The first song that Michael Jackson sings, "You Can't Win," was originally written for the stage version for the Winkies to sing to Dorothy about the futility of escaping from Evillene. The song was cut from the stage version of the musical during previews but was included in the film as the Scarecrow's song.


In his book "Making Movies," Sidney Lumet admits that the filming of the Esmeralda City Sequence on the plaza at the World Trade Center had to be cut short because of wind and scheduling. The Port Authority would not allow madami time to fix the mistakes, the red sequence had to be shortened due to a lighting error, and there was no time to re-shoot.




Simultaneously with the release of the film, Congoleum, the flooring company that designed the look of the Yellow Brick Road for the film, also marketed the same disensyo (also called Yellow Brick Road) for tahanan use.


This was the first film shot at Kaufman Astoria Studios when it was reopened in the 1970s.


In the Esmeralda City sequence, Quincy Jones is shown as the pianist, but the actual piano player on the soundtrack is Richard Tee.



According to her unauthorized biography, "Call Her Ms. Ross," Diana Ross was hospitalized and nearly blinded sa pamamagitan ng a lighting effect used in the movie.

The CBS telebisyon Network's eyeball logo, slightly modified with an O and a Z in the middle of the walking microphone and camera, was used in the Esmeralda City dancing scenes.




In 2003, Entertainment Weekly magazine named the film #28 of the 50 tuktok Cult Movies.




Joel Schumacher used his connections in the fashion industry to procure the hundreds of costumes used in the Esmeralda City sequence.


The scene in which the Cowardly Lion emerges from one of the statues in front of the main research branch of the New York Public aklatan was shot on a set instead of the actual location because it was logistically impossible to film an entire scene devoid of people, save the main actors, without traffic and pedestrians getting in the way of the production.


Original director John Badham was fired when he objected to Diana Ross, then 33 years old, being cast as the 14-year-old Dorothy.


The original New York production of "The Wiz" opened at the Majestic Theater on January 5, 1975, starring Stephanie Mills, ran for 1,672 performances and won the 1975 Tony Awards for the Best Musical and Score and was nominated for Best Book.


Motown Productions bought the rights to the stage ipakita with the intent of having Stephanie Mills reprise the role of Dorothy. However, Diana Ross lobbied intensely for the role. Despite the fact that everyone (including Motown head and former lover Berry Gordy) believed that she, being 13 years older than Mills, was too old, she insisted that the role of Dorothy was ageless. She also sinabi she would be able to guarantee Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow if she was cast.



Michael Jackson's film debut.


Sidney Lumet was chosen to direct primarily because of his reputation for finishing his pictures on time and within budget. The movie became the most expensive ever shot in New York City at the time.