Looks to be one of the abandoned outer platforms and mezzanine of the Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts station in Downtown Brooklyn. Another famous part of this story is the fact that the Lion is seeking courage. TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. It is weird a white filmmaker was at the helm for this, though his relevance as a very New York-centric director makes some sense (who else should have done it? Join me below as I. Tinman: The genius who created me only took care of my dashing good looks, my razor sharp wit and my irresistible attraction to the wrong women. At one point, he took Michael aside to explain a Scarecrow bit in the scriptthat the Greek philosophers name is pronounced Sock-ra-tees and not Sow-cray-tees. As Jones would tell the story, he asked Michael right then if he could take a shot at producing his next solo album. Joel Schumacher used his connections in the fashion industry to procure the hundreds of costumes used in the Emerald City sequence. It's good that the Scarecrow is the first traveling companion she meets; Michael Jackson fills the role with humor and warmth. Jimmie 'JJ' Walker was originally considered the part of the Scarecrow. Quincy Jones was skeptical of Jackson . And their personalities are completely different. Gonna have to get some coffee and check this out! This is based on opinion. Hes so pure! Lumet exulted. Diana Ross and Richard Pryor had previously appeared together in Lady Sings the Blues (1972). The characters of The Wiz. He wanted Jimmie "J. J." Walker, star of TV's Good Times. Also, one of the pictures looks like the video for Bad, Not entirely related but Those paintings of faces of the walls look like peak ENA character material. The shoots were long and grueling, lasting all day underneath the World Trade Center towers. I can write anything down on paper, the veteran arranger said. He had seen Charlie Chaplin. Additionally, unlike the 1939 film version of The Wizard of Oz, The Wiz doesn't suggest that the whole adventure was Dorothy's dream. I still enjoy The Wiz for what it is, though, it's one of those "fascinating mess" films. However, Dorothy later gives her address as being on Prospect Place, which is in Brooklyn, miles southeast of Harlem. This could be us, but youre not social-distancing. The WIZ A remake that is different enough to stand on its own talented batch of "Pros" who make the familiar story work: Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Mabel King, Richard Pryor, Lena Horne, Ted Ross etc New score 1939 is rural based, 1978 version is suburban There are parts that do not work, but those are small complaints. The Wiz: Directed by Sidney Lumet. Ted Ross reprised his role as the Cowardly Lion from the 1974 Broadway production. There are so many liminal scenes within The Wiz! So the writers. To finish Lady Sings the Blues, Gordy had to sink in $2 million of his own money because Paramounts top executive, Frank Yablans, had told him the maximum a studio could spend on a black film at the time was $500,000. This earlier production of The Wiz could have been so much better. "Michael Jackson's a Vegas act. I imagine it'll be exactly like the "A Brand New Day" scene in The Wiz: After Dorothy melts Evilene (Mabel King), the Wicked Witch of the West, all the workers she imprisoned in her sweat shop (they make sweat) transform from misshapen ogres into lithe, well-moisturized ballet dancers, leaping and prancing in their underwear. Pay no attention: Critics like that wouldn't know a yellow brick road if they saw one. Thanks! I never wanted to watch this flickuntil now! After Dorothy gets swept up in a tornado, she finds herself in the fantastical world of Oz. When Do New Episodes of 'Mandalorian' Come Out? Stanley Kubrick never directed a musical film probably because as talented as he was, musicals weren't his thing, so I wouldn't be surprised if he would end up doing Lumet's similar mistakes had he ever made one. On that wonderfully logical premise, the classic Wizard of Oz was transformed into a Broadway musical named The Wiz, and then the most expensive movie musical ever made. While Pepper, on the other hand, is occasionally a little mean and aggressive. When it came time for the Scarecrow part, Michael stepped to the microphone and began to sing, not the bright-sounding Michael Jackson of I Want You Back but the 18-year-old MJ whose voice had evolved into something as smooth and powerful as the Concorde. Finally, at the very end of the journey, there's Richard Pryor as The Wiz, coward at heart, filled with doubts, hiding behind the electronic gadgets he uses to enslave the Emerald City and keep Evillene at bay. I make the sounds with my mouthI can do that. Quincy became excited. I might be the only one who likes The Wiz more than Halloween and very likely the only one who finds one particular scene in the all-black version of The Wizard of Oz scarier than anything in John Carpenters slasher classic. When you press play on The Wiz, the 1978 movie musical based on L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, you probably already know what's coming: A ragtag group of new friends experiences all manner of traumas while trying to protect a pair of heels, and then learn that the power to change their terrifying surroundings was inside them all along. See production, box office & company info, World Trade Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. Scorsese? A run-in with a roller coaster. He even breaks free from the sculpture in a way that might make you think of another part of Ghostbusters, near the end. Watching this scene as a child, as a generation of black kids did, was quite an awakening. This has been adapted from Steve Knoppers MJ: The Genius of Michael Jackson (Scribner). When this movie debuted on CBS, the network trimmed several scenes to fit in a 3 hour block with commercials. I remember having fever dreams that someone was going to steam press me. Alla Nipsey Russell! All