cborgman said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

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]

Thanks 4 the background story

I guess all I can say is I'm glad I didn't have all that to irk me at age 7

I think the movie is cool (of course) because I believe the other actors entertainers still held their own:Michael Lena Horne, Richard Prior, and I was loved the 1970's and NYC so I was taken in

as a kid I would not be able to judge any of that stuff I saw Star Wars(first ever movie) Alien and this movie (the beginning of my movie theater life

, what Est/psycho-babble... can you give me examples of it? I seriously to this day wouldn't know this stuff

http://www.examiner.com/a...king-films

In his autobiography, Moonwalk, Michael Jackson talks in his own words about his experience auditioning for, and acting in, The Wiz, based on the classic novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. The entertainer who died June 25 and is being memorialized at a public service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles July 7, played the part of the Scarecrow in the musical film.

Mr. Jackson writes about seeing the Judy Garland version of The Wizard of Oz on television, like millions of other Americans did at that time, once a year on a Sunday night. He always liked the movie.

When Motown purchased the rights to The Wiz, more directly adapted from the urbanized, African-American Broadway musical version of the classic novel, Michael Jackson says he was pleased with their reason because their reason was Diana Ross. They wanted Ms. Ross to play the part of Dorothy Gale. Despite the fact that the Jacksons had just left Motown, both Diana Ross and Barry Gordy encouraged Jackson to audition for the movie.

Michael Jackson had seen the show starring Stephanie Mills on Broadway, by his own account, six or seven times. He writes that he would cry when he thought about how none of Ms. Mills's performances would be preserved on film.

"When you give a performance, whether on record or on film, you want to be able to judge what you've done, to measure yourself and try to improve. You can't do that in an untaped or unrecorded performance."

He writes that he is sad when he thinks of all the acting performances of all kinds that are lost to history because there is no recording of them.

Michael Jackson tried out for the Scarecrow because he thought that character was most suitable for him. He says he was "too bouncy" for the role of the Tin Man and "too light" to play the Lion. He was a little scared when he got the callback from his audition by director, Sidney Lumet.

For Michael Jackson, who was now a veteran of recording and singing and dancing on stage, making a film was new, "an education...on so many levels."

"I'd always pictured myself doing something very elegant in the movies, but it was my experience with the makeup and costume and prop people in New York that made me realize another aspect of how wonderful filmmaking could be. I had always loved Charlie Chaplin movies, and no one ever saw him doing anything overtly elegant in the silent movie days. I wanted something of the quality of his characters in my Scarecrow."

He recounts how he embarrassed Diana Ross and other actors on set when he learned the dance moves so quickly. When Ms. Ross took him aside and explained this to him, he says from then on:

"I tried to make the ease with which I learned my steps less obvious."

Ironically, on July 4th while at the beach during the time he was shooting the film, he broke a blood vessel in his lung. His doctors advised him to slow down, but his work would not allow it. His father and brothers thought the role would be too much for him, but the entertainer writes that the film gave him "new inspiration and strength."

Finally, he tells another anecdote in Moonwalk about mispronouncing the name "Socrates" in one of his lines in The Wiz. He had seen it written before but never heard it pronounced. A man stepped over on set to tell him how to say the word correctly. Jackson was grateful and thought he'd seen the man before but wasn't sure. Then the man introduced himself as "Quincy Jones," adding, "I'm doing the score."

At the time Mr. Jackson wrote his autobiography, he had hoped to work in more movies after his performance in The Wiz. Though Jackson did not go on to become another Fred Astaire in films (he dedicates Moonwalk to the dancer), perhaps the acting bug he caught on The Wiz laid some of the groundwork for his short film, Thriller, which became the most watched and successful music video in history.

The Wiz movie mesmerized me as a child going to the theater with my family to see it. I had never seen an all black cast musical movie before & it was captivating to me.I was in awe of it. Michael was outstanding! He put his foot in that role. He was incredible! His dancing was off the chain. Sadly when he started speaking in the movie. The rumors started about him. But the whole cast was great & casted perfectly..

I had heard all the drama about Diana playing Dorothy back then. But Diana always seemed to be criticized about something back then. She was like Beyonce is now. Considered royalty among the black female singers. But was hated because she constantly told that lie about her daughter not being Berry's. Everyone knew it was a flat out lie. Her reputation suffered from it. My grandmother & mother hated her for it. But other than that. I thought Diana did a good job, Her & Michael had great chemistry together to.

With that said the soundtrack was absolutely incredible! I had to have that soundtrack after I saw the movie. I can understand why Michael wanted Quincy as his producer after that. It was the best decision he ever made in his short life...No soundtrack matches that. Except for Purple Rain & Saturday Night Fever soundtracks....

I saw the stage version with Stephanie Mills as a kid. And I tell you, her rendition of "Home" the most explosively brilliant stage performance this side of Jennifer Holiday.

