The Wiz ( film ) - wikipedia The Wiz ( film ) Not to be confused with The Wizard ( film ). The Wiz Theatrical release poster Directed by Sidney Lumet Produced by Rob Cohen Screenplay by Joel Schumacher Based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum The Wiz by William F. Brown Starring Diana Ross Michael Jackson Nipsey Russell Ted Ross Mabel King Theresa Merritt Thelma Carpenter Richard Pryor Lena Horne Music by Charlie Smalls Nickolas Ashford Valerie Simpson Anthony Jackson Luther Vandross Quincy Jones Cinematography Oswald Morris Edited by Dede Allen Production company Motown Productions Distributed by Universal Pictures Release date October 24, 1978 ( 1978 - 10 - 24 ) Running time 133 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $24 million Box office $21 million The Wiz is a 1978 American musical adventure film produced by Universal Pictures and Motown Productions, and released by Universal Pictures on October 24, 1978. An urban reimagining of L. Frank Baum 's classic 1900 children 's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz featuring an entirely African - American cast, The Wiz was loosely adapted from the 1974 Broadway musical of the same name. The film follows the adventures of Dorothy, a shy twenty - four - year - old Harlem, New York City, schoolteacher who finds herself magically transported to the urban fantasy Land of Oz, which resembles an alternative fantasy version of New York City. Befriended by a Scarecrow, a Tin Man, and a Cowardly Lion, she travels through the city to seek an audience with the mysterious Wiz, who they say is the only one powerful enough to send her home. Produced by Rob Cohen and directed by Sidney Lumet, The Wiz stars Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Theresa Merritt, Thelma Carpenter, Lena Horne, and Richard Pryor. The film 's story was reworked from William F. Brown 's Broadway libretto by Joel Schumacher, and Quincy Jones supervised the adaptation of Charlie Smalls and Luther Vandross 's songs for film. A handful of new songs, written by Jones and the songwriting team of Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson, were added for the film version. Upon its original theatrical release, The Wiz was a critical and commercial failure, and marked the end of the resurgence of African - American films that began with the blaxploitation movement of the early 1970s. Despite its initial failure, the film became a cult classic, particularly among African - American audiences, Oz enthusiasts, and fans of Michael Jackson. Certain aspects of this film adaptation influenced The Wiz Live !, a live television adaptation of the musical, aired on NBC in 2015. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Music 4 Production 4.1 Pre-production and development 4.2 Principal photography 5 Release 5.1 Box office 5.2 Critical reception 6 Awards and honors 7 See also 8 References 9 External links Plot A crowded Thanksgiving dinner brings a host of family together in a small Harlem apartment, where a shy, twenty - four - year - old schoolteacher named Dorothy ( Diana Ross ) lives with her Aunt Em ( Theresa Merritt ) and Uncle Henry ( Stanley Greene ). Extremely introverted, Dorothy is teased by Aunt Em for never having been south of 125th Street, as she has delayed moving out to start her own, independent life as an adult. While Dorothy cleans up after the meal, Dorothy 's dog Toto runs out the open kitchen door into a violent snowstorm. She succeeds in retrieving him, but finds herself trapped in the storm. A magical whirlwind made of snow -- the work of Glinda, the Good Witch of the South ( Lena Horne ) -- materializes and transports them to the realm of Oz. Released by the snowstorm, Dorothy smashes through an electric `` Oz '' sky sign as she descends from the atmosphere, and which falls upon and kills Evermean, the Wicked Witch of the East who rules Munchkinland. As a result, Dorothy frees the Munchkins who populate the playground into which she lands ; they had been transformed by Evermean into graffiti for `` tagging '' the park walls. Dorothy soon meets the Munchkins ' main benefactress, Miss One, the Good Witch of the North ( Thelma Carpenter ), a magical `` numbers runner '' who gives Evermean 's pretty