Andy Warhol resulted in a few influential crossover hits, most of them directed by Paul Morrissey, while his 
Factory regulars also popped up in other projects that were referenced in underground film books far more than they were actually seen. One of the most tantalizing was Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers, a very New York City-oriented musical comedy that plays like a spoof of Hair designed for trans Factory icon Holly Woodlawn. Her colorful life took numerous crazy twists and turns, though today she's best remembered for her roles in Morrissey's Trash and Women in Revolt as well as being an inspiration for Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side." Rumored to be a lost film for several years, Scarecrow refused to turn up on the repertory circuit for decades and never had a home video release until the much-needed 2025 Blu-ray from AGFA. 
from the character names, this is a film obsessed with American pop culture featuring nods to Tennessee Williams, Gone with the Wind, Ninotchka, Midnight Cowboy, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, and most blatantly All About Eve, though in a sort of cabaret 
revue style that doesn't always make a ton of sense. This is the kind of goofy lark you just sit back and roll with, largely to see Woodlawn and the unsung Brown clearly having a ball with their outsized characters and fabulous outfits. The film looks pretty great considering it was shot for pocket change, including an ambitious black-and-white sequence and numerous NYC locations giving it plenty of production value. From an audio standpoint the film is just as noteworthy, including a fleeting phone voice cameo by Lily Tomlin and the participation of a young Bette Midler (during her legendary "Bathhouse Betty" era) on several of the songs.
director Robert J. Kaplan (a young recent NYU grad), the participation of Tomlin and Midler, the "mercurial" nature of 
Woodlawn's work ethic which became an issue with her moments in Clark Gable drag, and the lack of hassle with police despite shooting in public spaces without a permit. Also included here is Kaplan's only other feature film, the utterly bizarre 1976 porno spoof comedy Gums, presented here in its softcore 65m57s version from a 35mm print courtesy of Vinegar Syndrome. It's identical in content to what popped up on DVD in 2015 from Code Red (on a triple bill disc with Sins of Adam and Eve and Hellhounds of Alaska as part of their "Six Pack Volume Three" set), though unlike that incorrectly matted 1.78:1 presentation, this one is full frame 1.33:1 as intended with some optical comic strip-style gags that only make sense in this format. The film itself is a baffling Jaws parody with Teri Hall as a mermaid whose lethal fellatio techniques are terrorizing a seaside town, with Sheriff Rooster Coxswain (one-shot actor Paul Styles) teaming up with Dr. Smega (a pre-Cannibal Holocaust Robert Kerman a.k.a. R. Bolla) and the deranged Captain Clitoris (Brother Theodore) to take her down. It's all done in a frantic, sketch comedy style that starts to give you a headache after a few minutes, but for curiosity value you should watch it at least once. Reportedly the longer hardcore version no longer exists on film and can only be found in extremely blurry bootleg quality, so this might be as good as it ever gets. The disc also comes with a booklet featuring new essays by Copeland and author Caden Mark Gardner laying out the importance of Scarecrow to the history of trans and indie Big Apple cinema, something that can finally be appreciated with this very significant release.