I know I probably don’t represent your core audience. But as a 40+year old black man, I really appreciate you doing this episode. I hope it may inspire some people to check out this fun movie that was a staple of my childhood. Great job minty!!!
Markos I have a vague memory of The Wiz and I love the level of talent, white and black, that is literally all pumping through it. And you are welcome here as anyone else. Peace and love to you.
My mom worked in the Wall Street area at the time The Wiz was filmed and she saw this scene being filmed. I will never forget when she came home to tell me and my brother about this.
And the song that played in that scene was also sampled and used to make the BGM for the King George Island stage in Tekken, then reused for the Taj Mahal stage in Tekken 2.
i was just thinking this! id love to see it in 4k, i know it’s ridiculous but that like late 70’s haze distracts me somethings. it’s probably the specific emulsion on the film of that era but still.
I was three when this movie came out. It was an escape. It was visually stunning. I was mesmerized. My number one favorite movie of all time. As a Black woman (at the time a young girl) to see an all Black cast was mind blowing. Actual representation of us. Our talent fully shown. It will always hold a special place in my heart. I appreciate the time you took to put this together. It deserves ALL the praises 💛
I was 5 or 6 years old when this movie came out but didn’t see it until the end of 1978. What do I remember the most? The music 🎵🎼🎶!! The music stood out in my head and the visual effects were stunning and bedazzling!! I couldn’t get “Ease on Down the Road” “If I Could Feel” “[Don’t You Bring Me] No Bad News” and my personal favorite “The Crow Anthem” out of my head!! It started me on a journey of having music be important in my life and wanting to sing. I don’t sing professionally, but I have an ear for music 🎶🎼🎵! May the ones we lost in this movie and countless others RIH forever 🌹🌷🪷💐🌼🌸❤️❤️!!
@@rayshawnapoole4050 . Wow yeah it was kinda creepy and Ms.Ross sceen freak me out, but overall it was a Great Film it aged like Wine and now it's a Classic. 👏👏👏👏⭐⭐⭐⭐
I met Nipsy Russel years ago in Atlanta. An awesome man. he used to work at The Varsity there. The entire cast is nothing but talent. Thank you for this, Minty.
@@AJ17_ I am also a fan of Nipsy Russell’s work. His voice was especially unique. I most emember him from Match Game and Hollywood Squares and liked his role as the principal in Wildcats.
"what went wrong?" It was an all black retelling of the Wizard of Oz in the 1970's, it's amazing it got made at all, pretty much guaranteed the critics were going to smash it. This movie is a masterpiece.. the cast, the music, the sets... it seamlessly weaves 1970's inner city into the existing fairy tale and gives an entire underrepresented segment of society something that reflected their lives, and it does it with respect and hope. The detail is outstanding and I notice new things every time I've seen it. It's wonderful.
Wow, I tell youngins that every time The Wiz happens to come up. I told a young college girl such in a record store dampening her spirits letting her know all the major characters were now dead sans Ross.
Yes, of all the PRINCIPAL cast, Diana Ross is the only surviving member, then again, it is a 43 years-old movie. Nobody knows how the wheels of life will turn.
Honestly everything in that subway scene that kept coming alive and trying to scare/hurt/kill Dorothy is worthy of being turned into a horror survival video game because it was pretty freakish and scary.
Easily one of my top 5 movies of all time. I didn't grow up on the Broadway show, but this movie was right in that spot (I was born in 74) to not only scare the hell out of me, but also gave me some true moments of inspritation with its design. It's INSANE how much detail is in this movie. I will cry every time I watch it. I just wish we'd get a good 2 hour doscumentary about it, with interviews. Thanks for the vid.
I'm surprised Minty didn't mention The Wiz's connection to Village People. Original lead singer Victor Willis was in the Broadway production before VP, and his 1979 replacement, Ray Simpson, was one of the crows in the movie
That's an awesome piece of trivia. Thanks for sharing. I was a high school senior in '78 & a dyed-in-the-wool "Disco Sucks" rock 'n' roller. But even I and all my R 'n' R weed & beer saturated buddies agreed "The Peoples" were cool as f*ck. I always quote: "WHAT AM I GONNA DO IN A SUBMARINE?" ⁉️🤩❤️👍 Seriously and sincerely, thank you again. Be safe & have a great weekend. 😃
Saying The Wiz has its flaws may please those who cling to the play or the original Wizard of Oz, but truth is it's one of the best movies ever made. The grit of Ross alone helps to make the movie realistic. Again, it's not the Wizard of Oz. It's not a remake and not the play. The Wiz is a brilliant star-studded tribute to a culture and movement that gets overlooked by pale comparisons. I hope more people see and enjoy this iconic masterpiece. It is an evolution of sound, messaging, and well ahead of its time. Whenever something flops at the box office people and critics run from it and are quick to judge, but as stated in several of the comments, for those of us blessed to see and grow up with this film, there is nothing like The Wiz. It is its own movie, story, music, flavor, filled with life lessons and love. This movie didn't ruin Diana Ross' career it defined it. It cemented Quincy Jones as a legend and spring-boarded the second half Micheal Jackson's career, ultimately ending as the greatest entertainer to ever live. - Music is music, plays are plays, movies are movies. This was a message to all willing to receive it. Never let the message get lost for the sake of criticism. Nothing but love for all involved in this timeless classic.
I agree with you it was a wonderful movie but for those of us that saw the play with Stephanie Mills hoped she was placed in the movie. She was so talented and it would have really boosted her career. We hoped Diana would have helped a young girl along whereas Diana was well establish with 3 or 4 movies to her credit already. All I all it was a fabulous movie.
Haha...I also got in trouble in the movie theater because I laughed my ass off when Evillene started melting and disappeared into that giant toilet! I still crack up at that scene even today...
This movie and its soundtrack was my life as a kid. I have the LP soundtrack, VHS, and DVD. It’s on demand now, so I’m happy. I did not, however, know of Quincy Jones displeasure with the movie, especially since he produced the music, and was the piano player in the gold segment of the Emerald City scene
The Emerald City scene was very important to see at the time. A city of very chic Black people strutting their stuff looking incredible. It was sure windy that night they shot that scene. Props to all those dancers freezing their asses off.
