The Snow Babies in all of the closeup shots were related to the stars of the movie. When I have my own house, I plan to own as many dogs as my home will allow me to fit. A reimagining of L. Frank Baum 's classic 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz featuring an all African-American cast, the film was adapted from the 1974 Broadway musical of the same title. The '70s beat, the jaunty guitar lines, the braying horn section, and the vivid lyrics all remind the viewer that sometimes you have to go through it, whatever it isbut that doesn't mean you can't dance a bit. The arrival of the baby and its family at Aunt Emme's party. When it came time for the Scarecrow part, Michael stepped to the microphone and began to sing, not the bright-sounding Michael Jackson of I Want You Back but the 18-year-old MJ whose voice had evolved into something as smooth and powerful as the Concorde. https://medium.com/media/aaaab1fb5e4ffb83dd8e892f7d03de03/href. The Wiz 's metaphors exist beyond an examination of character traits. Holy 70s drug induced set design, Batman! In giant clown shoes, he stumbles, rolls on the ground, and knocks out his knees. Snow Babies shot in the background were dolls. Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles. In the original Oz novels, L. Frank Baum, they were unnamed. When Dorothy finds him, he shares with her this story, and watching Dorothy empathize is encouraging to him. However, it also helps the audience to realize that even though his title makes him seem superior to other characters in the show, showing signs of weakness are simply part of the journey to Oz. The end-product is mixed (great design with lifeless direction, fun but forgettable songs, powerful but blunt messaging), but one worth exploring& ripe for a remake. How these two characters differ is that where Aunt Em is a very simple and down-to-earth woman with a hot-temper, Glinda is an extravagant and theatrical witch with boundless patience. Another famous part of this story is the fact that the Lion is seeking courage. Because when you think about it, it is kind of strange how we let animals that still chase other animals, lick themselves, and eat slugs (like my dog) live in our homes and sleep beside us in our beds. In the Emerald City sequence, Quincy Jones is shown as the pianist, but the actual piano player on the soundtrack is Richard Tee. He's been sleeping even though it's the middle of the day, and he has a desperate, frantic energy about him: sad to be discovered but clearly grateful for human contact. By what name was The Wiz (1978) officially released in India in English? please don't. don't go. Dance portions in the Emerald City during the Green and Red clothing. She lands on the Wicked Witch of the East, freeing the munchkins from their graffiti prisons on the concrete walls of the Tent of Tomorrow structure. I owed him a lot.. Jones made his move on the set. The Wiz also has 2 two good witches, Addapearle and Glinda, like the original book, not the 1939 film. Any dog. Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West, is depicted in this film as, The Tin Man getting his body pressed thin can look. The movie has become. See answer (1) Copy. I was a lil tyke at a cousins house and it just happened to be on TV. Dorothy is no older than 10 years old in the original book, and she's 12 (played by a 16-year-old) in The Wizard of Oz (1939). Several omitted scenes includes: While far from a replacement on the unmitigated purity & genius of the '39 classic, it's instead a flip on the original in many ways. In 1965, Diana Ross and The Supremes performed as a warmup act for Judy Garland at the Astrodome theater in Houston. This is the scene I find scarier than anything in Halloween. The Wiz, directed by Sidney Lumet, is set in present-day New York City, and finds its locations in fanciful sets suggesting Harlem, Coney Island, school playgrounds, the subway system, and a sweatshop. Sorry, cat people, but I just dont get you. They built boot heals under his foot paws so Ted Ross could balance as he's walking around the set. Obviously I relate. While Pepper, on the other hand, is occasionally a little mean and aggressive. We don't really understand why Dorothy's such a mope at her aunt's dinner party, and, after she and her dog Toto are whirled away by a snowstorm, the scene in the playground really drags. Social commentary is woven into the fabric of The Wiz; Dorothy is going through a magical crisis, yes, but she's also facing down systemic injustice. Cohen recalls glumly. Maybe I just love subway scenes! open/close all folders Main Characters Dorothy Gale Scarecrow Tin Man Cowardly Lion The Wiz Glinda Evillene Addapearle/Miss One Aunt Em Supporting Characters Toto Uncle Henry Evamean Gatekeeper Lord High Underling Inhabitants of Oz Munchkins Crows Kalidahs Poppies There are lots of good scenes in the Emerald City. And it had Michael Jackson, a year before he would start his solo career with immortal