The Wiz

The Wiz, American fantasy musical film, released in 1978 and directed by Sidney Lumet, with a screenplay written by Joel Schumacher. Set in New York City’s Harlem district in the 1970s and featuring an all-Black cast, The Wiz is based on the 1975 Tony Award-winning Broadway musical of the same name, itself an adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s classic novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It stars Diana Ross, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Lena Horne, and Richard Pryor, as well as Michael Jackson in his silver-screen debut. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards but was a critical and commercial failure when released; it has since become a cult classic.

Plot

The Wiz features an all-Black cast, starring Diana Ross as Dorothy, a young schoolteacher from Harlem who lives with her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em. The film begins on Thanksgiving Day during a family gathering. After chasing her dog, Toto, out into a snowstorm, Dorothy is suddenly transported to the fantasy land of Oz and learns that she has accidentally killed Evermean, the Wicked Witch of the East, on arrival. Dorothy spends the rest of the film searching for her way home, first seeking out the Wiz and then going on a quest to gain his favor. This journey leads her along the yellow brick road, with a dreamscape backdrop of familiar New York City urban settings transformed into the meeting places of the Scarecrow, the Tinman, the Lion, Evillene (the Wicked Witch of the West), and the latter’s four crows.

Development and casting

Berry Gordy, Jr.’s Motown Productions originally picked John Badham, the director of the 1977 smash hit film Saturday Night Fever, to direct The Wiz, and Stephanie Mills, the 20-year-old star of the Broadway production of The Wiz, was reportedly expected to reprise her role as Dorothy. However, Diana Ross worked successfully behind the scenes to secure the lead role. Badham believed that the 33-year-old Ross wasn’t right for the part of the teenage Dorothy and bowed out of the project. Producer Rob Cohen then called upon veteran director Sidney Lumet to take Badham’s place.

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Lumet initially wanted Jimmie Walker, star of the immensely popular CBS television sitcom Good Times (1974–79), for the role of the Scarecrow, amid doubts about the abilities of Michael Jackson, who had no professional acting experience. Cohen flew Jackson to New York, and the 19-year-old wowed Lumet, Quincy Jones, and others with a display of his work ethic, dedication, talent, and professionalism that would prove out in the next few years during his meteoric rise as the “King of Pop.” Jones and Jackson would go on to collaborate on three of Jackson’s most successful albums: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), and Bad (1987).

Other cast members included Nipsey Russell as the Tinman, Lena Horne as Glinda (the Good Witch of the South), and Richard Pryor as the Wiz, with Mabel King and Ted Ross reprising their roles from the stage musical as Evillene and the Lion, respectively. Stanley Greene appeared as Uncle Henry, and Theresa Merritt played Aunt Em. Louis Johnson oversaw the film’s choreography.

Charlie Smalls, who won the 1975 Tony Award for best original musical score for the Broadway production, was credited for the film’s score, but Jones supervised and wrote some of the new music himself, alongside Luther Vandross and the famed songwriting duo Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson.

Production

The film was shot at Astoria Studios (now Kaufman Astoria Studios) in Queens, New York, and many popular settings from around the city were incorporated into the dystopian fantasy realm. The World Trade Center was the setting for the Emerald City, the Tinman was introduced at the Cyclone roller coaster on Coney Island, and the New York State Pavilion from the 1964 World’s Fair served as Munchkinland.

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Budgeting and backing for the film shifted when 20th Century Fox, the owner of the stage musical, exercised first refusal rights for making the film and allowed Universal Pictures to step in. Amid enthusiasm for the film, a budget was not initially set, resulting in The Wiz reportedly becoming both the most expensive film musical ever made and the most expensive film produced in New York City at the time. The film racked up production costs for lavish sets and hundreds of dancers, one sequence requiring 400 dancers who each had three sets of costumes. Oscar de la Renta, Norma Kamali, Ralph Lauren, and Halston, among other top designers, provided costumes and design support for costume designer Tony Walton.

Reception and legacy

The film was poorly received on release, and its box office performance failed to cover production costs. Criticism was harsh as well, though Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert were lone standouts in their praise for Diana Ross and the entire production. Notably exempted from the near-universal panning by critics was Jackson’s portrayal of the Scarecrow, which turned out to be a favorite of fans, critics, and casual moviegoers. Jackson won the outstanding actor in a motion picture award at the 1979 NAACP Image Awards.

The film is controversially included in, and even blamed for the demise of, the Blaxploitation genre. It was considered a critical and financial flop, yet it remains a cult classic, beloved by many viewers. Some consider the film to be an early example of Afrofuturism.

Production notes and credits

• Studios: Universal Pictures and Motown Productions
• Director: Sidney Lumet
• Writer: Joel Schumacher
• Producer: Rob Cohen
• Music: Charlie Smalls (original musical score)
• Cinematographer: Oswald Morris
• Editor: Dede Allen
• Release date: October 24, 1978
• Running time: 134 minutes
• Budget: $22 million–$35 million
• Box office: $21 million

Cast

• Diana Ross (Dorothy)
• Michael Jackson (Scarecrow)
• Nipsey Russell (Tinman)
• Ted Ross (Fleetwood Coupe de Ville, the Lion)
• Richard Pryor (Herman Smith, the Wiz)
• Lena Horne (Glinda, the Good Witch of the South)
• Mabel King (Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West)
• Thelma Carpenter (Miss One)
• Theresa Merritt (Aunt Em)
• Stanley Greene (Uncle Henry)
• Derrick Bell, Roderick-Spencer Sibert, Kashka Banjoko, and Ronald Stevens (the Four Crows)

Academy Award nominations

• Art direction (Tony Walton, Philip Rosenberg) and set decoration (Edward Stewart, Robert Drumheller)
• Cinematography (Oswald Morris)
• Costume design (Tony Walton)
• Music, adaptation score (Quincy Jones)