The first time I saw the wiz, was at a slumber party when I was around 9 or 10 years old. We had stayed up super late giggling and what not, and it was like 3am, and a local broadcast station played it. We were all fascinated by it and actually thought at first we had some kind of shared dream, and there was no way it was a real movie. The parking garage scene scared me a bit though. I remember trying to describe this movie to my mom because I wanted to see it again, while awake. Thankfully all it took was saying "Michael Jackson was the scarecrow!" and she knew what it was and bought me the soundtrack shortly after. In the early 90s, I was a huge Jackson fan, so that probably lent a lot to my immediate liking of the movie. Took us a bit to find a rental of it, but it was fun watching it with my mom, who loved musicals and apparently already had most of the songs memorized.
Besides the stars you mentioned The Wiz also had other legends like Lena Horne, Mable King, and Nipsey Russel... did anyone remember that Luther Vandross also had a hand in writing some songs with vocal production: "A Brand New Day". With so much star power in the film most people would have thought that the film would have been better, but besides some scenes running a bit too long, I do love most of the songs and Diana really sung her best. In the liner notes from the 1978 album Quincy Jones was surprised that Ross was able to hit those notes and said she was super professional in her sessions especially with the one take "Home" song. I also love a lot of the sets although some could look a bit campy, it did reflect the style of the movie and as a kid I saw when I was 6, never scared me but I'm also a fan of horror movies so there's that lol
This is officially my favorite Minty Video! I love Michael Jackson and this is the first version of The Wizard of Oz that I learned about as a little girl! 🤩👸🏾💖
My 6th grade music teacher loved this movie so much she took students to see it in a theater in another town, because I lived in a small town that didn't have it in our theater. She made us learn and sing all the songs everyday in class til the end of the school year.
Love this one! You can see Minty put a lot of his heart in this video! I was in 5th grade when this hit the scene so it will always have a special place in my heart!
I've always wondered how Stephanie Mills felt about Diana Ross edging her out of the movie version of Dorothy. While it wasn't commonplace for Broadway actors to be used in the cinematic telling of the story, I'm sure Ms. Mills knew she was a shoe-in if not for Ms. Ross' campaigning. Also interesting to note that even though The Wiz's version of Dorothy is supposed to be older, Diana Ross tries to play the character more in the childlike, Old Hollywood innocence style of Judy Garland's Dorothy instead of the more modern take The Wiz was going for. I think that's where a lot of the "neurotic" notes stem from.
@@thewizboy Um, okay keyboard warrior. I know you're practically foaming at the mouth to prove your point here, but relax. The Wiz isn't the first & only Hollywood film to have years of rampant speculation based on limited (or flat out wrong) public knowledge. It's been long rumored that Diana Ross edged out Stephanie Mills for the role of Dorothy. I didn't make that up myself as evident by the information presented at the 4:00 mark. So apparently Minty got the same memo myself & generations of 'Wiz' fans got. I mean, if you have evidence to the contrary, we're all ears. I know the Internet's m.o. is to 1up or feel you got the drop on somebody, but believe me, it's so not necessary. We're all fans here.
@@thewizboy I disagree. If you listen to Questlove podcast he did an episode with Stephanie Mills. In the episode Mills talks about how she wanted to play Dorthy but she couldn’t win against Diana.
Diana Ross saw the stage play. She actually talked to auntie Stephanie Mills. She told her she wanted to play Dorothy in the movie. She didn’t have to work hard for that role, she was in a relationship with Quincy Jones.
@@auntieMaine Diana Ross never dated Quincy Jones. And the stage play was several years before the film. Long before Miss Ross herself actually knew that she would want to play Dorothy. People pleeease stop making false rumors without facts to back it up geez
Thanks Minty this was wonderful. This was a staple in African American homes particularly during the holidays when they would play it on TV. I loved it and it reminds me of good times. We did think that Stephanie Mills should've been Dorthy though. Great work.
This was a movie that my family would always watch when it came on KTLA channel 5. It was a family favorite. Ease on down the road was a song we would sing on family trips. It makes me smile just thinking about it. Thank you for giving me a smile today 😁
I am so happy you did this! A couple months back I was going to ask you to do it, but I wasn’t sure you would do it. This is literally my favorite movie of all time. Thank you ❤️
Very interesting (if very flawed) retrospective. "You Can't Win" was NOT written for the movie and was NOT written by Quincy Jones. It was written by Charlie Smalls (who wrote the Broadway score for The Wiz) and it originally appeared in the pre-Broadway tryout version of the show, sung by the Winkies (the Wicked Witch's slaves) just prior to her melting. It was recycled into the movie version for Michael Jackson (and again into the 2015 TV version). Also... The 1939 movie was NOT a "box office disaster". It was a huge hit, yet it failed to recoup its initial cost (of $2.7 million) until its re-release a decade later -- and this was because with such a child-friendly movie, a large percentage of ticket receipts (admission prices were substantially lower for kids) were less than they would have been otherwise. Lastly, "Oz the Great and Powerful" was not "trashed by the critics". It was well-receivied, but it wasn't the hit that they had hoped. "Trashed by the critics" is a gross overstatement!
@@ericbgordon1575 He recently did The Wizard of Oz and made a joke about Toto's Africa. Maybe he will do a video on Dune next since Toto did the whole soundtrack.
I was 11 when this was out. It came to our local cable shortly after release and was shown often. I remember this well. I grew up in a city as well, so this resonated.
Russell, Ted Ross, and Jackson were very well cast. I love watching their performances. My favorite number from the movie is "He's the Wiz". I particularly like the cut back to the main theme at the Hula-Hoop bit.
Haha...it would have combined two of my favorite movies from childhood. The circle would have been complete if they found a way to add something in there from the original Star Wars movie...
