miliosr Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I can't believe no one's posted this news: http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/03/30/live-musical-the-wiz-to-premiere-thursday-december-3-on-nbc/381898/ Best part of the original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQT-QFy5Nig Mabel King stole the movie! Link to comment
sandik Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 "Manufacturers and exporters of sweat" Link to comment
dirac Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Thanks for posting, miliosr. As I wrote on the thread devoted to the Peter Pan broadcast, I applaud in principle the return of live theater to network television. Unfortunately, I have yet to be able to sit through the finished products. Link to comment
miliosr Posted April 3, 2015 Author Share Posted April 3, 2015 Well, one thing I'll say for this venture is that it won't have to compete with the original in terms of the original being some kind of masterpiece. Mable King (as Evillene) and Michael Jackson (as The Scarecrow) were entertaining but the rest of the movie had a lot working against it: Diana Ross was much too old to play Dorothy, director Sidney Lumet had no feel for this kind of material and the screenplay is a pile of EST h*******t. Good casting and going back to the source material -- the Broadway show -- might work wonders. Link to comment
miliosr Posted December 6, 2015 Author Share Posted December 6, 2015 Hahahaha I guess I'm the only one who watched it! It did well in the all-important 18-49 demo, which is about 1 full ratings point higher than what Peter Pan pulled last year and about 1 full ratings point lower than what The Sound of Music pulled two years ago. Link to comment
abatt Posted December 6, 2015 Share Posted December 6, 2015 I tried to watch but I started getting bored about a half hour in. The actress who played Dorothy had a lovely voice but was not a good actress. I switched over to a cable TV showing of BIG with Tom Hanks. Link to comment
mimsyb Posted December 6, 2015 Share Posted December 6, 2015 I tired to watch but I started getting bored about a half hour in. The actress who played Dorothy had a lovely voice but was not a good actress. I switched over to a cable TV showing of BIG with Tom Hanks. Couldn't watch BORING!! And besides, George Sanders and the "Falcon" was on Turner Classic Films. Now THAT I can stay up for. Link to comment
Helene Posted December 6, 2015 Share Posted December 6, 2015 Detour: I've always loved "Big." I would have switched channels, too. His family home and his elementary school in the movie were on streets between Anderson Avenue in Cliffside Park NJ and Bergen Blvd. in Ridgefield. I used to pass that school on my commute home from graduate school. Link to comment
miliosr Posted December 7, 2015 Author Share Posted December 7, 2015 I thought it was slow at first as well but I held on because I found the 1978 movie to be slow until the point where Dorothy meets The Scarecrow and they go easing on down the road together. I did think it picked up a lot as it went on. No one will ever top Mabel King as Evilene but Mary J. Blige acquitted herself nicely. And what a nice touch to cast Stephanie Mills (Dorothy from the original 1975 Broadway production) as Aunt Em. Link to comment
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