charmed silver slippers to her by teleporting them on Dorothy 's feet. However, Dorothy declares she does n't want the shoes and desperately just wants to get home to Aunt Em. Miss One urges her to follow the yellow brick road to the capital Emerald City and seek the help of the mysterious `` Wizard '' who she believes holds the power to send Dorothy back to Harlem. After telling her to never take the silver shoes off, the good witch and the Munchkins then disappear and Dorothy is left to search for the road on her own. The next morning, Dorothy happens upon a Scarecrow ( Michael Jackson ) made of garbage and rags, and saves him from being viciously teased and picked on by a group of humanoid crows and whom she befriends. The two of them discover the yellow brick road and happily begin to follow it together. The Scarecrow hopes the Wizard might be able to give him the one thing he feels that he lacks -- a brain. Along the way to the Emerald City, Dorothy, Toto, and the Scarecrow meet the Tin Man ( Nipsey Russell ), in an abandoned early 20th - century amusement park and the Cowardly Lion ( Ted Ross ), a vain dandy banished from the jungle who hid inside one of the stone lions in front of the New York Public Library. The Tin Man and Lion join them on their quest to find the Wizard, hoping to gain a heart and courage, respectively. Before the five adventurers reach the Emerald City, they must face obstacles such as a deadly subway where they meet a crazy subway peddler ( a homeless man ) who unleashes evil puppets in his control. They narrowly escape the subway and then encounter the `` Poppy '' Girls ( a reference to the poppy field from the original story ), flamboyant prostitutes who attempt to put Dorothy, Toto, and the Lion into an eternal sleep with magic poppy perfume. Finally reaching the Emerald City ( an analogue of the real - life World Trade Center plaza ), the quintet gains passage into the city because of Dorothy 's ownership of the silver slippers ; they marvel at the spectacle of the city and its sophisticated, fashion forward dancers. They are granted an audience with the Wiz ( Richard Pryor ), who lives at the very top of the Towers. He appears to them as a giant fire - breathing metallic head. He will only grant their wishes if they kill the sister of the Wicked Witch of the East, Evillene ( Mabel King ), the Wicked Witch of the West, who runs a sweatshop in the underground sewers of Oz. Before they can reach her domain, Evillene learns of their quest to kill her and sends out the Flying Monkeys ( a motorcycle gang ) to kidnap them. After a long chase, the Flying Monkeys succeed in capturing their targets and bring them back to Evillene. Vengeful for Dorothy having killed her sister, she dismembers the Scarecrow, flattens the Tin Man, and tortures the Lion in hopes of making Dorothy give her the silver shoes. When she threatens to throw Toto into a fiery cauldron, Dorothy nearly gives in until the Scarecrow hints to her to activate a fire sprinkler switch, which she does. The sprinklers put out the fire but also melt Evillene. She is flushed down into her throne, the lid of which slams shut like a toilet. With Evillene finally gone, her spells lose their power : the Winkies are freed from their permanent costumes ( revealing attractive humans underneath ) and their sweatshop tools disappear. They rejoice in dance and praise Dorothy as their emancipator. The Flying Monkeys give her and her friends a triumphant ride back to the Emerald City. Upon arriving, the quartet takes a back door into the Wizard 's quarters and discovers that he is a `` phony ''. The `` great and powerful Oz '' is actually Herman Smith, a failed politician from Atlantic City, New Jersey, who was transported to Oz when a balloon he was flying to promote his campaign to become the city dogcatcher was lost in a storm. The Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion are distraught that they will never receive their respective brain, heart, and courage, but Dorothy makes them realize that they already have had these things all along. Just as it seems as if she will never be able to get home, Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, appears and implores her to find her way home by