The Wiz (1978): 20 Shocking Facts You Totally Missed

The Wiz (1978): 20 insane behind-the-scenes facts you never knew Diana Ross was 33 years old. Dorothy was written as a teenager. Berry Gordy said no. She went around him, called Universal Pictures directly, and made her own deal. The director who was already attached watched the casting announcement and quit on the spot. Sidney Lumet, who had never directed a musical, was hired to take over. The budget eventually spiraled so far out of control that the studio president told the crew to just finish it at any cost. Lumet didn't want Michael Jackson and called the Jackson 5 a Vegas act. Rob Cohen flew Jackson to New York anyway. Both men watched him perform and changed their minds. It became the only feature film of Jackson's entire career. On set, Quincy Jones noticed Jackson had memorized every line of dialogue for every character in the film. They started talking. That conversation led to Off the Wall, then Thriller, then Bad. Roughly 300 million combined album sales tracing back to a mispronounced word on a struggling film set. Joe Jackson tried to block Michael from doing it at all. Rob Cohen wrote a check for $100,000 and moved Michael and his sister into a Manhattan apartment. It was the first time in Jackson's life he had lived away from home. Eartha Kitt was supposed to play the Wicked Witch but had been blacklisted by the US government after criticizing the Vietnam War at a White House luncheon. The CIA had compiled a dossier on her. Stephanie Mills originated Dorothy on Broadway, was signed for the film, and watched Diana Ross take her role. Luther Vandross wrote the film's most famous song, showed up on set as an uncredited extra playing one of the Wicked Witch's guards, and nobody knew his name yet. And the bonus: the background extras in the Emerald City sequence were dressed in original couture by Oscar de la Renta, Norma Kamali, and Bill Blass. The costumes earned an Oscar nomination. For people with no lines who appear on screen for half a second. ⏱ Timestamps in the chapters below 👇 Comment which fact blew your mind