I remember seeing this as a kid (I was 15) and I really loved it. I knew Nipsy Russel from game shows like Match Game and Celebrity Sweepstakes and of course Michael from the Jackson 5. Seems like every film that I have seen that the critics hated, I have loved and this is no exception. I thought it was a cool film and recently found it on DVD so now I can watch it whenever I want! Thanks for this and the Toto jokes!!
I saw the wiz in 1998 with my family and after that I was hooked. Just like you the lions song is my theme song along with 2 you mentioned!!!!!! That’s my jam. Wonderful video mate
The year this movie was released, I think I was either 9 or 10 years old. I remember when my Mom took us to the movies to go see this. My father had just died, and it was just my brother and I. It was epic. I know all of the songs by heart and the “philosophy” you speak of helped to mold me. I loved everything about this movie and I think Diana was iconic. All of them, hold such a big place in my heart. For as long as I live, this movie is in my top 5, and my number 1, with Imitation of Life right behind it. I appreciate your commentary, overall.
So glad Minty did a recap/review of this movie. I remember being the only kid in my elementary class in the mid 80s who saw this movie. In fact, none of the kids in my Cincinnati neighborhood knew about the Wiz but i had to school them! The Wiz was filled with an awesome cast of legends in front and behind the camera. Clearly, the critics gave bias reviews because they did not understand the premise and compared it to the 1930s version. The Wiz was fun, friendly, musically satisfying and visually stunning for everyone to watch at least once or five times! Don't get me started on the Emerald City color change scene 💚❤️💛
I seen the wiz before i seen the wizard of oz. I think Diana did great... very relatable to Adult life now. sometimes you get stuck in this emotionless state of not knowing what to do or where to go next. But by the end of the movie you can tell she actually found herself.
Ross being 33 was too old to be Dorothy? I think NOT, Mr. Gordy, I still LOVE being Dorothy at Halloween;) She brought it with the angle of being a kindergarten teacher with the way she interacted with the other characters, especially Scarecrow:) Michael would've made a great Dorothy since he was already a lot LIKE her in real life, especially if his siblings had played all of the other characters, call him Donnie or something;) I LOVE 'Brand New Day', right up there with 'You Can't Stop the Beat'!! I remember when I was little, sometime in the early 90s, I saw it at my grandma's house and got SO UPSET when I thought Toto was thrown in the furnace, that messed me up for a while...made me REALLY overprotective of our pets... I really liked the NBC live show, Scarecrow was Seaweed from Hairspray and I ADORE him ("Run and Tell That"!!) and Dorothy was awesome, plus Queen Latifah as The Wiz;) Motormouth Maybelle is actually The Wiz, VERY fitting:)
This was one of my favourite films as a kid in the early 80s. Saw it on tv and instantly fell in love with it, and remains one of my favourite top 5 musical films of all time.
Great Great Episode. Born in 81’, this movie was watched soooooo much as a kid. Subway scene scared the sh*t outta me, almost more than any 80s Slasher film lol. And the Emerald City Sequence was A++++, but I bet it was crazy chaotic when filming.
This is my absolute favorite movie of all time, as a 41-year-old black woman I saw THE WIZ even before I saw the i saw THE WIZARD OF OZ. ❤ THANKS FOR THIS VIDEO❤
The whole soundtrack honestly, so hard to decide... Ending theme, Home by Diana Ross. She couldn't blow like Lena Horne, but she put every inch of her soul in that song. Her uncontrollable trail of tears is a testament to how some songs just hit different.
Thank you for reviewing the movie, and all of your accurate references - I grew up with the play and soundtrack, so this venture has been a part of my childhood.
I love this movie. Especially the Emerald City scene, and Miss Lena Horne. That song is a anthem to lift your spirits if ever there was one. Thanks for your video!
Now that you've done both the Wiz, & The Wizard of Oz, do Journey Back to Oz. The often forgotten & ignored, 1974 Filmation animated Oz film. I loved it, as a child. For real though, I'm thrilled to see the Wiz receiving so much love, on here!!
Thanks so much for this in depth retrospective review on The Wiz... growing up I was a huge fan of Oz movies and The Wiz always held a special part in my mind mainly due to Diana Ross and Michael Jackson vocal performances. What's odd is that this movie is not from a super old era yet there are not many documentaries or reviews for this now cult classic.. so thanks for the awesome vid!
I saw the film in 1975, when I was in college in Mexico. I didn't really know what the theme was, but being a music lover, I was pleasantly surprised with all the songs and dances. I am a fan of the movie and I don't think many people in my country had the interest to see it at that time. Greetings from Mexico City.
Another Oz film I have love and cherish. The soundtrack is wonderful, the cast is wonderful, the make up and effects are amazing! I love the style and look of this version. It goes for something different as each Oz adaptation does and tells a different story!
I first saw The Wiz on a pay per view cable channel back in the late 70's/early 80's (I can't quite remember. lol) and I loved it. I enjoyed the fact that it took place in an alternate NYC universe and I thought the make up effects for the characters was inspired and incredibly creative. I enjoyed the movie thoroughly. 👍
I was so jazzed about this one, I literally commented on your last one about this!! I own this one on DVD!! I mean I love The Wizard of Oz, but The Wiz was always the one I got excited about when I was a kid.
I find it funny that Ross was considered to old for the role and she had to fight for the role, but later after the movie came out she agreed that she was to old for the part. I think that she was old and I would have loved to see the original actress in the role
From my perspective, I have to say I don't recall even once when watching The Wiz, either back when it came out, or last year when I re-watched it, thinking to myself that Dianna was "too old" for the role. Was it a bit crappy of her to muscle-out the stage actress? Yeah leaning toward that, but welcome to the Real World where it's more about WHO you know than WHAT you know. In other words, I found it fascinating that her age even caused someone to leave the production, because it was never an issue for me.