searching within and using the magic of the silver slippers by clicking the heels together three times. After thanking Glinda and saying goodbye to her friends, she takes clicks her heels together three times, She is then back near home with Toto in her arms and walks into the apartment. Cast Diana Ross as Dorothy Michael Jackson as Scarecrow Nipsey Russell as Tin Man Ted Ross as Cowardly Lion Richard Pryor as Herman Smith / The Wiz Lena Horne as Glinda the Good Witch of the South Mabel King as Evillene / The Wicked Witch of the West Thelma Carpenter as Freida Winzer / Miss One Theresa Merritt as Shelby Gale / Aunt Em Stanley Greene as Uncle Henry Music Main article : The Wiz ( soundtrack ) Cover of The Wiz original soundtrack. All songs written by Charlie Smalls, unless otherwise noted. `` Overture Part I '' ( instrumental ) `` Overture Part II '' ( instrumental ) `` The Feeling That We Had '' - Aunt Em and Chorus `` Can I Go On ? '' ( Quincy Jones, Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson ) - Dorothy `` Tornado '' / `` Glinda 's Theme '' ( instrumental ) `` He 's the Wizard '' - Miss One and Chorus `` Soon As I Get Home '' / `` Home '' - Dorothy `` You Ca n't Win, You Ca n't Break Even '' - Scarecrow and The Four Crows `` Ease on Down the Road # 1 '' - Dorothy and Scarecrow `` What Would I Do If I Could Feel ? '' - Tin Man `` Slide Some Oil to Me '' - Tin Man `` Ease on Down the Road # 2 '' - Dorothy, Scarecrow, and Tin Man `` I 'm a Mean Ole Lion '' - Cowardly Lion `` Ease on Down the Road # 3 '' - Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion `` Poppy Girls Theme '' ( Anthony Jackson ) ( instrumental ) `` Be a Lion '' - Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion `` End of the Yellow Brick Road '' ( instrumental ) `` Emerald City Sequence '' ( music : Jones, lyrics : Smalls ) - Chorus `` Is This What Feeling Gets ? ( Dorothy 's Theme ) '' ( music : Jones, lyrics : Ashford & Simpson ) - Dorothy ( vocal version not used in film ) `` Do n't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News '' - Evillene and the Winkies `` Everybody Rejoice / A Brand New Day '' ( Luther Vandross ) - Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, and Chorus `` Believe in Yourself ( Dorothy ) '' - Dorothy `` The Good Witch Glinda '' ( instrumental ) `` Believe in Yourself ( Reprise ) '' - Glinda the Good Witch `` Home ( Finale ) '' - Dorothy Production Pre-production and development The Wiz was the eighth feature film produced by Motown Productions, the film / TV division of Berry Gordy 's Motown Records label. Gordy originally wanted the teenaged future R&B singer Stephanie Mills, who had played the role on Broadway, to be cast as Dorothy. When Motown star Diana Ross asked Gordy if she could be cast as Dorothy, he declined, saying that Ross -- then 33 years old -- was too old for the role. Ross went around Gordy and convinced executive producer Rob Cohen at Universal Pictures to arrange a deal where he would produce the film if Ross was cast as Dorothy. Gordy and Cohen agreed to the deal. Pauline Kael, a film critic, described Ross 's efforts to get the film into production as `` perhaps the strongest example of sheer will in film history. '' After film director John Badham learned that Ross was going to play the part of Dorothy, he decided not to direct the film, and Cohen replaced him with Sidney Lumet. Of his decision not to direct The Wiz, John Badham recalled telling Cohen that he thought Ross was `` a wonderful singer. She 's a terrific actress and a great dancer, but she 's not this character. She 's not the little six - year - old girl Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. '' Though 20th Century Fox had financially backed the stage musical, they ended up exercising their first refusal rights to the film production, which gave Universal an opening to finance the film. Initially, Universal was so excited about the film 's prospects that they did not set a budget for production. 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 `` very enamored of Werner Erhard ''. `` Before I knew it, '' said Rob Cohen, `` the movie was becoming an est - ian fable full of est buzzwords about knowing who you are and sharing and all that. I hated the script a lot. But it was hard to argue with ( Ross ) because she was recognizing in this script all of this stuff that she had worked out in est seminars. '' Schumacher spoke positively of the results of the est training, stating that he was `` eternally grateful for learning that I was responsible for my life. '' However, he also complained that `` everybody stayed exactly the way they were and went around spouting all this bull * * * *. '' Of est and Erhard references in the film itself, The Grove Book of Hollywood notes that the speech delivered by Glinda the Good Witch at the end of the film was `` a litany of est - like platitudes '', and the book also makes est comparisons to the song `` Believe in Yourself ''. Although Joel Schumacher had seen the Broadway play before writing the script, none of the Broadway play 's writing was incorporated into the film 's. During production, Lumet felt that the finished film would be `` an absolutely unique experience that nobody has ever witnessed before. '' When asked about any possible influence from MGM 's popular 1939 film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, Lumet stated that `` there was nothing to be gained from ( the 1939 film ) other than to make certain we did n't use anything from it. They made a brilliant movie, and even though our concept is different -- they 're Kansas, we 're New York ; they 're white, we 're black, and the score and the books are totally different -- we wanted to make sure that we never overlapped in any area. '' Michael Jackson, a former Motown star who by the start of development on The Wiz in 1977, had left Motown for Epic Records with his brothers The Jacksons, was cast as the Scarecrow. Jackson was dedicated to the role, and watched videotapes of gazelles, cheetahs, and panthers in order to learn graceful movements for his part. However Jackson 's father Joseph Jackson did n't want him to land the role, as he was managing him at the time, but Jackson refused to listen to his father and decided to be on the movie. Ted Ross and Mabel King were brought in to reprise their respective roles from the stage musical, while Nipsey Russell was cast as the Tin Man. Lena Horne, mother - in - law to Sidney Lumet during the time of production, was cast as Glinda the Good Witch, and comedian Richard Pryor portrayed The Wiz. Principal photography The Wiz was filmed at Astoria Studios in Queens, New York. The decaying New York State Pavilion from the 1964 New York World 's Fair was used as the set for Munchkinland, Astroland at Coney Island was used for the Tinman scene with The Cyclone as a backdrop, while the World Trade Center served as the Emerald City. The scenes filmed at the Emerald City were elaborate, utilizing 650 dancers, 385 crew members and 1,200 costumes. Costume designer Tony Walton enlisted the help of high fashion designers in New York City for the Emerald City sequence, and obtained exotic costumes and fabric from designers such as Oscar de la Renta and Norma Kamali. Albert Whitlock created the film 's visual special effects, while Stan Winston served as the head makeup artist. Quincy Jones was the musical supervisor and music producer for the film. He later wrote that he initially did not want to work on the film, but did it as a favor to Sidney Lumet. The film production marked Jones ' first time working with Michael Jackson, and Jones would later produce three hit albums for Jackson : Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad. Jones recalled working with Jackson as one of his favorite experiences from The Wiz, and spoke of Jackson 's dedication to his role, comparing his acting style to Sammy Davis, Jr. Jones had a brief cameo during the `` Gold '' segment of the Emerald City sequence, playing what looks like a fifty - foot grand piano. Release Box office The Wiz proved to be a commercial failure, as the $24 million production only earned $13.6 million at the box office. Though prerelease television broadcast rights had been sold to CBS for over $10 million, in the end, the film produced a net loss of $10.4 million for Motown and Universal. At the time, it was the most expensive film musical ever made. The film 's failure steered Hollywood studios away from producing the all - black