The Wiz: One of the Most Successful Movie Musicals

[jobeterob]

From the Skurow Solomon Weinger booklet notes:

In parallel to the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, which too had not been successful at the time of release, The Wix gained a life after death cult following. Diana Ross fans were the first to embrace the film and since its debut on VHS, to DVD, to streaming, TV airings and enthusiastically attended special screenings, The Wiz had become one of the most successful movie musicals to date!

Good job fans. You can influence things!

[BigAl]

Granted, The Wizard of Oz wasn't the box office success which MGM was hoping for. It didn't become a classic until it started airing on TV in the late 1950s. Still, the Arlen songs and the principal performances were nothing short of amazing. To compare The Wiz to its progenitor does the original a great disservice. Some really stinko pix often later become cult classics precisely BECAUSE they're so terrible.

[Jimi LaLumia]

I was glad to see The Wiz become an after market hit, as was the case with Bette Midler's Hocus Pocus, which became huge after it was out of the theaters..
Having said that, both of those films left me cold and uninspired..I much prefer the first two Ross films, but I'm happy to see the Ross/Wiz at #23 and rising on the Amazon.com MP3 digital albums chart today, and #1 on their "Movers and Shakers" chart, with zero promotion from any of the parties involved ..

[jobeterob]

I agree

The story lines and the whole premise are only buyable as pure fantasy and it's a wak story - but the world needs more fantasy and warmth and that's why they are both popular

[Jimi LaLumia]

kids love them.. when current superstar Ariana Grande was challenged by Bette Midler a while back, Grande shot back..'sorry you don't approve..love Hocus Pocus", that was her Midler reference point.. and my now school teaching niece knew Ross for only one thing.. the endless repetition of "The Wiz" on cable during the holidays when she was a kid,which she enjoyed very much

[midnightman]

Both The Wizard of Oz and The Wiz were initial flops when it opened at the box office but TV reruns, VHS and DVD releases helped to get both films pass their initial budgets. I guess the difference is Oz, for all its quirks, had better acting [[Judy Garland is one of the greatest actors of all time). But both versions are camp classics in the LGBT community and the latter film has become a cinematic cult classic in the black community.

I actually hope The Wiz is turned into an animated Disney film. I always felt it worked better that way but I think The Wiz Live! will be great though.

[jobeterob]

Animated would be great!

[jobeterob]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/wiz-live-dorothy-backstory-empowered-844161

[daddyacey]

The Wiz , was too much for the public to digest at the time first of all. It was a good idea in concept as a project to present a creative update of a film that had over time became a classic. Everybody knew about the Wizard Of Oz ,but for us Black folks , there wasn't no Black folks in the original. In the 50 or so years since the original had been made ,socially , African Americans had many talented stars of their own.
The idea to make a 70's ,soulful updated version based on the storyline of the original WOO was good on paper and excellent as a play. Stephanie Mills killed it. The production was excellent. But in making it a film they used Diana Ross , Michael Jackson and other popular entertainers on the way to being superstars or were respected Black actors, comedians and dancers. AT THE TIME , it just was too much ,kinda campy ,all that drama about Ross being Dorothy. The sets ,costumes ,make up and choreography are excellent visually back then as it is today ,but it wasn't as big a thing as they thought it would be until.............. 30 something years later.

Now as with the original WOO , a good number of the cast of TW , have passed away. With footage of Michael Jackson , Richard Pryor ,Lena Horne ,Nipsy Russell , Mable King and others the film has become a historical document as time goes on. When the film was made there was no way to for see MJ and Pryor were on the way to changing the world and the stardom of Ms Ross and the other actors that were in the film. Judy Garland didn't become the Diva she was until years after the movie was made and she still is a Diva to all that know of her. With the WIZ. 30 years later you can still see new things as you watch it. A lot of work went into making the picture and that's whats being noticed today.
Truth is that the story was a book originally and as you read it you had vision of it in your mind. The MGM movie was a vision. The WIZ was a story BASED on the original and should be recognised that way. Neither one should be taken seriously. The WIZ is not THE WIZARD OF OZ , THE WIZ was and is a Black thing. A variation on a theme. That's it.

I understand that people complained that there were no white actors in the WIZ LIVE , but I thought I saw a few. I don't get that though , what's next ?
Porgy and Bess???:cool:

[jobeterob]

Great essay

[Mark Desjardines]

I'm scratching my head as I read some of the media backlash to the all black cast of the television broadcast of "The Wiz Live," as if it were an affront to man and beast. As a honky from Canada, I understand and appreciate the difference. In this digital age, there seems to be collective amnesia of the Broadway musical featuring Stephanie Mills and the Diana Ross and Michael Jackson film vehicle. I personally enjoyed Sidney Lumet's urban touches in the film such as the graffiti wall people, the number running Miss One, the hawkers in the subway, the Supremes like trio singing the harmony in the amusement park, the yellow cabs that were forever "off duty," and the working women of the Poppy Perfume factory among many other inner city flourishes that make The Wiz so enjoyable even after repeated viewings! I just obtained the Motown/Universal Diana Ross Sings Songs From The Wiz digital download and it is much more than I could have hoped for. May the journey down that funky yellow brick road never end!10839

[daddyacey]

Nice post Mark. I laughed at the "H" word.

[Mark Desjardines]

daddyacey....I'm just a guy who calls a spade a shovel! LOL!