The Wiz (1978): Michael Jackson's Film Debut

Young Michael Jackson perform a Scarecrow? Well, he did it in The Wiz, a 1978 musical film adapted from the 1975 William F. Brown's Broadway musical of the same name. The film's story was a retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and featuring an entirely African-American cast, including Diana Ross as Dorothy, Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow, Ted Ross as Cowardly Lion/Fleetwood Coupe de Ville, Nipsey Russell as Tinman, and Richard Pryor as The Wiz.

The film follows original story of classic Wizard of Oz, where Dorothy travel through the world of Oz, a fantasy wonderland where she befriended by a Scarecrow, a Tin Man, and a Cowardly Lion. She just want to seek an audience with the mysterious "Wiz", who has the power to take her home. A little different from the original story, Dorothy in this movie was from Harlem, New York, and the fantasy wonderland Oz resembles a fantasy version of New York City.

Quincy Jones supervised the adaptation of Charlie Smalls and Luther Vandross' songs for film. The first song that Michael Jackson sings, "You Can't Win" was originally written for the stage version, but was included in the film as the Scarecrow's song.

Michael Jackson's performance as the Scarecrow was positively reviewed, with critics noting that Jackson possessed "genuine acting talent". In a 1980 interview, Jackson stated that his time working on The Wiz was "my greatest experience so far...I'll never forget that."

Although the film proved to be a commercial flop, it has been periodically broadcast on television on Thanksgiving Day. Since the 1980s, The Wiz available on VHS home video, and was released on DVD in 1999. In 2003, Entertainment Weekly magazine named The Wiz #28 of the 50 Top Cult Movies. A remastered version entitled The Wiz: 30th Anniversary Edition was released in 2008.