film projects that had become popular during the blaxploitation era of the early to mid-1970s for several years. The film was released on VHS home video in 1989 by MCA / Universal Home Video ( with a reissue in 1992 ) and was first broadcast on television on CBS on May 5, 1984 ( edited to 100 minutes ), to capitalize on Michael Jackson 's massive popularity at the time. It continues to be broadcast periodically on networks such as BET, TVOne, VH1 Soul, and was the inaugural broadcast on the Bounce TV digital broadcast network. The Wiz is often broadcast on Thanksgiving Day ( attributed to the opening scene of Dorothy 's family gathered for a Thanksgiving dinner ). The film was released on DVD in 1999 ; a remastered version entitled The Wiz : 30th Anniversary Edition was released in 2008. Extras on both DVD releases include a 1978 featurette about the film 's production and the original theatrical trailer. A Blu - ray version was released in 2010. Critical reception Critics panned The Wiz upon its October 1978 release. Many reviewers directed their criticism at Diana Ross, who they believed was too old to play Dorothy. Most agreed that what had worked so successfully on stage simply did not translate well to the screen. Hischak 's Through the Screen Door : What Happened to the Broadway Musical When It Went to Hollywood criticized `` Joel Schumacher 's cockamamy screenplay '', and called `` Believe in Yourself '' the score 's weakest song. He described Diana Ross 's portrayal of Dorothy as : `` cold, neurotic and oddly unattractive '' ; and noted that the film was `` a critical and box office bust ''. In his work History of the American Cinema, Harpole characterized the film as `` one of the decade 's biggest failures '', and, `` the year 's biggest musical flop ''. The Grove Book of Hollywood noted that `` the picture finished off Diana Ross 's screen career '', as the film was Ross 's final theatrical feature. In his book Blockbuster, Tom Shone referred to The Wiz as `` expensive crud ''. In the book Mr. and Mrs. Hollywood, the author criticized the script, noting, `` The Wiz was too scary for children, and too silly for adults. '' Ray Bolger, who played the Scarecrow in the 1939 The Wizard of Oz film, did not think highly of The Wiz, stating `` The Wiz is overblown and will never have the universal appeal that the classic MGM musical has obtained. '' Michael Jackson 's performance as the Scarecrow was one of the only positively reviewed elements of the film, with critics noting that Jackson possessed `` genuine acting talent '' and `` provided the only genuinely memorable moments. '' Of the results of the film, Jackson stated : `` I do n't think it could have been any better, I really do n't. '' In 1980, Jackson stated that his time working on The Wiz was `` my greatest experience so far... I 'll never forget that. '' The film received a positive critique for its elaborate set design, and the book American Jewish Filmmakers noted that it `` features some of the most imaginative adaptations of New York locales since the glory days of the Astaire - Rogers films. '' In a 2004 review of the film, Christopher Null wrote positively of Ted Ross and Richard Pryor 's performances. However, Null 's overall review of the film was critical, and he wrote that other than the song `` Ease on Down the Road '', `` the rest is an acid trip of bad dancing, garish sets, and a Joel Schumacher - scripted mess that runs 135 agonizing minutes. '' A 2005 piece by Hank Stuever in The Washington Post described the film as `` a rather appreciable delight, even when it 's a mess '', and felt that the singing -- especially Diana Ross 's -- was `` a marvel ''. The New York Times analyzed the film within a discussion of the genre of blaxploitation : `` As the audience for blaxploitation dwindled, it seemed as if Car Wash and The Wiz might be the last gasp of what had been a steadily expanding black presence in mainstream filmmaking. '' The St. Petersburg Times noted, `` Of course, it only took one flop like The Wiz ( 1978 ) to give Hollywood an excuse to retreat to safer ( i.e., whiter ) creative ground until John Singleton and Spike Lee came along. Yet, without blaxploitation there might not have been another generation