@@CurtBrown420 but she later said that she was to old for the role and should not have been cast. I know she wanted to role and got it but I don’t think she was right for the role I loved the live action one it was great and true to the broadway show
I loved the wiz as a kid. First time I saw it was right after I saw wizard of oz for the first time as a child. As a 30 something white male, I thoroughly enjoyed the wiz as a kid and 30 years later I showed it to my kids. Great movie, not enough love.
I was about 6 or 7 when I seen it, and it kind of scared me also, but couldn't unglue myself from watching it. I went to school talking about it to other kids and they didn't know what I was talking about and never heard of it. For some reason even as a boy I new I seen something very special and never forgot the movie!
I agree the lion scene was maglorious, but so is all the rest. I bought the album at 20, and been singing it since. You are spot on in every way. Good video, keep up the great work.
Lena Horne as The Good Witch was brilliant casting. Ted Ross, in full Lion costume, visited some real lions at a zoo. The big male lion was a little taken aback.
I know I probably don’t represent your core audience. But as a 40+year old black man, I really appreciate you doing this episode. I hope it may inspire some people to check out this fun movie that was a staple of my childhood. Great job minty!!!
Markos I have a vague memory of The Wiz and I love the level of talent, white and black, that is literally all pumping through it. And you are welcome here as anyone else. Peace and love to you.
@@davidaston5773 thanks brother. I appreciate that...
It's my favorite movie it's the 1st 1 I've ever seen when MJ died I purchased it and sang all the songs while crying it's a classic 4 us
@@markosclark You're welcome. Peace.
Minty doesn't have a core audience, the www is his stage and everyone is invited I thought. Peace.
The Emerald city performance was actually filmed between the twin towers. They had to film it at night when it was closed. Epic dance scene!
I would have loved to have been there to see the taping.
That’s my favorite scene in the movie
@@intheclear3492 Mines too....So Chic, Sleek & Fashionable!🖤👈🏾
My mom worked in the Wall Street area at the time The Wiz was filmed and she saw this scene being filmed. I will never forget when she came home to tell me and my brother about this.
And the song that played in that scene was also sampled and used to make the BGM for the King George Island stage in Tekken, then reused for the Taj Mahal stage in Tekken 2.
I think The Wiz is due for a 4k blu-ray release. Such an adorable movie!
Hopefully a 4K release would brighten up the visuals.
@@wstine79 A 4K with Dolby Vision HDR restoration like the original Wizard of Oz would be fantasticl!
Agreed!!!
I just wished that Sidney Lumet had lived just a bit longer to have recorded a commentary track! Peace.
i was just thinking this! id love to see it in 4k, i know it’s ridiculous but that like late 70’s haze distracts me somethings. it’s probably the specific emulsion on the film of that era but still.
I was three when this movie came out. It was an escape. It was visually stunning. I was mesmerized. My number one favorite movie of all time. As a Black woman (at the time a young girl) to see an all Black cast was mind blowing. Actual representation of us. Our talent fully shown. It will always hold a special place in my heart. I appreciate the time you took to put this together. It deserves ALL the praises 💛
Tiffany your comment was bomb😳💯
I was 5 or 6 years old when this movie came out but didn’t see it until the end of 1978. What do I remember the most? The music 🎵🎼🎶!! The music stood out in my head and the visual effects were stunning and bedazzling!! I couldn’t get “Ease on Down the Road” “If I Could Feel” “[Don’t You Bring Me] No Bad News” and my personal favorite “The Crow Anthem” out of my head!! It started me on a journey of having music be important in my life and wanting to sing. I don’t sing professionally, but I have an ear for music 🎶🎼🎵! May the ones we lost in this movie and countless others RIH forever 🌹🌷🪷💐🌼🌸❤️❤️!!
"Too silly for adults and too scary for children". My favourite place.
That basically describes my personality.
Yes
RETURN TO OZ
This is my absolute most favorite movie of all time, but as a kid that scene on the subway scared the hell out of me lol
@@rayshawnapoole4050 . Wow yeah it was kinda creepy and Ms.Ross sceen freak me out, but overall it was a Great Film it aged like Wine and now it's a Classic. 👏👏👏👏⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Toto just wants to hold the line, cuz love isn't always on time."
Epic, Minty, just Epic.
I heard a rimshot after he said this
Toto...Africa...All African American cast. My mind is blown
I was listening to this at work and went "PFFFF*snort*" out loud after that line. Luckily, nobody was around me 😂
Yeah he got me there. Tickled!
@@henryvargas653 Same. I scared my cat I snickered so loud.
I met Nipsy Russel years ago in Atlanta. An awesome man. he used to work at The Varsity there. The entire cast is nothing but talent. Thank you for this, Minty.
Oh I'm jealous! I 've been a fan of his since I was a kid. I remember seeing him on game shows in the late 70s and he was always so funny.
@@AJ17_
I am also a fan of Nipsy Russell’s work. His voice was especially unique. I most emember him from Match Game and Hollywood Squares and liked his role as the principal in Wildcats.
thanks for sharing that
I live a few blocks from The Varsity. I remember when he worked there.
Wow did he work at the main varsity or the junior varsity ( now gone and replaced by a storage facility) .
"what went wrong?" It was an all black retelling of the Wizard of Oz in the 1970's, it's amazing it got made at all, pretty much guaranteed the critics were going to smash it. This movie is a masterpiece.. the cast, the music, the sets... it seamlessly weaves 1970's inner city into the existing fairy tale and gives an entire underrepresented segment of society something that reflected their lives, and it does it with respect and hope. The detail is outstanding and I notice new things every time I've seen it. It's wonderful.
@@sylvesterwest5991 yes I agree with you
@@polly8844 I enjoyed the film. But, Ross was too old to play Dorothy.
@@ericponce8740 if you saw the play in 1970s looking at Dianna in the film was laughable.
@@ericponce8740 If Stephanie Mills had a play to roll it would have been horrible 👎🤣🤣
We're lucky Diana was even interested.
I love both. But The wiz is fire.
A very sad fact, out of all the principle cast, Diana Ross is the last surviving member.
Oh wow, that's true !
That is kinda sad and scary☹ You Should bring them all back with the Lazarus Pit.
