How The Wiz Changed Michael Jackson’s Career Forever (Ep. 104)

The Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Places & Travel, Society & Culture, Tv & Film

4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 22 May 2026

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jim Hill and Eric Hersey dive into the surprising Universal Pictures history behind Michael Jackson’s breakout acting role in The Wiz, exploring how the 1978 musical helped launch one of the most important creative partnerships in pop culture history. Along the way, they also cover new Epic Universe character reveals, Halloween Horror Nights rumors, and what’s next for Universal Orlando’s evolving parks. NEWS • Universal officially unveils Captain Cacao, the oversized bear mascot coming to Celestial Park at Epic Universe • Rumors swirl around a possible Ozzy Osbourne-themed house for Halloween Horror Nights 35 • Po’s Kung Fu Training Camp at DreamWorks Land temporarily closes for refurbishment through July • Listener theories continue about a possible Zelda-themed replacement for Mythos at Islands of Adventure • Universal fans debate whether Volcano Bay’s retired “Spirit of the Volcano” effect could inspire a new home for Mystic Fountain FEATURE • The surprising story behind how Michael Jackson landed the role of the Scarecrow in Universal’s 1978 film version of The Wiz • How The Wiz introduced Michael Jackson to legendary producer Quincy Jones during filming in New York City • Why Universal and Motown took a massive creative gamble adapting Broadway’s urban retelling of The Wizard of Oz • Behind-the-scenes stories involving Diana Ross, Richard Pryor, Ray Bolger, and the original casting plans for the film • How Michael Jackson’s performance in The Wiz helped pave the way for Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad HOSTS • Jim Hill X/Twitter: @JimHillMedia Instagram: @JimHillMedia Website: jimhillmedia.com • Eric Hersey X/Twitter: @erichersey Instagram: @erichersey Website: strongmindedagency.com FOLLOW • Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews • YouTube: @jimhillmedia • TikTok: @jimhillmedia • Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia/ SUPPORT Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia. PRODUCTION CREDITS Edited by Dave Grey Produced by Eric Hersey - https://strongmindedagency.com SPONSOR UnlockedMagic.com - Save up to 12% on Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World tickets, including Express Pass options, when you book through https://unlockedmagic.com/?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=epicjhm If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. https://www.jimhillmedia.com/sponsor/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:43.9	combe.combe. Welcome back to the Epic Universal Podcast. I'm entertainment writer Jim Hill,
0:50.6	and this is the podcast where we cover the latest universal news, rumors, and history.
0:56.3	And as always, I'm joined by Eric Hersey, who's been faced out in Netflix for the past week, right?
1:02.8	Jim, this is the fun thing. So anybody listens over to I want that too. I don't know if she mentioned it on the recent show, but she does her annual trip with her girlfriend down to the beach because I'm not a beach guy. Right. And we're talking about your lovely bride Lauren. Yes, yeah. So she's down, she's down in the, she was down in Destin, hanging out with her buddy. And this is what I like to call Bachelor Time where I get to watch whatever I want on TV at nighttime. So, so basically, and I'm not trying to screw up my YouTube algorithm.
1:29.9	So I went to Netflix and I'm like, all right, what kind of weird, odd documentaries can I watch?
1:34.2	Can I find anything like JFK conspiracy, like theory stuff or aliens or things that she just won't let me tolerate?
1:40.9	I didn't land on those.
1:42.3	Instead, I actually was intrigued by the new documentary that is
1:45.4	about Martin Schwartz's life, Marty. Oh, wow. I've been trying to find time to do that.
1:52.9	It's very good. And it got me in this weird, it got me in the algorithm of like, all right, well,
1:57.3	once I watched Marty, then it was like, okay, you should watch the Gene Wilder documentary, which is lovely and great in its honor.
2:05.0	And then it goes to, all right, watch Eddie Murphy's.
	...

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