of black filmmakers, no Denzel Washington or Angela Bassett, or they might have taken longer to emerge. '' The Boston Globe commented, `` the term ' black film ' should be struck from the critical vocabulary. To appreciate just how outmoded, deceptive and limiting it is, consider the following, all of which have been described as black films,... '' and characterized The Wiz in a list which also featured 1970s films Shaft, Blacula, and Super Fly. Despite its lack of critical or commercial success in its original release, The Wiz became a cult classic, especially because it features Michael Jackson 's only starring theatrical film role. With Lena Horne 's death in 2010, Diana Ross is the only living cast member of the film. Awards and honors The Wiz was nominated for four Academy Awards : Best Art Direction ( Tony Walton, Philip Rosenberg, Edward Stewart, Robert Drumheller ), Best Costume Design, Best Original Music Score and Best Cinematography, but did not win any of them. The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists : 2004 : AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Songs : `` Ease on Down the Road '' -- Nominated On 1979 's NAACP Image Awards, Michael Jackson received the Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Award for The Wiz. See also 1970s portal Film portal Oz portal Adaptations of The Wizard of Oz References Jump up ^ `` The Wiz ( U ) ''. British Board of Film Classification. December 7, 1978. Retrieved October 24, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Sharp, Kathleen ( 2003 ). Mr. and Mrs. Hollywood : Edie and Lew Wasserman and Their Entertainment Empire. Carroll & Graf Publishers. pp. 357 -- 358. ISBN 0 - 7867 - 1220 - 1. ^ Jump up to : Harpole, Charles ( 2003 ). History of the American Cinema. Simon & Schuster. pp. 64, 65, 219, 220, 290. ISBN 0 - 684 - 80463 - 8. ^ Jump up to : Moon, Spencer ; George Hill ( 1997 ). Reel Black Talk : A Sourcebook of 50 American Filmmakers. Greenwood Press. xii. ISBN 0 - 313 - 29830 - 0. ^ Jump up to : Benshoff, Harry M. ; Sean Griffin ( 2004 ). America on Film : Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies. Blackwell Publishing. p. 88. ISBN 0 - 631 - 22583 - 8. ^ Jump up to : George, Nelson ( 1985 ). Where Did Our Love Go ? The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound. St. Martin 's Press. p. 193. ^ Jump up to : Han, Angie ( March 31, 2015 ). `` NBC Teaming With Cirque du Soleil for ' The Wiz ' Live Musical ''. Slashfilm. Slashfilm. p. N01. Retrieved 2015 - 04 - 06. ^ Jump up to : Howard, Adam ( April 11, 2011 ). `` How Lumet 's ' The Wiz ' became a black cult classic ''. The Grio. The Grio. Retrieved 2015 - 04 - 06. Jump up ^ Ne - Yo ( actor ) ( November 25, 2015 ). `` The Wiz LIVE ! '' Cast ! ( live television interview ). Retrieved December 29, 2015. This is a kind of blend of the Broadway musical and the movie, so it 's like both of them combined. ^ Jump up to : Adrahtas, Thomas ( 2006 ). A Lifetime to Get Here : Diana Ross : The American Dreamgirl. AuthorHouse. pp. 163 -- 167. ISBN 1 - 4259 - 7140 - 7. Jump up ^ Emery, Robert J. ( 2002 ). The Directors : Take One. Allworth Communications, Inc. p. 333. ISBN 1 - 58115 - 219 - 1. ^ Jump up to : Lumet, Sidney ; Joanna E. Rapf ( 2006 ). Sidney Lumet : Interviews. Univ. 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Billboard 's Hottest Hot 100 Hits. Watson - Guptill. p. 107. ISBN 0 - 8230 - 7738 - 1. Jump up ^ Skow, John ( October 30, 1978 ). `` Nowhere Over the Rainbow ''. TIME. Time Warner. Retrieved 2007 - 11 - 06. Jump up ^ Staff. `` TVTango Listings for May 5, 1984 ''. TVTango.com. Retrieved 2015 - 04 - 06. Jump up ^ The Deadline Team ( August 24, 2011 ). `` Bounce TV To Launch With ' The Wiz ' ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2015 - 04 - 06. Jump up ^ Nowlan, Robert A. ; Gwendolyn Wright Nowlan ( 1989 ). Cinema Sequels and Remakes, 1903 -- 1987. McFarland & Co Inc Pub. p. 834. ISBN 0 - 89950 - 314 - 4. ^ Jump up to : Jackson, Alex ( 2008 ) `` DVD review of The Wiz : 30th Anniversary Edition ''. Film Freak Central. Retrieved March 9, 2008. Jump up ^ Conti, Garrett ( February 12, 2008 ). `` New DVD releases include ' Gone Baby Gone ' ''. Pittsburgh Tribune - Review. Retrieved 2008 - 02 - 15. Jump up ^ Caine, Barry ( February 8, 2008 ). `` All you need is ' Across the Universe ' on DVD ''. 