Wow, I tell youngins that every time The Wiz happens to come up. I told a young college girl such in a record store dampening her spirits letting her know all the major characters were now dead sans Ross.
Yes, of all the PRINCIPAL cast, Diana Ross is the only surviving member, then again, it is a 43 years-old movie. Nobody knows how the wheels of life will turn.
Way to ruin a happy joyful moment.
I love Stan Winston's makeup effects on the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion.
The Wiz is a classic in my book.
It is.
As a kid, those giant, shaking dolls with the smiles on their faces in the subway scene scared the living hell outta me. 😱
Glad I'm not the only one.
Honestly everything in that subway scene that kept coming alive and trying to scare/hurt/kill Dorothy is worthy of being turned into a horror survival video game because it was pretty freakish and scary.
Me too and the grifitti scene too I was scared of Evilene and the flying monkeys Mrs wyann was my favorite
Easily one of my top 5 movies of all time. I didn't grow up on the Broadway show, but this movie was right in that spot (I was born in 74) to not only scare the hell out of me, but also gave me some true moments of inspritation with its design. It's INSANE how much detail is in this movie. I will cry every time I watch it. I just wish we'd get a good 2 hour doscumentary about it, with interviews. Thanks for the vid.
My favorite song from the movie is If I could feel by the tin man Nipsy Russell. I like the way he delivered it. It was very emotional ironically!
Sooooooo good
💯
My fave character! In all the wizard of oz's..
Yes baby when them ladies sing the background I can’t help but jump in the harmony too
RIP Richard Pryor and Michael Jackson
Ted Ross, Nipsy Russel, Lena Horne, Mabel King... the list goes on ❤️🙏🏾
Sidney Lumet too. The director.
@@taotaostrong Mabel King is AWESOME.
Compare this movie to "The Jerk" and we see the woman had range!
@@auldthymer She is awesome! I also found her to be quite beautiful. Her skin never aged!
And Nipsey Russell!!!!!!!!!
I appreciate this so much. It's so rare to find anything on The Wiz and it's such a staple of Black culture. Beautifully done. Thank you, Minty! 💗🥰
Stephanie Mills would've been an amazing Dorothy in this
I'm surprised Minty didn't mention The Wiz's connection to Village People. Original lead singer Victor Willis was in the Broadway production before VP, and his 1979 replacement, Ray Simpson, was one of the crows in the movie
I didn't know!
That's an awesome piece of trivia. Thanks for sharing. I was a high school senior in '78 & a dyed-in-the-wool "Disco Sucks" rock 'n' roller. But even I and all my R 'n' R weed & beer saturated buddies agreed "The Peoples" were cool as f*ck. I always quote: "WHAT AM I GONNA DO IN A SUBMARINE?" ⁉️🤩❤️👍
Seriously and sincerely, thank you again. Be safe & have a great weekend. 😃
Saying The Wiz has its flaws may please those who cling to the play or the original Wizard of Oz, but truth is it's one of the best movies ever made. The grit of Ross alone helps to make the movie realistic. Again, it's not the Wizard of Oz. It's not a remake and not the play. The Wiz is a brilliant star-studded tribute to a culture and movement that gets overlooked by pale comparisons. I hope more people see and enjoy this iconic masterpiece. It is an evolution of sound, messaging, and well ahead of its time. Whenever something flops at the box office people and critics run from it and are quick to judge, but as stated in several of the comments, for those of us blessed to see and grow up with this film, there is nothing like The Wiz. It is its own movie, story, music, flavor, filled with life lessons and love. This movie didn't ruin Diana Ross' career it defined it. It cemented Quincy Jones as a legend and spring-boarded the second half Micheal Jackson's career, ultimately ending as the greatest entertainer to ever live. - Music is music, plays are plays, movies are movies. This was a message to all willing to receive it. Never let the message get lost for the sake of criticism. Nothing but love for all involved in this timeless classic.
❤❤👏🏾👏🏾
I agree with you it was a wonderful movie but for those of us that saw the play with Stephanie Mills hoped she was placed in the movie. She was so talented and it would have really boosted her career. We hoped Diana would have helped a young girl along whereas Diana was well establish with 3 or 4 movies to her credit already. All I all it was a fabulous movie.
I got in trouble when I was a young kid back in the 70s. I jumped up on the table in school and started singing Ease on Down the Road.
Haha...I also got in trouble in the movie theater because I laughed my ass off when Evillene started melting and disappeared into that giant toilet! I still crack up at that scene even today...
@@NativeNYker73 nice one.
Lol
🗣YOU BETTER GO BOY! I would of been ya hype person!
👏🏼👏🏼The Wiz was an integral part of my childhood! ❤️
Imagining a world before “Off the Wall” and “Thriller” is almost impossible to do! Wow!
As soon as I saw this I couldn't help but start singing "ease on down the road"
This was "OUR" wizard of oz. Thanks for this video
I love the big dance scene with the different hued backgrounds.
Nipsey Russell played the Tin Man. Always loved his wit and poetry...
This movie and its soundtrack was my life as a kid. I have the LP soundtrack, VHS, and DVD. It’s on demand now, so I’m happy. I did not, however, know of Quincy Jones displeasure with the movie, especially since he produced the music, and was the piano player in the gold segment of the Emerald City scene
The Emerald City scene was very important to see at the time. A city of very chic Black people strutting their stuff looking incredible. It was sure windy that night they shot that scene. Props to all those dancers freezing their asses off.
This is a very underrated Musical...The cast killed this movie...
You mean, like, their performances were spot on perfect or something?
@@thefantasticretroreviewer3941 exactly. Its an American expression.
@@TheConnonedrum Okay.
Anndd..the cast is almost dead by now😕
@@vinny_the_kidd I know Micheal Jackson is.
I wonder what the others are doing?
Love this movie and soundtrack!!!!!
The sountrack is really great !!