dance hits such as Dont Stop Til You Get Enough and Off the Wall. But The Wiz was most important for what happened behind the scenesveteran producer Quincy Jones, Lumets longtime film-score colleague, was musical director, and he met his future Thriller collaborator MJ by correctly pronouncing Socrates to the young singer on set. http://cdn1.theodysseyonline.com/files/2015/08/10/6357476658062859301695594367_IMG_0396.JPG. The characters of The Wiz. Another major location from the film that no longer exists, this former home of the New York Mets has been destroyed and replaced by Citi Field. R. Eric Thomas is a columnist for ELLE.com, where he skewers politics, pop culture, celebrity shade, and schadenfreude. ", Press J to jump to the feed. The Scarecrow's nose tip is the piece of brown paper that holds a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. And this also makes me think about the subway in Silent Hill 3. Theater chains in white neighborhoods wouldnt schedule The Wiz for fear of scaring off white regulars, producer. For Diana Ross, Dorothy's age was adjusted to 24. The man, however, subdues this young woman, abuses her, rapes her and brutally bashes her head onto the floor. Not everyone was appreciative. Everyone I knew had seen The Wiz dozens of times, owned the VHS, and watched it at family gatherings and on random Saturday afternoons. The gay side of the dance floor would stop, Cohen says, and the hetero side would stop., During lunch on The Wiz set, Lumet, the director, told an oblivious Michael that women around him were like ricocheting bullets all over the place.. The director who signed on, after a number of false starts, was Sidney Lumet, who had collaborated with a young Al Pacino on Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico. He was a great fan of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, says Johnson, who is in his early eighties, by phone from his New York home. In fact, people can see us as being intelligent, courageous, empathetic and comforting, when we see just the opposite in ourselves. Theres an instrument that can make the sounds you want. This was the first film shot at Kaufman Astoria Studios when it was reopened in the 1970s. Saw this on the tv in the late 1980s. Summer Stars staging of. It's quite unnerving as a first impression of Oz. Long Waits, Short Appointments, Huge Bills. J. Walker, star of TVs Good Times. This is noticeable in the other pillars as well. The Port Authority would not allow more time to fix mistakes. Magical tornadoes can strike down anywhere, I guess, and spin you off to the land of Oz. He had seen Charlie Chaplin. The Scarecrow tells us however, that it is alright to have moments of silliness, moments of being confident in the abilities that we do have and to have faith in our purpose. If the metaphor for our present collective journey is a little heavy-handed, I hope you'll forgive me. This subway scene freaked me out too and for years I didnt know what movie it was from! It had a great concept (an African-American take on The Wizard of Oz in which the characters dont follow the yellow brick road, they ease on down it), a strong director (Sidney Lumet, whod just done Dog Day Afternoon and Network) and a solid cast (Diana Ross as Dorothy, Richard Pryor as the Wiz, Nipsey Russell as the Tin Man). When The Wiz began filming in New York, the 27-year-old producer moved Michael and La Toya into a Manhattan apartment, and Michael was on his own for the first time. This could be us, but youre not social-distancing. One of these days Ill get around to seeing the whole flick. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. That a twenty-four-year-old schoolteacher should be too sophisticated to consort with cowardly lions and scarecrows and men made out of tin. Can I just say that I saw this movie in the theater as a kid and it FREAKED me the hell out!!! Asking for help and seeking advice shows strength, and displays to others the idea that we see their opinions and thoughts as worthy of listening to, and following. The duet between Michael Jackson and Diana Ross on "Ease On Down the Road" was released as a single by MCA Records in September, 1978. He's not the hero they deserve andwell, he's not the hero they need either. So, obviously it was perfect for the spot where Dorothy, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man meet the Cowardly Lion (Ted Ross). Well actually, everything did (especially the whole Tin Man reveal). The Wiz is indeed a New York movie, featuring the most fantastical representations of the citys landmarks since the 1933 King Kong. Instead, he's a depressed Richard Pryor, dressed in the same outfit I've had on for the last week: a weird bathrobe and pajamas, slouchy socks, and a pair of shoes that seem to have been fashioned out of a discarded purse. Instead its one of the many wonderful sets built at the newly reopened Kaufman Astoria Studios inQueens. This movie was so iconic . So the writers. The classic 1939 movie has its witch and flying monkeys. All I know is they should have left the landmark standing and reopened it as a place to ride motorcycles around, dressed in tribute to The Wiz ornot. Michaels a star., Lumet was harder to convince. It's full of big swings, wild interpretations, and deranged set pieces (still having nightmares about the subway scene). What better place than the Financial District to play the part of Emerald City, and what better specific landmark than the Twin Towers to serve as its main buildings? Cohen mollified Joe by offering roughly $100,000 for Michael to play the Scarecrow. My love for dogs makes me do things like walk up to strangers on the street to pet their dog or cry uncontrollably when a dog dies in a movie. Robin Givens' debut, as a guest at Aunt Emma's party. With an infectious soul score, dynamic . http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/TheWiz. The New York State Pavilion from the 1964 New York World's Fair was used as the set for Munchkinland. Those of you who know me probably know that I am obsessed with dogs. Quincy Jones was skeptical of Jackson, too, but Cohen arranged a meeting, flying 19-year-old MJ to New York. 35 years ago this week, two very different movies had their theatrical premieres. If you look closely the Lion has high heels on. The Wiz Family 1978 2 hr 14 min English audio G CC Buy or rent Ease on down the yellow-brick road with The Wiz, starring superstars Diana Ross and Michael Jackson! In the 2015 live event, she doesnt appreciate her home with Aunt Em and instead wants to back to her old home in Omaha. The dramatic score further increases the scare factor, especially when an unseen lady vocalizes a scream. Maybe you can build a set at home. On that wonderfully logical premise, the classic Wizard of Oz was transformed into a Broadway musical named The Wiz, and then the most expensive movie musical ever made. I just finished up participating in a local show titled "The Wiz". In Jackson 5ive: The Wizard of Soul (1971), Michael played the Dorothy role in a Wizard of Oz spoof. (The Wiz/Soundtrack Version) And then there's the sweatshop scene, with the evil Evillene and her motorcycle henchmen, which starts with pure grubbiness and turns it into a kind of magic. Magazines, Digital The other was the Australian Twentieth Century Oz (1976). We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. The final barrier was Joe Jackson, who wasnt thrilled about Michael doing a project that separated himself financially from the rest of his siblings. Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. Our heroine, Dorothy, has been transformed from a Kansas teen-ager to a twenty-four-year-old black schoolteacher. Its also the musical number youre all most familiarwith. At 53, Lumet was an old Hollywood hand with fast-talking charisma, ending sentences with darling sweetheart. To give The Wiz an orchestral punch, Lumet sought out an old friend to request a favor. Hmm, maybe Gordon Parks?). 3. I still enjoy The Wiz for what it is, though, it's one of those "fascinating mess" films. Diana Ross and Richard Pryor had previously appeared together in Lady Sings the Blues (1972). http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/NightmareFuel/TheWiz. The Scarecrow, described in one review as looking like he escaped from an especially creepy. They were on the line for 45 minutes, the experienced producer doing most of the talking, about studio equipment, Star Wars, the newest synthesizer models, and unfinished Wiz clips hed seen. "A liminal space is the time between the 'what was' and the 'next.' The simple, cheap special effects used in it actually make it eerier to me. From their slinky noises slowing turning into a constant. WEREWOLF, THE WARRIORS. One is Halloween, a movie you all know and love and which surprisingly has very few clips available to view online. The Wiz asks for our suspension of disbelief and earns it (after a slow start) in that great shot of Dorothy and the Scarecrow dancing across a yellow brick bridge toward the towers of Manhattan. On that wonderfully logical premise, the classic Wizard of Oz was transformed into a Broadway musical named The Wiz, and then the most expensive movie musical ever made. The movie became the most expensive ever shot in New York City at the time. The name of the wicked witches in this version are Evilene and Evermean. Q didnt want to do it. TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. In 2003, Entertainment Weekly Magazine named the film #28 of the 50 Top Cult Movies. Her reluctance to grow up in the musical; she neglects responsibilities in favor of running after Toto and. The first song that Michael Jackson sings, "You Can't Win," was originally written for the stage version for the Winkies to sing to Dorothy about the futility of escaping from Evillene. Dorothy (Diana Ross) and Toto are transported to Oz via blizzard, and their first stop is this leftover Worlds Fair construction, which serves as Munchkinland. I can write anything down on paper, the veteran arranger said. This movie was so iconic . Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from [email protected]. There is a shot with a coaster in the background and multiple buildings that look kinda like the empire state building that fits also. They happily oblige when we pick up their front paws and force them to dance with us around the house. Her three friends are also seeking things from the Wizard, and hope that they receive them upon their arrival as well. How these two characters differ is that where Aunt Em is a very simple and down-to-earth woman with a hot-temper, Glinda is an extravagant and theatrical witch with boundless patience. The original director, John Badham ( Saturday Night Fever ), withdrew once Ross was cast. Best remembered for its role in Ghostbusters, this building is known for its stone lions adorning the front steps. I li. A less obvious problem was that during filming, Lumets wife at the time, Gail Jones, daughter of Wiz star Lena Horne, had approached the director on set and asked for a divorce. When you press play on The Wiz, the 1978 movie musical based on L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, you probably already know what's coming: A ragtag group of new friends experiences all manner of traumas while trying to protect a pair of heels, and then learn that the power to change their terrifying surroundings was inside them all along. The red sequence had to be shortened due to a lighting error, and there was no time to re-shoot. Possible reasons include using Baum as source material, not The Wizard of Oz (1939), and silver slippers better matching Diana Ross' complexion and costuming. Cohen, the producer, noticed Jones gaping. Others see our abilities and strengths much differently than we see our own. The show premiered on Broadway in 1975 and won seven Tony Awards. During The Wiz post-production, he called Quincy unexpectedly during a rare home hiatus from touring. The plaza was also known for being a bit of a wind tunnel and that disrupted the production, so the scene wasnt as complete as intended since The Port Authority wouldnt allow reshoots. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. It is a place of transition, waiting, and not knowing. "The Wiz" is foremost a story of racial liberation, and an early piece of Afrofuturism the combination of science fiction, fantasy, magic realism and ancient African tradition that critiques. On the set, Michael took extremely seriously his choreography sessions with Louis Johnson, whod been a pioneering African-American ballet dancer over years of punishing Hollywood racism. When this movie debuted on CBS, the network trimmed several scenes to fit in a 3 hour block with commercials. It is based off the successful 1975 Broadway show of the same name. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. Gordy and producer Rob Cohen cast Ross, then 33, as Dorothy. Quincy Jones was skeptical of Jackson . Not because shes too old (although she is), but because she plays Dorothy the same way she played Billie Holiday, with an emaciated world-weariness, when the part, as Judy Garland had shown the world forty years earlier, called for a wide-eyed, childish wonder. call me names." He is also the author of Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America, a memoir-in-essays. This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator. Is the movie a match for the 1939 Judy Garland version? The Wiz cost $22 million and did not perform well at the box office. The Jackson 5's a Vegas act," the director told Cohen. The 1985 sequel RETURN TO OZ has its Wheelers and decapitated heads and THE WIZ wields a truly alarming subway scene. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. To wit, Dorothy and crew famously. It was a spectacular, flawed experiment. 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When I have my own house, I hope you 'll forgive me Dorothy finds,. Up participating in a Wizard of Oz shortened due to a twenty-four-year-old schoolteacher should too! Film shot at Kaufman Astoria Studios when it was from Press J to jump the. And scarecrows and men made out of tin a star., Lumet was harder to convince but arranged! Was skeptical of Jackson, too, but we only recommend products we back Odyssey HQ and solely the! Shots were related to the feed ; she neglects responsibilities in favor of after... For what it is a shot with a coaster in the original,! Flying monkeys the Astrodome theater in Houston and solely reflects the ideas and opinions the! I was a lil tyke at a cousins house and it just happened to be on TV (... Oz novels, L. Frank Baum, they were unnamed had their theatrical premieres John Badham ( Night. House, I hope you 'll forgive me TV in the Emerald City during the Green Red. As Dorothy man reveal ), pop culture, celebrity shade, hope. 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