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External links The Wiz on IMDb The Wiz at the TCM Movie Database The Wiz at AllMovie The Wiz at Box Office Mojo The Wiz at Rotten Tomatoes Films directed by Sidney Lumet 12 Angry Men ( 1957 ) Stage Struck ( 1958 ) That Kind of Woman ( 1959 ) The Fugitive Kind ( 1960 ) A View from the Bridge ( 1962 ) Long Day 's Journey into Night ( 1962 ) The Pawnbroker ( 1964 ) Fail Safe ( 1964 ) The Hill ( 1965 ) The Group ( 1966 ) The Deadly Affair ( 1966 ) Bye Bye Braverman ( 1968 ) The Sea Gull ( 1968 ) The Appointment ( 1969 ) King : A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis ( 1970 ) Last of the Mobile Hot Shots ( 1970 ) The Anderson Tapes ( 1971 ) Child 's Play ( 1972 ) The Offence ( 1972 ) Serpico ( 1973 ) Lovin ' Molly ( 1974 ) Murder on the Orient Express ( 1974 ) Dog Day Afternoon ( 1975 ) Network ( 1976 ) Equus ( 1977 ) The Wiz ( 1978 ) Just Tell Me What You Want ( 1980 ) Prince of the City ( 1981 ) Deathtrap ( 1982 ) The Verdict ( 1982 ) Daniel ( 1983 ) Garbo Talks ( 1984 ) Power ( 1986 ) The Morning After ( 1986 ) Running on Empty ( 1988 ) Family Business ( 1989 ) Q & A ( 1990 ) A Stranger Among Us ( 1992 ) Guilty as Sin ( 1993 ) Night Falls on Manhattan ( 1997 ) Critical Care ( 1997 ) Gloria ( 1999 ) Strip Search ( 2004 ) Find Me Guilty ( 2006 ) Before the Devil Knows You 're Dead ( 2007 ) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Canonical books L. Frank Baum The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ( 1900 ) The Marvelous Land of Oz ( 1904 ) Ozma of Oz ( 1907 ) Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz ( 1908 ) The Road to Oz ( 1909 ) The Emerald City of Oz ( 1910 ) The Patchwork Girl of Oz ( 1913 ) Tik - Tok of Oz ( 1914 ) The Scarecrow of Oz ( 1915 ) Rinkitink in Oz ( 1916 ) The Lost Princess of Oz ( 1917 ) The Tin Woodman of Oz ( 1918 ) The Magic of Oz ( 1919 ) Glinda of Oz ( 1920 ) Ruth Plumly Thompson The Royal Book of Oz ( 1921 ) Kabumpo in Oz ( 1922 ) The Cowardly Lion of Oz ( 1923 ) Grampa in Oz ( 1924 ) The Lost King of Oz ( 1925 ) The Hungry Tiger of Oz ( 1926 ) The Gnome King of Oz ( 1927 ) The Giant Horse of Oz ( 1928 ) Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz ( 1929 ) The Yellow Knight of Oz ( 1930 ) Pirates in Oz ( 1931 ) The Purple Prince of Oz ( 1932 ) Ojo in Oz ( 1933 ) Speedy in Oz ( 1934 ) The Wishing Horse of Oz ( 1935 ) Captain Salt in Oz ( 1936 ) Handy Mandy in Oz ( 1937 ) The Silver Princess in Oz ( 1938 ) Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz ( 1939 ) Others The Wonder City of Oz ( 1940 ) The Scalawagons of Oz ( 1941 ) Lucky Bucky in Oz ( 1942 ) The Magical Mimics in Oz ( 1946 ) The Shaggy Man of Oz ( 1949 ) The Hidden Valley of Oz ( 1951 ) Merry Go Round in Oz ( 1963 ) Yankee in Oz ( 1972 ) The Enchanted Island of Oz ( 1976 ) The Forbidden Fountain of Oz ( 1980 ) The Ozmapolitan of Oz ( 1986 ) The Wicked Witch of Oz ( 1993 ) The Giant Garden of Oz ( 1993 ) The Runaway in Oz ( 1995 ) The Rundelstone of Oz ( 2000 ) The Emerald Wand of Oz ( 2005 ) Trouble Under Oz ( 2006 ) Alternate Dorothy of Oz ( 1989 ) Locations and elements Land of Oz Emerald City Munchkin Country Gillikin Country Winkie Country Quadling Country Yellow brick road Oogaboo Deadly Desert Nonestica Forest of Burzee Land of Ev Merryland Mo Ix Nome Kingdom Noland Ruby slippers Silver Shoes Apocrypha The Oz Film Manufacturing Company Characters Dorothy Gale Toto Princess Ozma The Wizard of Oz Scarecrow Tin Woodman Cowardly Lion Jack Pumpkinhead Tik - Tok Sawhorse Trot Hungry Tiger Good Witch of the North Glinda, the Good Witch of the South Wicked Witch of the West Wicked Witch of the East Aunt Em Uncle Henry Betsy Bobbin Billina Boq Button - Bright Cap'n Bill Eureka Herby Jellia Jamb Jenny Jump Jinjur Jinnicky the Red Jinn John Dough Kabumpo Mombi Munchkins Nome King Ojo the Lucky Pastoria Patchwork Girl Peter Brown Pigasus Polychrome Queen Lurline Shaggy Man Soldier with the Green Whiskers Winged monkeys Woggle - Bug Other writers Authors John R. Neill Jack Snow Rachel Cosgrove Payes Eloise Jarvis McGraw Dick Martin Alexander Volkov Gregory Maguire Sherwood Smith Roger S. Baum