The first time I saw the wiz, was at a slumber party when I was around 9 or 10 years old. We had stayed up super late giggling and what not, and it was like 3am, and a local broadcast station played it. We were all fascinated by it and actually thought at first we had some kind of shared dream, and there was no way it was a real movie. The parking garage scene scared me a bit though. I remember trying to describe this movie to my mom because I wanted to see it again, while awake. Thankfully all it took was saying "Michael Jackson was the scarecrow!" and she knew what it was and bought me the soundtrack shortly after. In the early 90s, I was a huge Jackson fan, so that probably lent a lot to my immediate liking of the movie. Took us a bit to find a rental of it, but it was fun watching it with my mom, who loved musicals and apparently already had most of the songs memorized.
Besides the stars you mentioned The Wiz also had other legends like Lena Horne, Mable King, and Nipsey Russel... did anyone remember that Luther Vandross also had a hand in writing some songs with vocal production: "A Brand New Day". With so much star power in the film most people would have thought that the film would have been better, but besides some scenes running a bit too long, I do love most of the songs and Diana really sung her best. In the liner notes from the 1978 album Quincy Jones was surprised that Ross was able to hit those notes and said she was super professional in her sessions especially with the one take "Home" song. I also love a lot of the sets although some could look a bit campy, it did reflect the style of the movie and as a kid I saw when I was 6, never scared me but I'm also a fan of horror movies so there's that lol
This was very underrated. I've never been a fan of musicals, but I enjoyed this one as a kid.
Thanks for doing the black version as well sir 🙌🏽😁
Michael Jackson was nominated best actor in the film
This is officially my favorite Minty Video! I love Michael Jackson and this is the first version of The Wizard of Oz that I learned about as a little girl! 🤩👸🏾💖
My 6th grade music teacher loved this movie so much she took students to see it in a theater in another town, because I lived in a small town that didn't have it in our theater. She made us learn and sing all the songs everyday in class til the end of the school year.
That's awesome
Love this one! You can see Minty put a lot of his heart in this video!
I was in 5th grade when this hit the scene so it will always have a special place in my heart!
What about 10 things about minty? Or "o brother where art thou?"
Oh Brother Where Art Though is an amazing movie. I would also like to see the back stories to that movie. Great idea 👍
Quincy Jones is truly a musical genius! Thanks so much for doing this one...
I've always wondered how Stephanie Mills felt about Diana Ross edging her out of the movie version of Dorothy. While it wasn't commonplace for Broadway actors to be used in the cinematic telling of the story, I'm sure Ms. Mills knew she was a shoe-in if not for Ms. Ross' campaigning.
Also interesting to note that even though The Wiz's version of Dorothy is supposed to be older, Diana Ross tries to play the character more in the childlike, Old Hollywood innocence style of Judy Garland's Dorothy instead of the more modern take The Wiz was going for. I think that's where a lot of the "neurotic" notes stem from.
@@thewizboy Um, okay keyboard warrior. I know you're practically foaming at the mouth to prove your point here, but relax.
The Wiz isn't the first & only Hollywood film to have years of rampant speculation based on limited (or flat out wrong) public knowledge. It's been long rumored that Diana Ross edged out Stephanie Mills for the role of Dorothy. I didn't make that up myself as evident by the information presented at the 4:00 mark. So apparently Minty got the same memo myself & generations of 'Wiz' fans got.
I mean, if you have evidence to the contrary, we're all ears. I know the Internet's m.o. is to 1up or feel you got the drop on somebody, but believe me, it's so not necessary. We're all fans here.
@@thewizboy I disagree. If you listen to Questlove podcast he did an episode with Stephanie Mills. In the episode Mills talks about how she wanted to play Dorthy but she couldn’t win against Diana.
Diana Ross saw the stage play. She actually talked to auntie Stephanie Mills. She told her she wanted to play Dorothy in the movie. She didn’t have to work hard for that role, she was in a relationship with Quincy Jones.
@@auntieMaine Diana Ross never dated Quincy Jones. And the stage play was several years before the film. Long before Miss Ross herself actually knew that she would want to play Dorothy. People pleeease stop making false rumors without facts to back it up geez
Woooooooow.......it's amazing that if you're sleeping with your boss you can be casted as a child even if you're 33 years old.
So awesome and very underrated! Great job Minty! This is a absolute classic and so many levels of excellence!
Thanks Minty this was wonderful. This was a staple in African American homes particularly during the holidays when they would play it on TV. I loved it and it reminds me of good times. We did think that Stephanie Mills should've been Dorthy though. Great work.
This was a movie that my family would always watch when it came on KTLA channel 5. It was a family favorite. Ease on down the road was a song we would sing on family trips. It makes me smile just thinking about it. Thank you for giving me a smile today 😁
🎶🎵NO BODY BEATS THE WIZZZZ NOBODY BEATS THE WIZ🎶🎵
I still can't believe I've seen this on Disney Channel back in the 80s&90s! Man what a throw back!
prove it
@@mildred714 it was back the disney channel was a pay channel i would say better then
It's about dang time you did this movie! This is my 3rd Favorite Movie of All Time! 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁
Woah woah woah... don't leave us hanging... what's your number 1 and number 2?
@@moonscar119 #1 Moonwalker and E.T.
#2 MMPR: The Movie
@@tj112286 you have my approval haha
@@tj112286 I love MMPR The Movie and Moonwalker
I am so happy you did this! A couple months back I was going to ask you to do it, but I wasn’t sure you would do it. This is literally my favorite movie of all time. Thank you ❤️
Saw this as a kid on a school field trip!! It was FANTASTIC!
This movie has always been in my top 10 favorite movies. My favorite scene was the tin man “slide some oil to me”!! I love that 🧡🧡🧡
Very interesting (if very flawed) retrospective. "You Can't Win" was NOT written for the movie and was NOT written by Quincy Jones. It was written by Charlie Smalls (who wrote the Broadway score for The Wiz) and it originally appeared in the pre-Broadway tryout version of the show, sung by the Winkies (the Wicked Witch's slaves) just prior to her melting. It was recycled into the movie version for Michael Jackson (and again into the 2015 TV version).
