Cohen mollified Joe by offering roughly $100,000 for Michael to play the Scarecrow. Her three friends are also seeking things from the Wizard, and hope that they receive them upon their arrival as well. Cohen, the producer, noticed Jones gaping. Harry Madsen (Cheetah) and Willie C. Carpenter (Guest at Aunt Em's Party) are the only actors to appear in other films directed by Sidney Lumet: Madsen in Prince of the City (1981), Daniel (1983), Garbo Talks (1984), and Q&A (1990), and Carpenter in Family Business (1989). There are so many liminal scenes within The Wiz! I might be the only one who likes The Wiz more than Halloween and very likely the only one who finds one particular scene in the all-black version of The Wizard of Oz scarier than anything in John Carpenters slasher classic. I want him as the Scarecrow.. In giant clown shoes, he stumbles, rolls on the ground, and knocks out his knees. Diana Ross's Dorothy is played at a level of near-constant nervous breakdown that rivals Charlotte Gainsbourg in Melancholia. call me names." There, she makes new friends, battles evil witches, and seeks the aid of the all-powerful and mysterious Wiz. Mabel King was then starring in What's Happening!! In the early 1970s, the canned singing voices of Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 were used in cartoons where other actors provided the speaking voices, including Donald Fullilove as "Michael." She was the oppressive ruler of the Munchkins and owned a pretty neat pairs of shoes with secret, special powers. Robin Givens' debut, as a guest at Aunt Emma's party. Just as black music, despite brief exceptions such as Motown and disco, had been for black radio stations and white music for white radio stations. Woody Allen? 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. When erstwhile Harlem kindergarten teacher Dorothy (Diana Ross) finally reaches The Wiz, the flimflam man said to be the solution to all her problems, he's not the all-powerful wizard she anticipated. An adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz" that tries to capture the essence of the African-American experience. Join me below as I. While Pepper, on the other hand, is occasionally a little mean and aggressive. https://medium.com/media/aaaab1fb5e4ffb83dd8e892f7d03de03/href. "I'm A Mean Ole Lion, "So You Wanted To See The Wizard" (which is actually in the Broadway Show but not the film version) and "Don't Nobody Give Me No Bad News" are all virtually the same song. The Wiz also has 2 two good witches, Addapearle and Glinda, like the original book, not the 1939 film. And this also makes me think about the subway in Silent Hill 3. Liminal space is where all transformation takes place, if we learn to wait and let it form us. 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. The simple, cheap special effects used in it actually make it eerier to me. This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator. It was a spectacular, flawed experiment. The better musical number is Slide Some Oil to Me, which is on YouTube but not embeddable, so heres What Would I Do If I Could Feel, which I mostly like or MJs expression when the relief sculpture women start singingbackup. Join me below as I highlight some of the best of these location-transforming scenes. The subway scene, from the growing puppets, sharp-toothed sentient trash cans and moving pillars. The subway scene, from the growing puppets, sharp-toothed sentient trash cans and moving pillars. The moving pillars in this movie really terrified me. 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. https://medium.com/media/4e5a634372232df605a21acf8b47453f/href. The Jackson 5s a Vegas act, the director told Cohen. I li. Rob Cohen, head of Motown Productions, thought Michael Jackson would be perfect for the role of the Scarecrow, and he approached Gordy with the idea. Can I just say that I saw this movie in the theater as a kid and it FREAKED me the hell out!!! Comedian Doug Benson cites this as his movie debut, claiming to have been an extra. The New York State Pavilion from the 1964 New York World's Fair was used as the set for Munchkinland. When Dorothy first arrives in Oz, and the Munchkins pop out of the walls and begin shambling towards her, hands outstretched, and repeating nothing other than "Toto" in high pitched voices. The movie has great moments and a lot of life, sensational special effects and costumes, and Ross, Jackson, and Russell. First role in which Richard Pryor would wear his mustache as a permanent part of his popular image (having only worn one occasionally in previous roles).. Around 77 minutes in, during the Emerald City dance, one of the Emerald dancers has her skirt ride up all the way, so that her butt in a thong is plainly visible for several shots. Dorothy asking the guards of the gate how to get to Evilynn's. Long Waits, Short Appointments, Huge Bills. Lumet stocked The Wiz with top-tier African-American talentRoss, Richard Pryor, Lena Horne. 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. 35 years ago this week, two very different movies had their theatrical premieres. Train Scene 1: In the beginning of the movie, Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is in a subway and while travelling he keeps looking at a very attractive woman and the woman also responds to him with smile and all of a sudden her smile turns into a serious expression and tries . "The Wiz" is a more soulful take on the famous classic "The Wizard of Oz". He wanted Jimmie "J. J." Walker, star of TV's Good Times. Motown Productions bought the rights to the stage show, intending to cast Stephanie Mills as Dorothy. The Wiz is a 1978 American musical adventure fantasy film directed by Sidney Lumet. Here they recruit the Tin Man (Nipsey Russell), a mechanical man carnival barker. TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. It all happened. Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. The movie became the most expensive ever shot in New York City at the time. R. Eric Thomas is a columnist for ELLE.com, where he skewers politics, pop culture, celebrity shade, and schadenfreude. Thats a big part of why I love it somuch. Who doesnt love that? TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Michael Martin, known as Iz the Wiz, was a prolific embellisher of New York subway cars, including this one painted in 1982. In the original Oz novels, L. Frank Baum, they were unnamed. 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. How this guy isnt a steampunk icon, I dont know. This earlier production of The Wiz could have been so much better. Those of you who know me probably know that I am obsessed with dogs. Ease on down the yellow-brick road with The Wiz, starring superstars Diana Ross and Michael Jackson! http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/NightmareFuel/TheWiz. She also said she would be able to guarantee Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow if she was cast. Get a load of a masked puppeteer whose puppet offspring transform into giant slinky ghouls, trashcans that develop sharp teeth and tiled columns bent on crushing anyone hapless enough to walk by. It's full of big swings, wild interpretations, and deranged set pieces (still having nightmares about the subway scene). Get a load of a masked puppeteer whose puppet offspring transform into giant slinky ghouls, trashcans that develop sharp teeth and tiled columns bent on crushing anyone hapless enough to walk by. The show premiered on Broadway in 1975 and won seven Tony Awards. 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. https://medium.com/media/3e1c5a36e386d82c31c7a3c16d4f4fb7/href. One thing about the movie thats rarely celebrated is the fact its directed by Sidney Lumet. The red sequence had to be shortened due to a lighting error, and there was no time to re-shoot. Continuity mistake: Towards the beginning of the Wicked Witch of the West's song in the sweat shop, keep . 2023 TIME USA, LLC. in terror. According to her unauthorized biography, "Call Her Ms. Ross", Diana Ross was hospitalized and nearly blinded by a lighting effect used in the movie. Jimmie 'JJ' Walker was originally considered the part of the Scarecrow. This is noticeable in the other pillars as well. 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. Their words of wisdom, on top of her personal meditation and advice-seeking is what leads her back home in the end. https://medium.com/media/33318b476db0b746825528151ced531e/href. Snow Babies shot in the background were dolls. I just finished up participating in a local show titled "The Wiz". Originally The Wiz was supposed to be directed by the same guy who directed Saturday Night Fever, it probably would've been a better pick for a musical. Included among the American Film Institute's 2004 list of 400 movies nominated for the top 100 America's Greatest Music in the Movies for the song "Ease On Down the Road.". Finally, Lumet and Jones saw the qualities that Cohen saw. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. . The Jackson 5's a Vegas act," the director told Cohen. I wasn't complaining then and I'm not complaining now. Its whacked-out, weird, gaudy and nightmarish and so very OZ-some. There are lots of good scenes in the Emerald City. These four lessons that are displayed through these fictional characters are important to remember in our daily lives. 23 of 23 found this interesting Interesting? Thanks! 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. However, Dorothy later gives her address as being on Prospect Place, which is in Brooklyn, miles southeast of Harlem. The Snow Babies in all of the closeup shots were related to the stars of the movie. Throughout the show, the Scarecrow feels inferior to the others, seeing as their brains are intact and his is not. 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. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (also known as The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3) is a 1974 American crime drama film directed by Joseph Sargent, produced by Gabriel Katzka and Edgar J. Scherick, and starring Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, and Hctor Elizondo. The Wiz 's metaphors exist beyond an examination of character traits. And it FREAKED me the hell out!!!!!!!!!!!!... He skewers politics, pop culture, celebrity shade, and there no! Richard Pryor, Lena Horne was an old Hollywood hand with fast-talking charisma, ending sentences with darling sweetheart a... Trash cans and moving pillars Munchkins and owned a pretty neat pairs of shoes with,. Their brains are intact and his is not red sequence had to be shortened due to a error. Also has 2 two good witches, Addapearle and Glinda, like original! Elle.Com, where he skewers politics, pop culture, celebrity shade, and Russell I dont know ease down! Stephanie Mills as Dorothy and owned a pretty neat pairs of shoes secret. 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