Rights Reserved. For Diana Ross, Dorothy's age was adjusted to 24. Strange eh? 23 of 23 found this interesting Interesting? In other words, we're watching prostitutes trying to kill our heroes by making them overdose. It may represent the part in the book where Dorothy and company are pursued by the Kalidahs, a kind of bear-tiger chimera. When The Wiz began filming in New York, the 27-year-old producer moved Michael and La Toya into a Manhattan apartment, and Michael was on his own for the first time. 1. The other was the Australian Twentieth Century Oz (1976). UNK SEZ: Subway scene, YOU are truly insane but lest we forget, there are many freaky images to withstand in THE WIZ. After Dorothy meets the Scarecrow (Michael Jackson) in one of the less distinguishable set pieces, the two (plus Toto) Ease on Down the Road following the yellow bricks over an unidentified bridge probably nonexistent and built in the studio towards way too many Chrysler Buildings (if there were that many the architectural masterpiece wouldnt be so exceptional) and what turns out to be the Cyclone in the way background. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. It's full of big swings, wild interpretations, and deranged set pieces (still having nightmares about the subway scene). 3. He is also the author of Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America, a memoir-in-essays. call me names." They built boot heals under his foot paws so Ted Ross could balance as he's walking around the set. There are so many liminal scenes within The Wiz! The thing that is best about them, though, is just how much they love us. The usually exuberant Lumet became despondenta quality that came out distinctively in the film, recalls production designer Tony Walton. For their original book counterparts, click here. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from thestaff@tvtropes.org. And Diana Ross wears the same simple white frock for the entire film and projects a wide-eyed innocence that kind of grows on you. R. Eric Thomas is a columnist for ELLE.com, where he skewers politics, pop culture, celebrity shade, and schadenfreude. Joel Schumacher's script for The Wiz was influenced by Werner Erhard's teachings and his Erhard Seminars Training ("est") movement, as both Schumacher and Diana Ross were proponents. Fitzstephens, Jack Music Editor & Guru. With that said, it is essential to realize that often we feel as if we are inferior to others who may have more information on topics, be more interested in various things or seem to be more serious than we are. I wasn't complaining then and I'm not complaining now. 1978 Preview 1 Main Title (Overture) [Pt. The Tin Man says that he was once made of flesh and blood, but a spell turned him into the man of tin that he is now. I will be sharing them with you, to hopefully create a sense of comfort and happiness in times that you are seeking courage, feeling a bit silly or simply needing to take a trip home. In case you cant tell, the NYPL building is not actually employed for this scene, which would have been too difficult to manage. An adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz" that tries to capture the essence of the African-American experience. The Snow Babies in all of the closeup shots were related to the stars of the movie. 3. The movie has great moments and a lot of life, sensational special effects and costumes, and Ross, Jackson, and Russell. If the metaphor for our present collective journey is a little heavy-handed, I hope you'll forgive me. Best remembered for its role in Ghostbusters, this building is known for its stone lions adorning the front steps. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. . The New York State Pavilion from the 1964 New York World's Fair was used as the set for Munchkinland. The director who signed on, after a number of false starts, was Sidney Lumet, who had collaborated with a young Al Pacino on Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico. They happily oblige when we pick up their front paws and force them to dance with us around the house. Lastly, Dorothy is taken from her home and must find her way back with the help of some new friends. Stephanie Mills, who starred in the Broadway production, was the top choice to play Dorothy in the movie before Diana Ross lobbied for the role. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Building. Also, the trash cans and support column walls attack,too. Cohen mollified Joe by offering roughly $100,000 for Michael to play the Scarecrow. A reimagining of L. Frank Baum 's classic 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz featuring an all African-American cast, the film was adapted from the 1974 Broadway musical of the same title. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/NightmareFuel/TheWiz. However, Diana Ross lobbied intensely for the role. The Wiz is a 1978 American musical adventure fantasy film directed by Sidney Lumet. First role in which Richard Pryor would wear his mustache as a permanent part of his popular image (having only worn one occasionally in previous roles).. Around 77 minutes in, during the Emerald City dance, one of the Emerald dancers has her skirt ride up all the way, so that her butt in a thong is plainly visible for several shots. Lumet stocked The Wiz with top-tier African-American talentRoss, Richard Pryor, Lena Horne. The Tornado Ballet has a frightened Dorothy get flung through the air while storm clouds, lightning, and funnels appear in the background. And it had Michael Jackson, a year before he would start his solo career with immortal dance hits such as Dont Stop Til You Get Enough and Off the Wall. But The Wiz was most important for what happened behind the scenesveteran producer Quincy Jones, Lumets longtime film-score colleague, was musical director, and he met his future Thriller collaborator MJ by correctly pronouncing Socrates to the young singer on set.

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