Directed by:
Sidney LumetScreenplay:
Joel SchumacherCinematography:
Oswald MorrisCast:
Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Theresa Merritt, Thelma Carpenter, Lena Horne, Richard Pryor, Robin Givens, Janet Wright (more)Plots(1)
The Wiz is probably the grandest take on L. Frank Baum's classic tale "The Wizard of Oz". The production team created sets with a sense of urban magic and spectacle: a New York subway station literally comes to life, and the massive plaza between the World Trade Centre towers is transformed into the Emerald City, featuring nearly 400 dancers with three costume changes. In an era before MTV, the camera stays nearly stationary as Diana Ross and Lena Horne vocally soar through their numbers. Their stage-like performances successfully make the leap to film, making The Wiz a testament to their singing talents and star presence. The then-thirty-something Ross raised some eyebrows playing the traditionally teenaged Dorothy, but she and her supporting cast (including Richard Pryor as the Wiz) carry the tunes with an infectious verve that will appeal to people of all ages. (Mediumrare Entertainment)
(more)Cast
Diana Ross
USA
Best movies:
Lady Sings the Blues (1972)
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee (2022) (concert)
The Wiz (1978)
Michael Jackson
USA
Best movies:
Michael Jackson Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour (1992) (concert)
Michael Jackson: Video Greatest Hits - HIStory (1995) (video compilation)
Michael Jackson's Vision (2010) (video compilation)
Nipsey Russell
USA
Ted Ross
USA
Best movies:
The Fisher King (1991)
Police Academy (1984)
Ragtime (1981)
Mabel King
USA
Best movies:
Ganja & Hess (1973)
The Wiz (1978)
Scrooged (1988)
Theresa Merritt
USA
Best movies:
All That Jazz (1979)
The Goodbye Girl (1977)
They Might Be Giants (1971)
Thelma Carpenter
USA
Best movies:
The Cotton Club (1984)
New York Stories (1989)
The Wiz (1978)
Lena Horne
USA
Best movies:
Two Girls and a Sailor (1944)
Ziegfeld Follies (1945)
Till the Clouds Roll by (1946)
Richard Pryor
USA
Best movies:
Lost Highway (1997)
Lady Sings the Blues (1972)
Blue Collar (1978)
Robin Givens
USA
Best movies:
The Wiz (1978)
God's Not Dead 2 (2016)
KIMI (2022)
Janet Wright
UK
Best movies:
After the Promise (1987) (TV movie)
Taken (2002) (series)
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
Willie C. Carpenter
Best movies:
Men in Black (1997)
The Insider (1999)
Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)
Quincy Jones
USA
Best movies:
The Wiz (1978)
Sandy Wexler (2017)
Bill Walker
USA
Best movies:
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
The Long, Hot Summer (1958)
Columbo: Ransom for a Dead Man (1971) (TV movie)
Joe Lynn
Best movies:
Moscow on the Hudson (1984)
The Cotton Club (1984)
The Wiz (1978)
Ralph Wilcox
USA
Best movies:
Columbo (1971) (series)
Saved by the Light (1995) (TV movie)
The Wiz (1978)
Arnetia Walker
USA
Best movies:
The Whereabouts of Jenny (1991) (TV movie)
For Love of the Game (1999)
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982)
Arthur French
USA
Best movies:
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
'Round Midnight (1986)
Kinsey (2004)
Johnny Brown
USA
Best movies:
The Out of Towners (1970)
The Wiz (1978)
Hanky Panky (1982)
Ray Simpson
USA
Best movies:
The Wiz (1978)
Can't Stop the Music (1980)