Loving almost everything 1970's

Coney Island, New York City, Hookers, and Chic Uptown Scenes,

(1978, dir. S. Kumet, 134 mins., G)
Motown's take on L. Frank Baum's famous tale stars Diana Ross as Dorothy, lost in a New York blizzard. Huge, exuberant dance numbers and a who’s-who cast (Michael Jackson as Scarecrow, Lena Horne as Glinda, and Richard Pryor as the Wiz) give The Wiz a sprawling, irrepressible funk.

[Edited 3/30/13 19:44pm]

Nipsey Russell/Tinman, Michael Jackson/Scarecrow, Diana Ross/Dorothy, Ted Ross/Lion:Fleetwood Coupe de Ville

[Edited 3/30/13 19:46pm]

does the reflection of the pic screw with everyone's org layout, or just mine?

Love much of the music and the overall look, as well as the concept.

But as far as the actual movie goes, I am not as crazy about it. Diana & Michael kind of bug me, and the flow feels a little off somehow.

Still, because of what it is, it is something of a classic.

Love everything about the movie and yes it is a classic

i prefer the play

I love the monkeys on the motocycles. thats it.

Dupe thread: http://prince.org/msg/100/395426

imago said:

Dupe thread: http://prince.org/msg/100/395426

mjscarousal said:

Love everything about the movie and yes it is a classic

Yep, Classic, totally captures the NYC 1970's feeling of creativity

Have You Every Been South of 125st Street?

imago said:

Dupe thread: http://prince.org/msg/100/395426

?

cborgman said:

imago said:

Dupe thread: http://prince.org/msg/100/395426

i keed. i keed.

what really irks me about the movie is dorothy is supposed to be a teenage girl, and stephanie mills was supposedly amazing in the role on broadway.

cut to the movie version and the teenage girl is now played by diana ross, who is in her mid-thirties and demanding the rewrite the script so that dorothy is older so she can play it

.

[Edited 3/30/13 20:59pm]

The Feeling That We Have by The Wiz Cast
(Sung by Theresa Merrit)

Put your arms around me child
Like when you bumped your shin
Then you'll know I love you now
As I loved you then

Though you maybe trying sometimes
And I'll need you
And you're not there
You know I may get mad
And turn away
But you know that I still care

But you cannot ask for more
Than can come from me
I am older than you are
And one day you'll see

If I lose my patience with you
And I suddenly start to scream
It's only because I just want you to be
Everything that I see in my dreams

And I'd like to know it's there
The feeling that we have
When you know that you can come
Running to me
Whenever times are bad

Don't lose the feeling that we have
Don't lose the feeling that we have

Though you are growing older now
And I'm watching you grow
I know I make you sad sometimes
And I see your feeling show

But one day I'll look around
And you will be grown
You'll be out in the world
Such a pretty girl
You'll be on your own

And I'd like to know it's there
The feeling that we have
Knowing that you can come to me
Whenever you are sad

And I'd like to know it's there
The feeling that we have
Don't lose the feeling that we have
Don't lose the feeling that we have
Don't lose the feeling that we have

cborgman said:

what really irks me about the movie is dorothy is supposed to be a teenage girl, and stephanie mills was supposedly amazing in the role on broadway.

cut to the movie version and the teenage girl is now played by diana ross, who is in her mid-thirties and demanding the rewrite the script so that dorothy is older so she can play it

.

[Edited 3/30/13 20:59pm]

are you irked by the age change or your preference of Stephanie over Diana?

In the movie she played a 24 yr old school teacher living at home

Good movie. I got it at home!

Principal photography

The Wiz was filmed at Astoria Studios in Queens, New York. The decaying New York State Pavilion from the 1964 New York World's Fair was used as the set for Munchkinland, while the World Trade Center served as the Emerald City. The scenes filmed at the Emerald City were elaborate, utilizing six hundred fifty dancers, three hundred eighty-five crew members and twelve hundred costumes. Costume designer Tony Walton enlisted the help of high fashion designers in New York City for the Emerald City sequence, and obtained exotic costumes and fabric from designers such as Oscar de la Renta and Norma Kamali. Albert Whitlock created the film's visual special effects, while Stan Winston served as the head makeup artist.

Quincy Jones was the musical supervisor and music producer for the film. He later wrote that he initially did not want to work on the film, but did it as a favor to Sidney Lumet. The film production marked Jones' first time working with Michael Jackson, and Jones would later produce three hit albums for Jackson: Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad. Jones recalled working with Jackson as one of his favorite experiences from The Wiz, and spoke of Jackson's dedication to his role, comparing his acting style to Sammy Davis, Jr.

Theyre all dead but Ross.

I used to watch this all the time when I was younger, Now, as a grown man, I can't really get into it anymore.

lazycrockett said:

Theyre all dead but Ross.

OldFriends4Sale said:

cborgman said:

what really irks me about the movie is dorothy is supposed to be a teenage girl, and stephanie mills was supposedly amazing in the role on broadway.

cut to the movie version and the teenage girl is now played by diana ross, who is in her mid-thirties and demanding the rewrite the script so that dorothy is older so she can play it

.

[Edited 3/30/13 20:59pm]

are you irked by the age change or your preference of Stephanie over Diana?

In the movie she played a 24 yr old school teacher living at home

both.

granted, i never saw mills in it, only heard her sing the songs, but her performance is legend among broadway folk.

and there's this...

that's how that song is supposed to be sung.

stephanie was supposed to be in the movie. berry gordy wanted to make it with stephanie, and when he said no to diana, diana went around him to the higher-ups at universal, and got stephanie and berry booted from the project.

dorothy is supposed to be 12 or 13. stephanie was 15 when she did the play and still a teen when they shot the movie. diana was 33, and had them rewrite the character to be 24 (which even then she is not really believable as). the character went from being a school girl to school teacher to justify ross being way too old, and causing the original director to leave the project.

ross also demanded they rewrite the script to include the est movement's teachings, a psychology/spirituality group she was studying with at the time. est seminars were started by a rogue scientologist who studied under hubbard and created his own version of it. it's why the movie is full of psycho-babble.

in short, ross pretty much took a brilliant play and made a really meh movie version by inserting herself at all levels.

.

[Edited 3/31/13 1:57am]

You Can't Win is still one of my favorite MJ vocals, and I still play it regularly. I just can't get enough of the vocal interplay between him and the scarecrows. So infectious! And I love how the groove just goes on forever.

I did get to see it on Broadway with Stephanie Mills.
My Mom took my sister and me.

I never liked the movie.

I tried to watch it recently on cable sometime in late fall/winter, and I still don't like it.

cborgman said:

what really irks me about the movie is dorothy is supposed to be a teenage girl, and stephanie mills was supposedly amazing in the role on broadway.

cut to the movie version and the teenage girl is now played by diana ross, who is in her mid-thirties and demanding the rewrite the script so that dorothy is older so she can play it

.

[Edited 3/30/13 20:59pm]

SchlomoThaHomo said:

You Can't Win is still one of my favorite MJ vocals, and I still play it regularly. I just can't get enough of the vocal interplay between him and the scarecrows. So infectious! And I love how the groove just goes on forever.

I was 7 when our class went to the theater to see the movie

Still that age and time when things easily amazed you,

Isn't this like Michael Jacksons period when he broke into his own?

Didn't he live in NYC at the time, got to Studio 54, etc