The Wiz is a 1978 feature film released by Universal Pictures and based on the Broadway show of the same name. It starred Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsy Russel, and Ted Ross.

The Wiz is the Black interpratation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The film is about Dorothy, a 24-year-old kindergarten teacher who has never been south of 125th street, has no friends and is very shy. Probably the only friend she has is her dog Toto. After Thanksgiving dinner, Toto runs out the door and Dorothy chases after him. There is a huge blizzard (The work of the Good Witch Of the South) that sweeps her and Toto away, far away into Munchkin Land. Munchkin Land is the invisible part of Oz. Dorothy crashes into a huge "O" on a big Oz sign which makes it fall and crush Evamene, the Wicked Witch of the East. This awakens the Munchkins, who were pasted onto the wall as punishment by the Wicked Witch of the East. They rejoice and then Miss One (a.k.a The Good Witch of the North) arrives. Dorothy is happy also, but at the same time she is scared and wants to go home. With advice from the Munchkins and Miss One, they tell Dorothy to go visit The Wiz. (He's The Wiz!) He will help her with all her problems. Miss One says that the only way she will meet him is if she follows the Yellow Brick Road, but the problem is she can't find it.So she starts to look for it and on the way, she sees a Scarecrow, who gets tormented by a group of Crows (You Can't Win). Dorothy scares them off and saves the Scarecrow. In return he goes with Dorothy on her trek to see the Wiz for a brain. They find the Yellow Brick Road, (Ease On Down the Road) and meet the Tin Man who is a rusted amusement park mechanical man (Slide Some Oil to Me) who wants to gain a heart and The Lion who was banished from the jungle and hid inside one of the stone lions infront of a building resembling the New York Public Library (I'm a mean ole lion) and wishes for some courage. They run into many obstacles along the way like the Poppy Girls who put Dorothy and The Lion to sleep, but awaken by the Tinman's tears. Then they finally arrive at the Emerald City and see the Wiz. The Head of the Wiz tell Dorothy to kill Evillene (the Wicked Witch of the West) who runs a sweatshop in the sewers of Oz and keeps The Winkies as her slaves and workers (No Bad News)

The Wiz - Trailer(03:33)
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. She figures out that Dorothy and her friends are coming to kill her and sends out her Flying Monkeys (a motorcycle gang) to kidnap them. After the friends are captured, Evilene dismembers the Scarecrow, flattens the Tinman, and hangs the Lion by his tail trying to make dorothy give up the slippers. When she threatens to burn Toto, Dorothy nearly gives the slippers up until the Scarecrow hints her to a fire sprinkler switch. Dorothy pulls the lever activating the sprinkler system which puts out the fire and melts Evilene (who is allergic to water). The Winkies help Dorothy's friends and celebrate the witch's death (A Brand New Day). They return to the Emerald City only to discover the Wiz is a fake, but soon realize that they dont need his magic to get their wishes because everything they need was in them all along. (Believe in Yourself). Just as it seems that Dorothy will never get home, Glinda appears and encourages her by telling her home is where the heart is (Believe in Yourself Reprise) and how to find her way home by clicking her heels three times. After saying goodbye to all her friends she takes Toto in her arms, thinks of home and the things she loves about it, and clicking her heels finds herself back in her neighborhood.

Cast

• Diana Ross as Dorothy
• Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow
• Nipsey Russell as the Tinman
• Ted Ross as the Cowardly Lion
• Thelma Carpenter as Miss One
• Lena Horne as Glinda
• Mabel King as the Wicked Witch of the West
• Richard Pryor as The Wiz

Gallery

Song List

1. Overture Part one
2. Overture Part two
3. The feeling we once had
4. Can I go on ?
5. Glinda's theme
6. He's the wizard
7. Soon as I get home
8. You can't win
9. Ease on down the road
10. What would I do if I could feel ?
11. Slide some oil to me
12. Ease on down the road (2)
13. ( I'm a) Mean ole lion
14. Ease on down the road (3)
15. Poppy Girls
16. Be a lion
17. End of the yellow brick road
18. Emerald City sequence
19. So you wanted to meet the wizard
20. Is this what feeling gets ?
21. (Don't nobody bring me) No bad news
22. A brand new day
23. Believe in yourself
24. The good witch glinda
25. Believe in yourself (reprise)
26. Home

Films and Television
Silent Films	The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays (1908) • The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910) • His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz (1914) • The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1914) • The Magic Cloak of Oz (1914) • The Wizard of Oz (1925)
Modern Live-Action	The Wizard of Oz (1939) • The Wonderful Land of Oz (1969) • 20th Century Oz (1976) • The Wiz (1978) • Return to Oz (1985) • Lost in Oz (2002) • The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005) • Tin Man (2007) • La Maga (2008) • Dorothy and the Witches of Oz (2011) • Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
Cartoons	Journey Back to Oz (1974) • Dorothy Meets Ozma of Oz • Ozu no Mahoutsukai • Lion of Oz (1985) • The Wonderful Galaxy of Oz (1990) • The Oz Kids (1996) • Tom and Jerry & the Wizard of Oz (2011) • Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (2014)
Shorts	Beef Ravioli commercials (2006) • After Oz (2007)