstars) as the loveably quirky Eve Harrington! Holly also portrays one of Eve’s suitors, Rhett Butler, but it’s Eve who fits Holly like a glove. It’s refreshingly delightful to see a trans actress in the lead role as far back as the 1970’s. During Eve’s black & white musical fantasy number, Holly Woodlawn gets to sum up the overall theme of the film in song…
🎵 You are what you are, if you think that you are! I think, if I’m twinkling, I must be a star!🎵
Twinkle on Holly Woodlawn, you will always be a timeless star in SCARECROW IN A GARDEN OF CUCUMBERS!
SCARECROW IN A GARDEN OF CUCUMBERS may not have been the film I expected, but it ended up being the film I needed. It’s almost as if an early John Waters film took some happy pills and celebrated outsiders with a sweet, nearly innocent lens. Throw in a song by Bette Midler and a voice cameo by Lily Tomlin and you have the perfect low budget LGBTQ+ film for 🏳️🌈Pride Month🏳️⚧️! So, grab some vanilla ice cream and enjoy SCARECROW IN A GARDEN OF CUCUMBERS!
🥒 🥒🥒🥒🥒
I can’t stop saying that awesome title, even though it was inspired by a passage from the Bible. 😱
Freak Out,
JLH
P.S. Pride
Month ain’t over yet, and Pride will never be over, so read or listen to a queer book today!
🏳️🌈 📚 
you always get my curiosity up. thanks. :)
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