The Wiz (film) as the film was Ross's final theatrical feature. In his book "Blockbuster", Tom Shone referred to "The Wiz" as "expensive crud". In the book "Mr. and Mrs. Hollywood", the author criticized the script, noting, ""The Wiz" was too scary for children, and too silly for adults." Ray Bolger, who played the Scarecrow in the 1939 "The Wizard of Oz" film, did not think highly of "The Wiz", stating ""The Wiz" is overblown and will never have the universal appeal that the classic MGM musical has obtained." Jackson's performance as the Scarecrow was one of the only positively reviewed elements of
The Wiz (soundtrack) film by Quincy Jones, Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson, and Anthony Jackson. This soundtrack marks Jones' first collaboration with Michael Jackson; Jones would go on to produce Jackson's hit solo albums "Off the Wall", "Thriller", and "Bad". The album, with its hit single "Ease on Down the Road", was more successful than the film itself, which was a commercial and critical failure. It was certified Gold in the US. It also did well in some European territories like the Netherlands, where "A Brand New Day" was a surprise number 1. In 2009, Diana Ross ended each of two sold-out performances