‘Wizard Of Oz’ To ‘The Wiz Live’ – Michael Jackson and 10 Giant Stars

The Wiz Live was a giant hit for NBC, with the extraordinary Shanice Williams working the ruby slippers and a cast like Mary J. Blige (Wicked Witch of the West), Stephanie Mills and Queen Latifah (the Wiz) in the house. It had a lot to live up to: The Wiz movie starred luminaries like Diana Ross (Dorothy), Michael Jackson (Scarecrow), Lena Horne (Glinda the Good Witch) and Richard Pryor (Oz). Oh, my, as they say. Lions and tigers and bears everywhere!

The Wiz story comes, of course, from The Wizard of Oz, perhaps the most iconic of all American films (sorry, Citizen Kane.) The Wizard of Oz has a complicated history — it’s a parable about money and politics and much else based on the popular children’s book by Frank L. Baum, published in 1900. The fantastic tale has lighted up imaginations ever since. Including those above, here are ten stars that spent time in Oz. You might bet Shanice Williams will join these household names.

• Judy Garland
• Bert Lahr
• Michael Jackson
• Diana Ross
• Ray Bolger
• Queen Latifah
• Richard Pryor
• Lena Horne
• Mary J. Blige
• Stephanie Mills