Over the past four years I've written this daily entertainment column, in addition to the 17 years I've been covering The Wizard of Oz Festival in Northwest Indiana, and there's one question that comes up quite often from fans, friends and readers.

Most recently, it was Larry McCrae of Chicago posing it to me last weekend.

With a reputation as successful and legendary as the 1939 film classic "The Wizard of Oz," why is it that the 1978 film "The Wiz," featuring an equally all-star cast fails to get the same recognition and respect?

"Think about it," McCrae said.

"Not only is the film 'The Wiz' not even aired that much these days, you also don't see much memorabilia, collectibles or books about it. Why is that?"

This well-done film musical, which featured an African-American spin on the story by L. Frank Baum, was written by Joel Schumacher, who of course went on to direct many great films like "The Client" and films in the "Batman" film franchise. It was produced by a partnership with Universal Pictures and Motown Productions and starred Diana Ross as Dorothy, Michael Jackson as The Scarecrow, Nipsey Russell as The Tin Man, Lena Horne as Glinda the Good Witch of the North, Ted Ross as The Cowardly Lion, Richard Pryor as The Wiz and Mabel King (best known as the Mom on the TV series "What's Happening!") as Evillene, The Wicked Witch of the West.

(Original director John Badham was replaced by Sidney Lumet after he was told 18-year-old Stephanie Mills was not being allowed to play the part she originated on Broadway in favor of Ross being cast. Badham strongly objected to 33-year-old Ross playing a 14-year-old girl. Reportedly, it was Motown singer Ross who told Motown CEO Berry Gordy she wanted to be cast as Dorothy and when he declined saying she was "too old," Ross contacted Rob Cohen of Universal Pictures and got him to agree to have his studio bankroll the film in partnership, if Ross got the part.)

The film also featured a number of favorite songs, under the musical direction of Quincy Jones, with the most famous being the movie's tune counterpart to "We're Off to See the Wizard," which is "Ease on Down the Road."

For those who say the original classic "The Wizard of Oz" has gotten the upper hand more recently because of the renewed interest and buzz earned from the critical and financial success of the Broadway box office smash "Wicked," it should be reminded that the film version of "The Wiz" actually came from the Broadway big-ticket success of the stage musical "The Wiz," which opened on Jan. 5, 1975, at the Majestic Theatre in New York and ran 1,672 performances before ending its run on Jan. 28, 1979.

The well-received stage musical starred Mills as Dorothy, Ross played The Cowardly Lion and King played Evillene, The Wicked Witch of the West.

But for some reason, the movie version, despite the added star power of Ross, Jackson and Pryor, couldn't capture the magic that showered audiences via the stage. Costing $22 million to make, the movie only earned $12 million along with poor critical reviews. And when Mills returned to Broadway in 1984 attempting to revive "The Wiz" and reprising her role as Dorothy, it flopped and only lasted 13 performances.

"The Wiz: The 30th Anniversary Edition" was just released in February 2008.

I asked author and "Wizard of Oz" historian Stephen Cox of Los Angeles why he thinks "The Wiz" seemed to fizz compared MGM's 1939 masterpiece.

"The movie 'The Wiz' had its moment, but it just didn't last because the fan impact wasn't there from the start," said Cox, who most recently helped actor Jerry Maren, who played one of the members of the Munchkin Lollipop Guild in the original film, author his own autobiography, the 201-page book, titled "Short and Sweet" (2008 Cumberland Press $24.95), detailing his long career. (Maren, 88, will sign copies of the book at this weekend's The Wizard of Oz Festival.)

"It's a legendary cast working together in 'The Wiz,' and there's no denying this is a film and story that deserves more recognition. There's an entirely new generation still waiting to discover it."

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at ppotempa@nwitimes.com or 219.852.4327.

celebBirthdays

Actor Earl Holliman is 80. Former U.S. Sen. Bob Packwood is 76. Movie director Brian De Palma and singer Lola Falana are 68. Comedian Tom Dreesen (who hails from Harvey, Ill.) is 66. Drummer Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead is 65. Guitarist Leo Kottke is 63. Chicago actress Amy Madigan is 58. Guitarist Tommy Shaw of Styx and sports reporter Lesley Visser are 55. Songwriter Diane Warren is 52. Drummer Jon Moss of Culture Club is 51. Actress Roxann Dawson ("Star Trek: Voyager") and actor Scott Patterson ("Gilmore Girls") are 50. Actress Virginia Madsen ("Sideways," "American Dreams") is 47. Actress Kristy McNichol is 46. Musician Moby is 43. Singer Harry Connick Jr. is 41. Actress Laura Wright ("Guiding Light") is 38. Guitarist Jeremy Popoff of Lit is 37. Singer Brad Fischetti of LFO is 33. Rappers Mr. Black and Ludacris

and guitarist Jon Buckland of Coldplay are 31. Actress Ariana Richards ("Jurassic Park") is 29. Singer Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum is 27.