Family Fun Saturday - The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T

Columbia, 1953
Starring Hans Conried, Tommy Rettig, Mary Healy, and Peter Lind Hayes
Directed by Roy Rowland
Music by Frederick Hollander; Lyrics by Dr. Seuss

This is the only live-action film written by beloved children's author Dr. Seuss. He really threw himself into writing and developing this one, and was so disappointed when it was a huge flop, he refused to discuss it. It's picked up a somewhat better reputation in more recent years as audiences embrace it's odd musical numbers and wacky set and costume design. Is it a fine piano piece in the rough, or should it be blown to bits? Let's head to the home of young Bart Collins and join him in the middle of his own piano lessons to find out...

The Story: Bart (Rettig) does not like his piano lessons, or his demanding teacher Dr. Terwilliker (Conried). He wishes someone would listen to him, but his mother (Healy) thinks piano is important for his well-being, and Mr. Zablowski, the kindly plumber who works for her (Hayes), doesn't want to get involved. He drops off into a dream that has him as the first student at Dr. T's Terkwiller Institute. The insane Dr. T has built a piano so big, he needs 500 boys to play it. Bart breaks out, only to discover that his mother is marrying Dr. T under hypnosis. Zablonski is there as well, installing sinks. He doesn't believe Bart at first, until he discovers that Dr. T intends to have him killed. The duo dodge the mad doctor's truly weird guards and figure out a way to rescue Bart's mother and the kids from a lifetime of being chained to a piano.

The Song and Dance: Even if you didn't know who wrote it, it's not hard to tell that Dr. Seuss had a hand in this one. The lyrics are filled with twisty rhymes straight out of his books; the colorful and wacky sets look like live-action versions of the animated specials from the 60's, 70's, and 80's. Conried chews every bit of scenery he can as the domineering teacher who wants the instrument he adores to the the only one around. His guards and prisoners are even more wild, including the two guards connected by one beard and all the musicians he's captured literally growing moss in the dungeon.

Favorite Number: The Dungeon Ballet, as musicians who play other instruments besides the piano show Bart what they can do, is a riot of crazy moves and crazier costumes. Hayes sings the touching "Dream Stuff" with Bart when the boy first comes to him to ask for aid against Dr. T, and later joins the doctor and Bart's mother for a "Hypnotic Duel." Conried really has fun with getting ready for the big introduction of his piano in "Do Re Mi Duds."

Trivia: The movie was originally intended to be much longer, over two hours. A preview version tested poorly, and more than half the musical numbers were cut. While the cut footage has long vanished, the audio still exists, and a full version of the score can be found on CD.

What I Don't Like: As creative as this movie is, there are times when it's just too strange. The sequences as Bart is running around in the dungeons are creepy and unsettling. The premise with the kid's desire for a father and his dislike of the piano is about as 50's as you can get for a kid's movie. Hayes and Healy are stiff and not terribly interesting as Bart's mother and the man he wants to be his father figure, although Healy is hypnotized for half the movie.

The Big Finale: If you're looking for a truly original musical for kids and they can handle some of the darker moments or are Dr. Seuss fans, they may find a lot to love in this unusual tale. It has enough fun to make even a Grinch smile.

Home Media: Another movie with a cult following that makes it fairly easy to find on DVD. Along with the solo DVD and Blu-Ray, it's a part of that Musicals 20 Movie DVD set from Mill Creek Entertainment.

DVD
DVD - Musicals 20 Movies Collection
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime