Scarecrow: "The results of the first experiment: Subject is a hopeless failure"

     Dorothy: "You are not. You are just a product of some negative thinking"

rehearsals 1978

on set

Diana Ross was a big support throughout the shooting. Michael referred to her as "my mama" on the set. She made a habit of checking in on him in his dressing room each morning. However, there were some moments during the dance rehearsals when Diana was probably pretty upset with Michael. Michael learned his dance moves so fast from the choreographer that he wound up unintentionally showing up everyone else, including Diana.

"Michael, wait a minute!" she'd have to tell him. "Don't do it so fast. You're making me look silly!" -Katherine Jackson

The first time he came to my home he said to me, "I'm getting ready to do my first solo record for Epic Records. Do you think you can help me find a producer?"

I said, "I've got my plate pretty full right now trying to get this movie's preproduction going, but I'll think about it." As we rehearsed the musical scenes for The Wiz, I became more and more impressed. He was always super-prepared. He showed up at 5 A.M. for his scarecrow makeup call and had every detail of what he needed to do memorized and ready for every shooting. He also knew every dance step, every word of dialogue, and all the lyrics of every song by everyone in the entire production. Part of his role was to pull little paper slips with proverbs from famous philosophers out of his straw chest. One afternoon as he rehearsed a scene, he kept mispronouncing the name of the Greek philosopher Socrates, which was in one of his lines. He kept referring to him as "Sow-cray-tees."

After three days no one had corrected him, so I pulled him aside during a break and whispered, "Michael, before it becomes a habit, I think you should know that the name is pronounced 'Sock-ra-tees.'"

He said, "Really?"

What a reaction! He was so sweet about it. Those big eyes opened wide, and right then and there I committed: "I'd like to take a shot at producing your new record."

- Quincy Jones, The Autobiography of Quincy Jones (2001)

"Every morning I began Michael's make-up by applying a bald cap to keep his hair, which was in very small braids, in place. Next I would apply the foam-latex pieces: a forehead piece, two cheek pieces, a nose piece (which was supposed to look like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup wrapper), a chin piece and a neck ruffle. They went on in the morning and had to be maintained during the day.
Because the Scarecrow was a very cartoon-y character, Michael made lots of exaggerated facial expressions to bring the Scarecrow to life. The facial calisthenics looked great, but they also loosened the foam-latex pieces, so I would have to re-glue and re-paint the make-up. To remove the make-up at the end of the day, I would stand behind Michael, lift the back of the bald cap and peel it up over his head. The cap and the foam-latex appliances would come off pretty much all in one piece.
But then I'd duck down behind his chair so he couldn't see my reflection in the mirror, put the make-up (which now looked like a spooky mask) on my hand, slowly raise it up behind his head and jiggle it, going, "OOODLE-OOODLE-DOOODLE-DE-OOOOHHH!" He would laugh like crazy, as if it were one of the funniest things he'd ever seen. I really enjoyed his childlike sense of humor; I could say or do any dumb thing and it would get a big laugh. I would then remove the remainder of his make-up, glue and adhesives and that would be it. We'd go home and get ready for the next day's shooting." Michael Thomas [Make-up artist for Michael on 'The Wiz']

Doing 'The Wiz' was an incredible experience. It was always something I wanted to do, because I had always loved the movie and always fell in love with the scarecrow. I saw the play six times. I'll do other parts if I like the script as I did with this. We worked outside on the movie a lot, and it was cold, the coldest ever in New York. There were 600 dancers at the World Trade Center, all wearing costumes like swim outfits, and it was so cold a lot of them quit. It took me three hours a day to get the makeup on, and then after I took it off, I'd look like a drug addict, with my eyes all watery and red." (The Jacksons Tenth Anniversary Special, 1979)

"I still enjoy seeing The Wiz and reliving the experience. I am especially fond of the scene where Diana asks, 'What am I afraid of? Don't know what I'm made of...' because I've felt that way many times, even during the good moments of my life. She sings about overcoming fear and walking straight and tall. She knows and the audience knows that no threat of danger can hold her back."
Michael Jackson

"My character (the Scarecrow from movie The Wiz')) had plenty to say and to learn. I was propped up on my pole with a bunch of crows laughing at me, while I sang "You Can't Win." The song was about humiliation and helplessness - something that so many people have felt at one time or another - and the feeling that there are people out there who don't actively hold you back as much as they work quietly on your insecurities so that you hold yourself back. The script was clever and showed me pulling bits of information and quotations out of my straw while not really knowing how to use them. My straw contained all the answers, but I didn't know the questions." -Michael Jackson

     Scarecrow: Success, fame, and fortune, they're all illusions. All there is that is real is the friendship that two can share.

     Dorothy: That's beautiful! Who said that?

     Scarecrow: I did.

In front of a billboard for the wiz