Also... The 1939 movie was NOT a "box office disaster". It was a huge hit, yet it failed to recoup its initial cost (of $2.7 million) until its re-release a decade later -- and this was because with such a child-friendly movie, a large percentage of ticket receipts (admission prices were substantially lower for kids) were less than they would have been otherwise.
Lastly, "Oz the Great and Powerful" was not "trashed by the critics". It was well-receivied, but it wasn't the hit that they had hoped. "Trashed by the critics" is a gross overstatement!
I'm pretty sure Minty made this video just to make another Toto joke...lol
That's what I said. 🤣
lol
May not have been paying strict attention, but how many did he make before?
@@ericbgordon1575 He recently did The Wizard of Oz and made a joke about Toto's Africa. Maybe he will do a video on Dune next since Toto did the whole soundtrack.
That's what I wanted to read, @@projectmayhem6898, whether I knew it or not.
The Wiz movie was part of my childhood and I've probably watched this movie over 40 times. I simply love it!
This is one of my dads faviorite childhood movies I remember watching it with him when I was younger and being freaked out by the subway scene.
Boing Boing Boing Boing [Puppets slowly turns into monsters]
Even the artwork on the walls were nightmarish - cutouts of skull-like White folk.
I loved this version as a kid, still do. it's dated, but I was 12 and that moment in the time of the '70s, is priceless
I was 11 when this was out. It came to our local cable shortly after release and was shown often.
I remember this well. I grew up in a city as well, so this resonated.
Russell, Ted Ross, and Jackson were very well cast. I love watching their performances. My favorite number from the movie is "He's the Wiz". I particularly like the cut back to the main theme at the Hula-Hoop bit.
Watched this movie, i always thought itd be funny awesome if The Warriors show up at Coney Island
A witch is after you? Come on guys, let’s help her out!
*Warriors advance on the witch, switchblades in hand*
Haha...it would have combined two of my favorite movies from childhood. The circle would have been complete if they found a way to add something in there from the original Star Wars movie...
The soul of this musical is in the songs. What would I do if I could feel...
I love this movie so much. Every scene is great and the song at the end is my favorite 🥰
I don’t think I heard you mention Nipsey Russell’s name once. He was one of the lead actors too.
One of the funniest people ever. Him and Richard Pryor.
I remember seeing this as a kid (I was 15) and I really loved it. I knew Nipsy Russel from game shows like Match Game and Celebrity Sweepstakes and of course Michael from the Jackson 5. Seems like every film that I have seen that the critics hated, I have loved and this is no exception. I thought it was a cool film and recently found it on DVD so now I can watch it whenever I want!
Thanks for this and the Toto jokes!!
They should've had Stephanie Mills she would have been amazing in that roll
I saw the wiz in 1998 with my family and after that I was hooked. Just like you the lions song is my theme song along with 2 you mentioned!!!!!! That’s my jam. Wonderful video mate
The year this movie was released, I think I was either 9 or 10 years old. I remember when my Mom took us to the movies to go see this. My father had just died, and it was just my brother and I. It was epic. I know all of the songs by heart and the “philosophy” you speak of helped to mold me. I loved everything about this movie and I think Diana was iconic. All of them, hold such a big place in my heart. For as long as I live, this movie is in my top 5, and my number 1, with Imitation of Life right behind it.
I appreciate your commentary, overall.
Please do "The Last Dragon"
So glad Minty did a recap/review of this movie. I remember being the only kid in my elementary class in the mid 80s who saw this movie. In fact, none of the kids in my Cincinnati neighborhood knew about the Wiz but i had to school them! The Wiz was filled with an awesome cast of legends in front and behind the camera. Clearly, the critics gave bias reviews because they did not understand the premise and compared it to the 1930s version. The Wiz was fun, friendly, musically satisfying and visually stunning for everyone to watch at least once or five times! Don't get me started on the Emerald City color change scene 💚❤️💛
I seen the wiz before i seen the wizard of oz. I think Diana did great... very relatable to Adult life now. sometimes you get stuck in this emotionless state of not knowing what to do or where to go next. But by the end of the movie you can tell she actually found herself.
Ross being 33 was too old to be Dorothy? I think NOT, Mr. Gordy, I still LOVE being Dorothy at Halloween;) She brought it with the angle of being a kindergarten teacher with the way she interacted with the other characters, especially Scarecrow:) Michael would've made a great Dorothy since he was already a lot LIKE her in real life, especially if his siblings had played all of the other characters, call him Donnie or something;)
I LOVE 'Brand New Day', right up there with 'You Can't Stop the Beat'!! I remember when I was little, sometime in the early 90s, I saw it at my grandma's house and got SO UPSET when I thought Toto was thrown in the furnace, that messed me up for a while...made me REALLY overprotective of our pets...
I really liked the NBC live show, Scarecrow was Seaweed from Hairspray and I ADORE him ("Run and Tell That"!!) and Dorothy was awesome, plus Queen Latifah as The Wiz;) Motormouth Maybelle is actually The Wiz, VERY fitting:)
This was one of my favourite films as a kid in the early 80s. Saw it on tv and instantly fell in love with it, and remains one of my favourite top 5 musical films of all time.
Great Great Episode. Born in 81’, this movie was watched soooooo much as a kid. Subway scene scared the sh*t outta me, almost more than any 80s Slasher film lol. And the Emerald City Sequence was A++++, but I bet it was crazy chaotic when filming.
Yesssssss. Nightmares from the subway scenes 😃
This is my absolute favorite movie of all time, as a 41-year-old black woman I saw THE WIZ even before I saw the i saw THE WIZARD OF OZ. ❤ THANKS FOR THIS VIDEO❤
Which song from The Wiz do you all consider to be the best? For me it's 'You Can't Win'.
Love it!!! I also love “He’s the Wiz”
I don't care if its "preachy" or not, but 'Glinda's Theme" (Believe in Yourself) was a song that needed to be sung.
