Cult Flops - The Wiz

Universal, 1978
Starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, and Ted Ross
Directed by Sidney Lumet
Music and Lyrics by Charlie Smalls and others

This will be the first of several musicals with all-black casts I look at in February in honor of Black History Month. We kick off with one of the bigger flops of the late 70's. This R&B adaptation of The Wizard of Oz was a huge hit on Broadway in 1975, and it would do well in a live TV version in 2015 (which we'll look at a bit later this month). So what happened here? For an answer to that question, we'll head to a Harlem apartment at Thanksgiving, where one young schoolteacher is about to go on a journey that will change the way she looks at her life...and family...

The Story: Dorothy Gale (Ross) is a shy schoolteacher who still lives with her parents in their Harlem apartment. She's been deliberating getting a better teaching job and moving out on her own, as she's introverted an uncertain of herself. She chases after her beloved dog Toto when he runs out into a blizzard. A snow whirlwind whisks her and Toto off to the strange urban land of Oz, which basically resembles a fantasy New York. They land in a playground, where the graffiti comes to life. According to the witch Miss One (Thelma Carpenter), they killed the Wicked Witch of the East and rescued the Munchkins from being chalk drawings for the rest of their lives. Miss One gives Dorothy a pair of silver shoes that once belonged to the Witch and sends her off to the Emerald City to find the Wizard.

Along the way, Dorothy makes some unusual friends. She befriends the Scarecrow (Jackson) when she rescues him from crows in a cornfield. He's fond of pulling papers filled with quotes from his own straw and claims he lacks brains. They encounter the rusted old Tin Man (Russell) at an abandoned carnival. He's chatty when he's not rusted, but can be sarcastic, and says he lacks a heart. They're nearly knocked over by a lion (Ross) hiding in front of the New York Public Library, but he turns out to be a cowardly critter who wants courage badly. Even after they do make it to the glamorous Emerald City at the World Trade Center, the capricious Wizard (Richard Pryor) won't do what they want until they shut down the sweatshop of Evilene, the Wicked Witch of the West. But she's already hot on their trail and will stop at nothing to make sure they don't complete their quest!

The Song and Dance: The supporting cast is the key here. Russell and especially Jackson, the latter in his film debut, make a great tin con-man and a very sweet and thoughtful Scarecrow. Ross makes for a decent lion, and Lena Horne is a lovely and elegant Glinda the Good Witch of the South.
When the camera moves in for a closer look, it can ably capture New York during the height of it's gritty decaying late 70's period (including shots of the World Trade Center - the Wizard is supposed to live at the top of one of the towers). The colorful costumes and odd and unique set design were Oscar-nominated, as were the cinematography and score.

Favorite Number: For all the problems this movie has, some of the singing is first-rate. All three versions of "Ease On Down the Road" are a blast. Ross and Russell really tear into their respective solos "I'm a Mean Ol' Lion" and "Slide Some Oil to Me." While the number itself is kind of weird (with people stripping down half-way through), the Luther Vandross-penned "Everyone Rejoice/Brand New Day" after they've defeated Evilene is the movie's most energetic and toe-tapping number. Jackson has fun with those nasty crows, who keep telling him "You Can't Win, You Can't Break Even."

What I Don't Like: Sidney Lumet was not the right director for this. He clearly didn't know how to make a musical work. Most of the numbers are filmed in long shots. You can barely see any of the dancing or what anyone's doing, or even ogle the designer costumes in the Emerald City number. Things would have looked a lot better if he'd given us a few more close-ups and actually focused on the dancing, rather than those elaborate New York sets.

Some characters, like Glinda, Evilene, and the Cowardly Lion, have limited roles compared to other retellings of this story. They should have built up Evilene throughout the film, like the Witch shadowed Dorothy in the 1939 version. The Wizard sending the group after her seems kind of abrupt. And why would someone who can melt have sprinklers in her sweatshop?

And that brings us to Diana Ross. She tries, but the role of Dorothy was meant for a young girl. No amount of re-writing or tossing her in a cutesy, frilly dress could make her look younger. While some of her vocal performances are outstanding (her impassioned "Believe In Yourself" is really touching), her acting wavers between stiff and shrill. To date, this has been her final screen performance.

The Big Finale: This movie was a huge flop in 1978, and despite the good cast and some decent numbers, it doesn't really hold up now. Only come here if you're a really big fan of Jackson or Diana Ross.

Home Media: The solo DVD is out of print, but it is available on Blu-Ray and most streaming services. Your best bet may be to pick it up as a double-feature with The Wiz Live like I did.

DVD - The Wiz/The Wiz Live
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime