The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.
Tags: whimsical, psychedelic, humor

Plot synopsis:
Young Bart Collins (Tommy Rettig) lives with his widowed mother Heloise (Mary Healy). The bane of Bart's existence are the hated piano lessons he endures under the tutelage of the autocratic Dr. Terwilliker (Hans Conried). Bart feels that his mother has fallen under Terwilliker's influence, and gripes to plumber August Zabladowski (Peter Lind Hayes), without result. While hammering at his lessons, Bart dozes off and enters a musical dream, much as did Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz.
In the dream, Bart is trapped at the surreal Terwilliker Institute, where the piano teacher is a madman dictator who has imprisoned non-piano-playing musicians. He built a piano so large that it requires Bart and 499 other boys (hence, 5,000 fingers) to play it. Bart's mother has become Terwilliker's hypnotized assistant and bride-to-be, and Bart must dodge the Institute's guards as he scrambles to save his mother and himself. He tries to recruit Mr. Zabladowski, who was hired to install the Institute's lavatories ahead of a vital inspection, but only after skepticism and foot-dragging is the plumber convinced to help. The two construct a noise-sucking contraption which ruins the mega-piano's opening concert. The enslaved boys run riot, and the "atomic" noise-sucker explodes in spectacular fashion, bringing Bart out from his dream.
The movie ends on a hopeful note for Bart, when Mr. Zabladowski notices Heloise, and offers to drive her to town in his jeep. Bart escapes from the piano, and runs off to play.

Review: (If anyone watches "Paula" and does not have a lump in their throat at the end they are beyond all hope.)The "Hassidics" with the Siamese beard ("Or you will get choked by the beard of the twins With the Siamese beard With a terrible twin on each end" as it says in a deleted song) are simply the boy's two great-uncles--their photos can be seen on top of the family piano.Originally, Dr. Terwilliker did not appear in the parlor scene at the beginning.
The story involves young Bart, a free spirited little boy who is forced into piano lessons dictated by the pretentious, snobby Dr. Terwilliker (Hans Conried at his nasally best!)  In his dreams, he imagines this horrible teacher runs a prison like institute where prisoners are forced to play a silly, large piano meant for 500 piano players all at once.
T. to be held in the sinister Terwilliker Institute.The whimsical world of Dr. Seuss first saw expression in a Hollywood feature film in this fast-paced fantasy which examines a child's musical nightmare.
The action plays itself out over vast, curvaceous sets which will immediately seem familiar to readers of his books, while the brightly colored costumes make the players look like characters from the good Doctor's stories come to life.Completely dominating the movie in the title role is the marvelous character actor Hans Conried (1917-1982), gleefully breathing life into the part of the mad piano teacher who schemes to force 500 little lads into performing his compositions at a gigantic keyboard.
This was Conried's finest on-camera performance, but 1953 would also present him in the part for which he is perhaps best remembered, voicing Captain Hook in Disney's animated PETER PAN.The other three performers in the movie: Tommy Rettig as the much beleaguered boy attempting to thwart the evil Terwilliker; Mary Healy as his lovely, albeit mesmerized, Mom; and Peter Lind Hayes as a friendly, deadpanned plumber, all do very well with their roles, but their ordinariness, like that of Dorothy in Oz, make them pale in comparison beside Conried.The film, which delivers perhaps an unnecessarily nasty knock to piano teachers, does come across with some fine songs, ranging from Rettig's plaintive 'Because We're Kids' to Conried's hilarious 'Dressing Song.' Also on view is the bizarre Dungeon Dance, in which kidnapped male orchestra members present one of the most unusual terpsichorean displays ever seen in a kiddie film..
It combines a mind-boggling storyline (a kid dreams he's trapped in a castle ruled by his satanic piano teacher who is setting up a piano camp for 500 players), intriguing characters (the heroic, down-to-earth plumber, the helpless, beautiful, damsel/mother in distress, the all-American kid on the block, and the disturbing, foppish, freak of a villain, Dr. Terwilliker) weird costumes and sets, and the most outrageous songs ever conceived.
And the costumes that possibly inspired the makers of Star Trek, the hoods in this film look like the Original Klingons (Without the forehead makeup).And the wonderful music and dancing and the insane lyrics written by Dr Seuss!
The story, about a boy who dreams that his mean piano-teacher runs a surrealistic prison-school, is an adventure that holds the attention of young and old, and the excellent performances of Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy provide the "love interest" for those who find that necessary.
(Tony Butala, one of the founding members of "The Lettermen," provided his singing voice in this film.) One number, way ahead of its time -- in fact way ahead of THIS time -- makes as clear a protest as I've ever heard against adults who "push and shove us little kids around." A VERY YOUNG Hans Conried as the conceited villain will have you laughing out loud, and references to the atomic bomb should be understood in the context of a year when thousands of people were digging large holes in their back yards.
An alienated boy misunderstood by his parents at home rebels against an exacting piano teacher whom he finds out has a sinister plot to rule the world.I remember it best for its plaintive song "You Have No Right to Push Us Kids Around" later revived by Jerry Lewis in his TV appearances.
Spectacular "blow up" endings such as in James Bond movies satirized by Don Adams (Maxwell Smart) or even Mike Myers (Austin Powers) must have taken inspiration from this very early attempt at such.Much belatedly did I find out that this story is by the revered "Dr." Seuss (he is not a real doctor you know) famous for witty, whimsical stories written in cute rhyming verses about outlandish animals (Green Eggs and Ham, Cat in a Hat)but praised by educators for their effectiveness in getting children to read.
Kids will no doubt identify with the young hero, an unhappy piano student who dreams of liberating, with the help of a handsome plumber, 500 boys held captive at the mile long keyboard of his maniacal music tutor, Dr. Terwillicker (played by Mr. Fractured Flickers, Hans Conreid).
The amazing color cinematography by Franz Ploner gave this movie a great look and Al Clark's editing helped the story immensely.The principals in the film do good work under Mr. Rowland's direction.
Hans Conried's villainous Dr. T is one of the best assets of the film."The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T" is rarely seen these days, but it's worth a viewing for the sheer pleasure of the use of color and Dr. Seuss' wonderful timeless story..
Dr. Seuss must have had a similar experience, because he created the perfect piano student's nightmare of oppression by and ultimate revenge on the musical establishment.What struck me the most about seeing this film (after about a 30-year gap) was the brilliance of color: big swatches of primary colors and every shade in between.
This film delights the eyes with mind-boggling props and Daliesque sets which Fritz Lang would have loved.Tommy Rettig is a child actor with just the right amount of "cuteness factor" to make him watchable without being unbearable.
Younger children seem to enjoy it too as my kids at home have watched it several times.An enjoyable musical fantasy that is not too far removed from "The Wizard of Oz" in its look and style.
I refuse to believe that anything with such a wonderful score, such delightful and clever songs, such beguiling art direction, is REALLY telling us not to bother with the piano if we really want to learn to play it (you'll notice that one or two of the 500 children look quite upset that they don't get to play "Ten Happy Fingers"), or that artists are not to be trusted.The score and the songs and the art, and most of the ideas, are more than enough to compensate for those aspects of the production that are merely competent (there are and were directors who could have DAZZLED us with this material, from the first minute to the last).
But anyone who really thinks this really is anything other than a story about a kid who hates to practice the piano, likes to play with his dog, and wants a father--and that these are reasonable attitudes--probably is in need of a childhood themselves.
That's not to say that the film is a failure, exactly, but speaking as a big Seuss fan, it would have been much better if it had not tempered its Seussian characteristic in such odd ways.The story is basically one long nightmare (literally, that's not stated as a criticism).
But not many films, including this one, could capture the expansive, otherworldly surrealism of The Wizard of Oz. Whether it was due to budget (my suspicion) or artistry (maybe because there weren't many people experienced in creating filmic fantasy worlds?), The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T feels like it takes place exactly where it happens to take place--on a large soundstage, on economically constructed sets.Because color was still exotic enough to be an attraction in itself in 1953, Rowland sometimes dwells on colors in an obvious way.
There are other blatant devices tying The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T to its era, such as the "atomic" substance that appears in the climax.That a fuller commitment wasn't made to creating an authentic Seussian world on film (and why does it have to be a dreamworld?--Seuss' worlds are not dreamworlds, they're "real", alternate universes) means that a lot of dramatic momentum and suspense that feels like it should be there is missing instead, replaced by relatively random dream occurrences.Still, there are aspects to recommend.
While Seuss penned the 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T, the story reminds me more of Roald Dahl, clearly depicting the children overpowering the adults and putting the characters in rather horrifying situations (Case in point, as our young hero fears being punished by playing the drum forever, Dr. T corrects him by noting the man being punished is IN the drum).But if the story is reminiscent of anything, it's something like the Wizard of Oz in the mind of a young child.
Besides a tad too many musical numbers, I was really entertained by this one of a kind film.The film follows a young boy named Bart who's under the tutelage of the uber-obsessed piano teacher, Dr. Terwilliker.
This is an accurate wish-fulfilment fantasy of a nine-year-old, but what I find alienating is that it's played to the audience at face value; I suspect that I personally might have preferred Dr Seuss's original scripting of the plumber as an elderly man to be played by Karl Malden.My other problem with the film was that the excellent Hans Conreid totally steals the show from the other characters -- particularly noticeable when he and the generic blue-collar hero Peter Lind Hayes share screen time, with the latter virtually vanishing into bland nonentity.
By the big escape scene I realised, with a jolt, that as a result I was actually on the side of the villain and was thoroughly gratified to see the heroes' plans unexpectedly foiled; and while I do seem to have this frequent problem with Hollywood output, it's never a good outcome since it inevitably means you end up on the losing side!There are elements clearly recognisable as bearing Dr Seuss's imprint -- the truly bizarre dungeon ballet and Dr Terwilliker's lavish dressing song, with its love of wordplay and preposterous lyrics.
He can't even get sympathy from his friend Mr. Zbladowski (Peter Lind Hayes), the plumber.Out of Bart's fear and longing we are plunged into a nightmare that could only have come from the mind of the film's writer, Dr. Seuss.
Mostly the dream of a fatherless kid (Tommy Rettig, and he's fine) tormented by his overbearing piano teacher (Hans Conreid), it's staged on startling, angular, huge sets and filmed in saturated Technicolor the likes of which we'll never see again.
I couldn't find anyone else that remembered the movie with the kid wearing a beanie with a hand sticking out the top, and the huge, curved piano, Hans Conried, and the kooky set design.
As I watched it recently, I remembered the rumor that Dr. Seuss did not really like children, and I think this film bears that out.
The characters intrigue, with the disturbing Dr T most memorable, and the acting is great.Tommy Rettig is appealing, as are Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy, but it is the marvellous titular-role performance of Hans Conreid that dominates the film.
Visually everything is wonderful - sets and costumes are great and are true to the books.Substance takes second place to style but it contains good songs and some very sparkly dialogue (for a children's film).
There's a little boy named Bart Collins (a decent child actor in Tommy Rettig) and he is in the real world kind of pressured/forced by his harsh piano teacher Dr. Terkwilliker to keep playing and playing, and his mother (Healy) does the same.
Meanwhile there is the opposite side of Dr. T, the Nice Guy leading man Mr. Zabladowski (Peter Lynd Hayes, the only plumber I can think of with pomade in his hair all the time keeping it just perfect), and Bart needs to help him so that he won't be turned as a puppet by Dr. T (and as his mother has become in this world), or worse.This moves around with the sort of wild invention, manic and vivid set designs, and sense of continuous, rambunctious, over the top play that has made Dr. Seuss so beloved over the past century.
Then again once it gets into it, and Seuss' creative lyrics start to spout off, it's a lot of fun.Some of the movie drags here and there - yes, even at 88 minutes - primarily with a sequence involving a bunch of green-skinned men who are jumping around and playing musical instruments (it feels like 5 minutes is spent on a xylophone alone).
I should complain about the excessive musical numbers - even a black elevator operator in one scene gets a song (only black man I should note, which is strange unto itself but not uncommon for 1953) - but that's actually where the movie kind of shines and the singers do wonderfully (albeit not the actor actors I don't think, except for Hans Conreid who can do no wrong here).There are a lot of really creative ideas here, such as the device that sucks up all the air in a room and makes it sounds warped and silly, or little things like giant hands and arms that stick out of the wall and can open up doors.
The genius of Dr. Seuss's understanding of fears and insecurities of young children is quite evident in how he wrote Conried's role....and the sad and winsome song that Tommy Rettig sings alone as he feels abandoned by his only confidante, the plumber Zabrodowski after Terwillger entrances Zabrodowski with magic and tainted "pickle juice" is both touching and revealing of just how kids feel when they find they have no one, or no compassionate adult to turn to with their problems.
(Why is it that none of those 5000 fingers belonged to little girls?)Insane Dr. Seuss sets and decoration, nice songs and the spectacular dungeon-symphony scene (watch those limp-wristed zylophonists) are only a few more reasons why I love this movie..
Hans Conried (whose voice would crop up in several Seuss cartoons later) has the best role of his career as the maniacal Dr. Terwilliker, and Tommy Rettig (from the "Lassie" TV series) gives a sympathetic portrayal as put-upon young Bart.
The film is stuffed to the brim with outrageous colors, great sets (that look exactly like Dr. Seuss' books), good performances, and wonderful songs.
With a title like this I was expecting a gloriously cheap and trashy sci-fi or horror film - my initial disappointment on finding that it was a children's musical fantasy was quickly forgotten.'The 5000 Fingers of Dr T' is based on a story by Dr Seuss, who gets a co-writers credit, and produced by Stanley Kramer.
It is a wonderfully inventive, well made fantasy film with great subversive undertones - fans of 'Charlie & the Chocolate Factory' should lap it up.Tommy Rettig (later in TV's 'Lassie' series) plays Bart, the child hero, who finds himself trapped in the castle of Dr Terwilliker where a huge piano is played by 500 other kidnapped boys - hence the 5000 fingers.The film features wonderfully bizarre sets, freakish minor characters ( not unlike 'The Wizard of Oz' ), and musical numbers and dance routines which keep the narrative flowing smoothly.I really cannot praise this film enough - it is a delight from start to finish and with the renewed interest in Dr Seuss generated by Jim Carrey's turn in 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas', 'Dr T' may start to garner some of the attention it deserves..
All-American boy Bart Collins (played by the utterly elfin Tommy Rettig) is forced to endure piano lessons at the behest of one Dr. Terwilliker, his evil piano teacher (Hans Conried, chewing up ALL the scenery).
The only person that Bart can turn to is plumber August Zabladowski (Peter Lind Hayes), who Terwilliker plans to execute once he has finished his sink installations.Children's author and illustrator Dr. Seuss is a national treasure in his native U.S., yet here in the UK, his work is less known and loved.
It is like a Tim Burton masterpiece filmed 40 years early.Bart is fatherless, and his mother is hypnotized by the evil piano teacher.
Little children like Bart, played by talented Tommy Rettig  who went on to do a successful few years on TV's "Lassie", want to play outside rather than sitting at the piano and being forced to practice by their parents and the horrible piano teacher Dr. Terwilliker.
He then runs off down the street with his dog, not Lassie Personally I think that Bart, Tommy Rettig and Dr. Terwilliker, Hans Conried should have been co-stars and they both were better actors than the "mother and plumber" who were.
Bad. The film is a dream sequence by Tommy (Bartholomew Collins) and takes place in a castle ruled by his piano teacher, Dr T (Hans Conried) who is intending to put on a piano performance by 500 young boys.
Basically Bartholomew 'Bart' Collins (Tommy Rettig) lives with his widowed mother Heloise (Mary Healy), and has to practise the piano, which he hates, especially because of his teacher Dr. Terwilliker (Hans Conried), he even feels his mother has fallen under his sinister influence, and often visiting plumber August Zabladowski (Peter Lind Hayes).
While practising his piano lessons, Bart dozes off and enters the fantastical musical dream world (kind of like The Wizard of Oz) of the Terwilliker Institute.
As audacious as it is, this Technicolor musical made a few years after the end of World War II deserves more attention, especially because it remains the only full length feature film ever done with live actors from one of the greatest minds in children's literature, Dr. Seuss!
--SPOILERS-- Bart Collins (Tommy Rettig) is a prisoner to his piano instructor, Dr. Terwilliker (Han Conried).