The whole soundtrack honestly, so hard to decide... Ending theme, Home by Diana Ross. She couldn't blow like Lena Horne, but she put every inch of her soul in that song. Her uncontrollable trail of tears is a testament to how some songs just hit different.
Home. I love them all, but Home gives me goosebumps and tears every single time!
definitely "You can't win"
A Minty video about The WIZ? I'm so happy, I could cry "Tee Na Tee Na Tee Na."
😂🙌🏾
Don’t rust up, or we’ll have to ‘slide some oil’ to ya...
One of your best videos! Much appreciated! Cheers Minty!🍻
I have always loved this film, especially the music due to my Nan having the soundtrack.
The whole cast are legends
@@palaceofwisdom9448 That would have been awesome!
Thank you for reviewing the movie, and all of your accurate references - I grew up with the play and soundtrack, so this venture has been a part of my childhood.
I saw this in the theater with my mom. Thanks for helping bring back the memory!
I still want to see a 10 Things You Didn't Know About Disney's The Love Bug.
I’d like to know things I didn’t know about that. Love bug is a classic
Then almost 20 years later Stan Winston would work with MJ on his long form video Ghosts from 1996
I love this movie. Especially the Emerald City scene, and Miss Lena Horne. That song is a anthem to lift your spirits if ever there was one. Thanks for your video!
Now that you've done both the Wiz, & The Wizard of Oz, do Journey Back to Oz. The often forgotten & ignored, 1974 Filmation animated Oz film. I loved it, as a child. For real though, I'm thrilled to see the Wiz receiving so much love, on here!!
Thanks so much for this in depth retrospective review on The Wiz... growing up I was a huge fan of Oz movies and The Wiz always held a special part in my mind mainly due to Diana Ross and Michael Jackson vocal performances. What's odd is that this movie is not from a super old era yet there are not many documentaries or reviews for this now cult classic.. so thanks for the awesome vid!
We watched this in middle school choir class! 😆 I wondered for the longest time as I got older if I had like, daydreamed this movie
I saw the film in 1975, when I was in college in Mexico. I didn't really know what the theme was, but being a music lover, I was pleasantly surprised with all the songs and dances. I am a fan of the movie and I don't think many people in my country had the interest to see it at that time. Greetings from Mexico City.
I appreciate this review. Brings me back to classic moments of my childhood 💯
Another Oz film I have love and cherish. The soundtrack is wonderful, the cast is wonderful, the make up and effects are amazing! I love the style and look of this version. It goes for something different as each Oz adaptation does and tells a different story!
I literally found this movie at goodwill yesterday.
I got mine in the 5 dollar bin at Walmart. I grabbed it so fast.
@@momolopez7071 yes me as well 😆
I love this production and the soundtrack is amazing. Thank you for doing this, Minty!
I first saw The Wiz on a pay per view cable channel back in the late 70's/early 80's (I can't quite remember. lol) and I loved it. I enjoyed the fact that it took place in an alternate NYC universe and I thought the make up effects for the characters was inspired and incredibly creative. I enjoyed the movie thoroughly. 👍
I was so jazzed about this one, I literally commented on your last one about this!! I own this one on DVD!! I mean I love The Wizard of Oz, but The Wiz was always the one I got excited about when I was a kid.
I find it funny that Ross was considered to old for the role and she had to fight for the role, but later after the movie came out she agreed that she was to old for the part. I think that she was old and I would have loved to see the original actress in the role
From my perspective, I have to say I don't recall even once when watching The Wiz, either back when it came out, or last year when I re-watched it, thinking to myself that Dianna was "too old" for the role. Was it a bit crappy of her to muscle-out the stage actress? Yeah leaning toward that, but welcome to the Real World where it's more about WHO you know than WHAT you know. In other words, I found it fascinating that her age even caused someone to leave the production, because it was never an issue for me.
Stephanie Mills is a much better vocalist, but Ms. Ross was sleeping with Barry Gordy, so...
I'm not a Diana Ross fan so I find this film hard to watch. Great film in general, though.
I never thought she was too old. I just thought she was playing an adult character with issues
@@CurtBrown420 but she later said that she was to old for the role and should not have been cast. I know she wanted to role and got it but I don’t think she was right for the role I loved the live action one it was great and true to the broadway show
U OG!!! for THIS 😆 ANOTHER GR8 video. Much LUV from INGLEWOOOOOOOOOD
I loved the wiz as a kid. First time I saw it was right after I saw wizard of oz for the first time as a child. As a 30 something white male, I thoroughly enjoyed the wiz as a kid and 30 years later I showed it to my kids. Great movie, not enough love.
Well, since you already talked about The Wizard of Oz three times, it's time to go down the rabbit hole and enter the bizarre world of Wonderland !
Minty. As a 43 year old black man, MAJOR props to you for covering the BEST version of the OZ story. My generation follow this movie faithfully!
Diana Ross was gorgeous in this film! She still is!
R.i.p. to the rest of the cast!
The songs in The Wiz are groovy, even the song "Slide Some Oil to Me".
Your profile picture is so damn perfect! 👌🏾 God Bless
@@Cer_Eos Thanks
" you can't win gotta git outta the gameeee"!!
@@johnironz5676 Is that a line from one of the songs?
@@thefantasticretroreviewer3941 yeah it is, the song You Can't Win.
I was 4 when I first saw this. Scared me do much, but the soundtrack 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
I was about 6 or 7 when I seen it, and it kind of scared me also, but couldn't unglue myself from watching it. I went to school talking about it to other kids and they didn't know what I was talking about and never heard of it. For some reason even as a boy I new I seen something very special and never forgot the movie!
I wake up every morning...
with 'No Bad,News' 😊.
I agree the lion scene was maglorious, but so is all the rest. I bought the album at 20, and been singing it since. You are spot on in every way.
Good video, keep up the great work.
Lena Horne as The Good Witch was brilliant casting.
Ted Ross, in full Lion costume, visited some real lions at a zoo. The big male lion was a little taken aback.
I remember this movie. It was the best. All-star cast!