Hollywood Flashback: In 1978, ‘The Wiz' Went From Broadway Hit to Box-Office Bust. The Universal-Motown production — a Manhattan-set musical starring
Diana Ross
as Dorothy and Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow — was predicted to be a major blockbuster …
Did Michael Jackson played the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz?
Michael Jackson, a former Motown star and close friend of Diana Ross, was
cast as the Scarecrow
.
How old was Diana Ross in The Wiz?
Many considered Diana Ross to old to play Dorothy, at 34, and Mills was 21. 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). For Diana Ross, Dorothy's age was
adjusted to 24
.
Who was supposed to play Dorothy The Wiz?
For the off-Broadway show, actor Renee Harris played Dorothy. However, Harris decided to leave The Wiz before it made it to the Broadway stage. In 1975,
Mills
was cast as Dorothy. The then-17-year-old singer originated the character and starred alongside Phylicia Rashad, Tiger Haynes, and Hinton Battle.
Who was the Scarecrow in The Black Wizard of Oz?
When Dorothy is instructed to follow the yellow brick road to get to The Wiz and get home, she is forced to walk because the cabs won't pick her up. The next morning Dorothy finds a Scarecrow made of garbage and rags played by
Michael Jackson
.
How old was Michael Jackson when he was in The Wiz?
He, too, began to pay attention to Jackson. 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.
Ted Ross, no relation to Diana
, reprised his stage role as the Cowardly Lion, ironically singing “I'm a Mean Ole Lion.” Ross died in 2002.
Who was the Cowardly Lion in The Wiz?
Ted Ross, the big-voiced actor who won a Tony Award for playing The Cowardly Lion in the Broadway musical, The Wiz, died Sept.
What happened to Nobody Beats the Wiz?
In 1998, after having expanded from roughly 20 stores to over 80 stores in less than a year,
the chain filed for bankruptcy and was purchased by Cablevision for $80 million
. Cablevision eventually dropped the “Nobody Beats the Wiz” slogan.
Who is playing the piano in The Wiz?
1. In the gold scene,
music producer Quincy Jones
is seen playing at the piano. It was the first time he ever worked with Michael Jackson. The friendship they developed on the film, turned into one of the most successful musical partnerships ever.
Is the Wiz blaxploitation?
Once (and sometimes still) viewed as a prime example of late-70s excess and credited as the death knell of the once thriving
blaxploitation
film genre, The Wiz, in recent years, has found new life as a black cult classic. This is due in part to its fabulously eclectic cast of African-American heavyweights.
Was Wizard of Oz all black and white?
All the Oz sequences were filmed in three-strip Technicolor. The opening and closing credits, and the Kansas sequences,
were filmed in black and white and colored
in a sepia-tone process.
What was the scarecrow made out of in The Wiz?
After Dorothy and her friends have completed their mission to kill the Wicked Witch of the West, the Wizard gives the Scarecrow brains (made out of
bran, pins and needles
– in reality, a placebo, as he has been the most intelligent of the group all along).
What was the name of the Black Wizard of Oz?
Fast-forward to the mid-1970s when then-future R&B star Stephanie Mills (who played Auntie Em in the current version) reprised the role of
Dorothy
in the Broadway musical adaptation known as “The Wiz,” which featured an all-black cast and became a critical success and Tony Award-winner (for “Best Musical”).
