The second Harlem native Dorothy (Diana Ross) and her dog Toto arrived in a strange world known as Oz, her only desire was to return home. Directed to Emerald City to speak with the all-knowing, all-power Wizard of Oz for help, she began following a yellow brick road guaranteed to lead her there.
Along the way Dorothy encountered a group of snarky crows bullying a soft-spoken Scarecrow (portrayed to perfection by late “King of Pop” Michael Jackson). She scared them off, helped Scarecrow down from his garden stake, and welcomed him to accompany her on her journey.
1978 film The Wiz, an adaptation of William F. Brown’s book of the same name and its 1974 Broadway musical version,is loaded with colorful, entertaining characters. An urban twist on L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Brown’s take on the Scarecrow is way cooler than the original.
Before Dorothy meets Scarecrow, he’s soulfully singing why “You Can’t Win” with the pack of unfriendly crows. They’ve made it their business to torment him regularly, and he’s basically given up. Once freed, his wobbly, paper-stuffed, spaghetti-legged posturing steals your attention.
Arguably more engaging than Scarecrows physical antics is the intellectual quotes he pulls from his innards. He tells Dorothy he’d like to request the Wizard give him a brain, yet with each slip of paper he reads to encourage his companions he shows thoughtfulness and genius.
Let’s not forget Scarecrow and Dorothy’s unforgettable duet, “Ease on Down the Road”; by today’s standards it would be considered a remix of “Follow the Yellow Brick Road”. Originally performed by Stephanie Mills and Hinton Battle on Broadway, its big screen rendition was considerably more theatric. Each choreographed step made Scarecrow stand out. No doubt Battle did an amazing job with the character on stage, but he’s no Michael Jackson. |THIS.
[By Mr. Joe Walker]
We conduct a “Character Study” every Friday at 8AM!