But the stage version didn't have Quincy Jones at the helm. One of the best soundtracks you'll ever hear.

OldFriends4Sale said:

cborgman said:

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]

Thanks 4 the background story

I guess all I can say is I'm glad I didn't have all that to irk me at age 7

I think the movie is cool (of course) because I believe the other actors entertainers still held their own:Michael Lena Horne, Richard Prior, and I was loved the 1970's and NYC so I was taken in

as a kid I would not be able to judge any of that stuff I saw Star Wars(first ever movie) Alien and this movie (the beginning of my movie theater life

, what Est/psycho-babble... can you give me examples of it? I seriously to this day wouldn't know this stuff

it's been a while since i have seen it. would have to watch again to tell you when and where they are in the movie.

i will say that as much as i am not really a michael fan, i did think he was one of the best things about the movie

i also think diana would have made a great glinda.

Here is a very interestin review of the film.

Classic movie that captures the essence of NYC of the late 70s. The music is amazing and so were the actors, except Diana (even though I'm fan lol). I thought they really should have went for Stephanie Mills because I think it would have been better since Dorothy is a teenager in the story. The Quincy Jones soundtrack is flawless, love it! According to Bruce Swedien, his long time sound engineer, Quincy wrote the score two days before it was due without instruments and directly on notation. He said that Quincy just wrote it from his head down on paper and there are very few people who can do this. Proof of Q's genius as a composer. I love the feeling it gives me as well. MJ did a great job!

[Edited 3/31/13 13:50pm]

I knew the movie and its soundtrack first. A loved one shunned it for the play, and sang Mills' praises. I got the play's soundtrack for Christmas. As a kid, I missed the play's substance for the movie's flash and sizzle. As an adult, I love them both for their respective strengths.

cborgman said:

i also think diana would have made a great glinda.

Hudson said:

Here is a very interestin review of the film.

that was really dead on

cborgman said:

i also think diana would have made a great glinda.

I love Lena in that spot,

Much has been made over the years about the last living cast members of legendary films. Now, it seems, a Motown film has finally joined those ranks.

The death of jazz singer and actress Lena Horne this weekend leaves Diana Ross as the sole surviving principal cast member of "The Wiz," Motown's film version of the Broadway production -- itself a re-telling of the L. Frank Baum novel, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." (Though not a main cast member, Stanley Greene, who played Uncle Henry, is still living.)

"The Wiz" -- almost like its 1939 counterpart, "The Wizard of Oz" -- grew to be a family favorite years after its 1978 release despite not being a box-office success. It was a flop for Motown Productions, which had seen earlier success with the Oscar-nominated Ross starring in the film house's first flick, "Lady Sings the Blues."

Casting for the film was notable in more ways than one. It was the first screen appearance for Michael Jackson, and the last for Horne. Raunchy comic Richard Pryor took a softer tone as the film's namesake Wiz. Ross' casting is still a sticking point for fans, as she was 33 years old playing the role of a much younger Dorothy.

http://www.mlive.com/ente...ornes.html

'The Wiz' revisited: Lena Horne's death makes Diana Ross the only living cast member

Published: Monday, May 10, 2010, 10:24 AM

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

cborgman said:

i also think diana would have made a great glinda.

Killed IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Michael @ the Premiere of The Wiz [1978]

He looks like Jester on that pic!!

I just watch the Stephanie Mills version of Home like 10 times in a row. Love it.

really need to see this movie again since I haven't seen it since 1980

Not gonna lie, Diana was too old to play Dorothy, talented as she was.

But it's still a comfort food movie for me. I still stop everything I'm doing when I see it on TV, just to watch it.

Diana had the legs though...

October, 1978-- Celebrating The Wiz Premiere

[Edited 4/26/13 11:07am]

Diana Ross as Dorothy was a total miscast but I understand why Ms. Ross was chosen she was the most well known black female star at that time despite her film "Mahogony" being a flop her star power got the film to be financed. I remember reading singer Melba Moore read for the part too so Stephanie Mills didnt have a chance to rephrise her role.

As a kid I was laughing at the factory workers peeling off their costumes to dance in their underwear a bit too much.

So much of this movie scared me as a kid but it also thrilled me. I love this movie so much! Total Classic.

1sotrue said:

Diana Ross as Dorothy was a total miscast but I understand why Ms. Ross was chosen she was the most well known black female star at that time despite her film "Mahogony" being a flop her star power got the film to be financed. I remember reading singer Melba Moore read for the part too so Stephanie Mills didnt have a chance to rephrise her role.

As a kid I was laughing at the factory workers peeling off their costumes to dance in their underwear a bit too much.

she looked older during that time than she did in the 80's.

OldFriends4Sale said:

October, 1978-- Celebrating The Wiz Premiere

Was that at studio54? I saw a book a long time ago dedicated to the Studio 54 days. Mj & Diana frequent it a lot they was all over it.....Janet to...