That Other Wiz...

[Whitehouse 821]

Now that the cast of the 1939 Wizzard of Oz is almost gone, I think it's time to look at that other Wiz, the 1978 movie that ended the blaxploitation period. I saw this movie recently and searched wikipedia to see how the cast was doing these days. Turns out, for a film made not that long ago it has an unusually high mortality rate. Here's the main cast.

Diana Ross Dorothy Gale (1944)

Michael Jackson Scarecrow (1958 - 2009)

Lena Horne Glinda the Good Witch of the South (1917 - 2010)

Ted Ross Cowardly Lion (1934 - 2002)

Nipsey Russell Tin Man (1925 - 2005)

Thelma Carpenter Addaperle/Miss One, the Good Witch of the North (1922 - 1997)

Theresa Merritt Aunt Em (1922 - 1998)

Stanley Greene Uncle Henry (1949)

Richard Pryor The Wizard/Herman Smith (1940 - 2005)

Mabel King Evilene, the Wicked Witch of the West (1932 - 1999)

 

 

 

 

Wow.... That's more deaths in 36 years than King Tut's tomb!!

I haven't seen the mortality rate in the supporting cast now.

[JR976evil 885]

About time the Dianasaur was put out to pasture

[Guest American Sports Fan]

The supporting cast is harder to track down because for a lot of them this was either their only role or one of like two or three roles that they ever did. But I can add a few more to your list:

 

Glory Van Scott Rolls Royce Lady (1947)

Carlton Johnson Head Winkie (1934-1986)

Joe Lynn Gold Footman (1947-1987)

 

Also:

William F. Brown (The Book of the Musical) (1928)

Joel Schumacher (Movie Screenplay) (1939)

Sidney Lumet (Director) (1924-2011)

Rob Cohen (Producer) (1949)

Oswald Morris (Cinematographer) (1915) (Three-time Oscar nominee, including for this movie, and he's British too, so he has a good chance of scoring a UK obit whenever he dies)

[Whitehouse 821]

Dug up a thread from the past. And an amendment is in place, I think.

 

According to the IMDB page, Stanley Greene was not born in 1939 but 1911. He died in 1981. So in 32 years all of the main cast, minus Diana Ross, is dead and buried.

 

Cinematographer Oswald Morris died in 2014.

[Sir Creep 7,012]

So you're telling me if Jerry Maren outlasts Diana Ross (who is playing a concert about 2 hours from me in a couple weeks fwiw) that the cast of the 1939 Wiz will outlive the cast of the 1978 Wiz? That's incredible

SC

Edit STRIKE THAT I'm brain dead now I see three or four others still kicking too.

[YoungWillz 19,014]

William F Brown, librettist for The Wiz, dead at 91: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/william-f-brown-dies-wiz-165030524.html

[YoungWillz 19,014]

1 hour ago, msc said:

Joel Schumacher has died aged 80 from cancer.

 

Director of The Lost Boys, Batman Forever, Falling Down, Phone Booth. Also St Elmos Fire.

Just cross-posting Joel Schumacher's death.

[Ulitzer95 11,001]

I watched this film not too long ago. It’s utter shite.