Illustrators William Wallace Denslow Frank Kramer Dirk Gringhuis Dick Martin Eric Shanower William Stout Adaptations and other derivative works Films The Fairylogue and Radio - Plays ( 1908 ) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ( 1910 ) Dorothy and the Scarecrow in Oz ( 1910 ) The Land of Oz ( 1910 ) John Dough and the Cherub ( 1910 ) The Patchwork Girl of Oz ( 1914 ) The Magic Cloak of Oz ( 1914 ) His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz ( 1914 ) The Wizard of Oz ( 1925 ) The Wizard of Oz ( 1933 ) The Wizard of Oz ( 1939 ) Return to Oz ( 1964 ) The Wonderful Land of Oz ( 1969 ) Ayşecik ve Sihirli Cüceler Rüyalar Ülkesinde ( 1971 ) Journey Back to Oz ( 1974 ) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ( 1975 ) The Wiz ( 1978 ) The Wizard of Oz ( 1982 ) Return to Oz ( 1985 ) Dorothy Meets Ozma of Oz ( 1987 ) The Dreamer of Oz : The L. Frank Baum Story ( 1990 ) Lion of Oz ( 2000 ) The Muppets ' Wizard of Oz ( 2005 ) Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz ( 2011 ) Dorothy and the Witches of Oz ( 2011 ) After the Wizard ( 2011 ) Oz the Great and Powerful ( 2013 ) Legends of Oz : Dorothy 's Return ( 2014 ) Ozland ( 2014 ) Guardians of Oz ( 2015 ) Tom and Jerry : Back to Oz ( 2016 ) Stage The Wizard of Oz ( 1902 ) The Woggle - Bug ( 1905 ) The Tik - Tok Man of Oz ( 1913 ) The Wizard of Oz ( 1942 ) The Wiz ( 1974 ) The Marvelous Land of Oz ( 1981 ) The Wizard of Oz ( 1987 ) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ( 2000 ) The Wizard of Oz ( 2011 ) The Woodsman ( 2012 ) Television Tales of the Wizard of Oz ( 1961 ) Off to See the Wizard ( 1967 ) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ( 1986 ) The Wizard of Oz ( 1990 ) The Oz Kids ( 1996 ) Lost in Oz ( 2002 ) Once Upon a Time ( since 2011 ) The Wiz Live ! ( 2015 ) Lost In Oz ( 2015 ) Emerald City ( 2017 ) Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz ( 2017 ) Comics Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz ( 1904 -- 05 ) Adventures in Oz ( 1986 -- 92 ) The Enchanted Apples of Oz ( 1986 ) Oz Squad ( 1991 ) Lost Girls ( 1991 -- 92 ) Oz ( 1994 ) Dorothy of Oz ( 2006 ) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ( 2009 ) Video games The Wizard of Oz ( 1993 ) The Wizard of Oz : Beyond the Yellow Brick Road ( 2008 ) Emerald City Confidential ( 2009 ) Parodies The Wozard of Iz Os Trapalhões eo Mágico de Oróz The Wonderful Wizard of Ha 's Wizard of Odd Reimagining The Wizard of Mars ( 1965 ) Hunter ( 1973 ) Zardoz ( 1974 ) Oz ( 1976 ) The Number of the Beast ( 1980 ) A Barnstormer in Oz ( 1982 ) The Wizard of A.I.D.S. ( 1987 ) The Wonderful Galaxy of Oz ( 1990 ) Twister ( 1994 ) The Dark Tower IV : Wizard and Glass ( 1997 ) Tin Man ( 2007 ) Dorothy Must Die ( 2014 ) The Wicked Will Rise ( 2015 ) The Wicked Years Wicked Son of a Witch A Lion Among Men Out of Oz Wicked ( musical ) Characters Others Rainbow Road to Oz MÄR The Wizard of Oz ( pinball ) The Wizard of Oz ( arcade game ) Related The International Wizard of Oz Club The Baum Bugle Portal EST and The Forum in popular culture Fiction est : The Steersman Handbook Film Semi-Tough The Spirit of ' 76 The Wiz Television `` Mork Goes Erk '' `` The Plan '' Werner Erhard Erhard Seminars Training Werner Erhard and Associates Landmark Forum Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Wiz_(film)&oldid=804017347 '' Categories : 1978 films English - language films 1970s musical films American fantasy films American films American rock musicals Blaxploitation films Films based on adaptations Films based on children 's books Films based on musicals Films based on The Wizard of Oz Films directed by Sidney Lumet Motown Productions films Musical fantasy films Universal Pictures films Witchcraft in film Screenplays by Joel Schumacher Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from January 2016 Good articles Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Čeština Deutsch Español فارسی Français Galego Հայերեն Hrvatski Italiano עברית Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Русский Suomi Svenska Türkçe Edit links This page was last edited on 6 October 2017, at 04 : 35. 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Question: who plays the tin man on the wiz
Answer: Nipsey Russell