The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.

Last updated
The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.
Fingers of dr t.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Roy Rowland
Screenplay by Dr. Seuss
Allan Scott
Based onStory and conception by Dr. Seuss
Produced by Stanley Kramer
Starring Peter Lind Hayes
Mary Healy
Hans Conried
Tommy Rettig
Cinematography Frank Planer A.S.C.
Edited by Al Clark, A.C.E.
Music by Frederick Hollander
Color process Technicolor
Production
companies
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • July 1, 1953 (1953-07-01)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2.75 million [1]

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. is a 1953 American musical fantasy film about a boy who dreams himself into a fantasy world ruled by a diabolical piano teacher enslaving children to practice piano forever. It was the only feature film written by Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss), who wrote the story, screenplay, and lyrics. It was directed by Roy Rowland, with many uncredited takes directed by producer Stanley Kramer. The film stars Peter Lind Hayes, Mary Healy, Hans Conried, and Tommy Rettig.

Contents

Plot

Young Bart Collins (Tommy Rettig) lives with his widowed mother Heloise (Mary Healy). The bane of Bart's existence is 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 their plumber, August Zabladowski (Peter Lind Hayes), without result. While hammering at his lessons, Bart dozes off and enters a musical dream.

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 sinks ahead of a vital inspection, but only after skepticism and foot-dragging is Zabladowski convinced to help. Having convinced him, Bart and Zabladowski free Heloise and attempt to flee, but are captured. In the dungeon, 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 down the street to play, with his dog Sport joyfully capering at his heels.

Cast

Uncredited (in order of appearance)

Production

In the wake of the success of Gerald McBoing-Boing , Geisel submitted a live-action storyline for The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. in 1951. [1] Geisel followed it up with a 1200-page script, with "themes of world dominance and oppression coming out of World War II." [1] Geisel relocated from La Jolla, California, to Los Angeles during filming to "enable him to be more involved in the production." [1] His influence on set design and choreography is also evident in the film.

Although Geisel was unaware of it at the time, his film production had landed in the middle of a bitter feud between film producer Stanley Kramer and the head of Columbia Pictures, Harry Cohn. Thus the shooting of the film was fraught from the start. Kramer had been forbidden from directing the movie himself by Cohn, and instead had appointed a studio journeyman, Roy Rowland. It also did not help that Cohn interfered constantly with the production by sending voluminous and unwanted notes to Kramer and Geisel. [2]

Hans Conried was enthusiastic about the role, saying in retrospect, "I had never had any such part before, never have since and probably never will again. We rehearsed for eight weeks before I was engaged to shoot for eight weeks, an extravagance that I as a bit player had never known ... If it had been a success, with my prominent part in the title role, it would have changed my life." [1]

Prior to release, a "preview version" was received poorly by a test audience. This prompted heavy cuts from the studio and a week of reshoots included a new opening scene. Of the original 20 musical numbers filmed in their entirety, 9 were removed. The removed songs still survive with the complete musical soundtrack. [3] The "preview version" featuring the removed footage is considered lost. Columbia Pictures released the film a second time in 1958 with the whole elevator scene cut, under the title Crazy Music. [4]

Musical score

The score was composed by Frederick Hollander with lyrics by Dr. Seuss. It earned an Oscar nomination for "Best Scoring of a Musical Picture". [1]

The singing voice of Tommy Rettig was dubbed by Tony Butala, [5] the founder of The Lettermen.

The pre-recorded piano parts were performed uncredited by veteran Hollywood studio session pianist Ray Turner (1903-1971), who was known to the public for his own recordings, and for his piano performance on the popular 1948 children's album Sparky's Magic Piano .

Musical numbers

Theatrical cut:

  1. "Opening Credits / Butterfly Ballet" — Dream Sequence
  2. "Ten Happy Fingers"
  3. "Piano Concerto (Ten Happy Fingers variation)"
  4. "Dream Stuff"
  5. "Hypnotic Duel"
  6. "Get Together Weather"
  7. "Because We're Kids"
  8. "Dungeon Ballet"
  9. "We Are Victorious"
  10. "Dressing Song / Do-Mi-Do Duds"
  11. "End Credits" [6]

Original "preview" version:

  1. "Overture/Main Title"
  2. "Ten Happy Fingers"
  3. "Piano Concerto (Ten Happy Fingers variation)"
  4. "Oh! We Are the Guards"
  5. "Many Questions"
  6. "My Favorite Note"
  7. "Dungeon Ballet"
  8. "Grindstone"
  9. "I Will Not Get Involved"
  10. "Dream Stuff"
  11. "I Won't Go to Bed/Massage Opera"
  12. "You Opened My Eyes"
  13. "Hypnotic Duel"
  14. "Because We're Kids"
  15. "Money"
  16. "Freckle on a Pygmy"
  17. "Butterfly Ballet"
  18. "We Are Victorious"
  19. "Dressing Song / Do-Mi-Do Duds"
  20. "End Credits" [7]

Reception

At the Hollywood premiere, the first patrons began to trickle out after 15 minutes. After an hour it had become a tsunami. The leading man Hans Conried was quoted as saying by biographer Suzanne Gargiulo, "At the end there was only one boy left and he was waiting for his mother to pick him up". [8] At the time it was released, the film received negative reviews from critics. [9] Bosley Crowther called the film "strange and confused" and said: [10]

this [film] is not only abstruse in its symbols and in its vast elaboration of reveries but [is] also dismally lacking in the humor or the enchantment such an item should contain.

Geisel regarded the film as a "debaculous fiasco" and omitted mention of it in his official biography. [11] He even stated after the film "Hollywood is not suited for me and I am not suited for it."

Hans Conried reflected on the film's boxoffice failure in a 1970 interview with Leonard Maltin: "The picture never made its print money back. It was comparable only to Wilson as one of the great money-losers of all time; it would stop conversation for some years at any Hollywood social gathering." [12]

21st century

The film may have fared better over the years; as of April 28,2022, it has a 82% positive Rotten Tomatoes rating. [13]

The home media releases of the film have spawned many new reviews. In 2001, Glenn Erickson wrote that the film was "another flop that has since gained the reputation of an artsy classic - a real cult film. It's colorful, energetic, and indeed can boast fine work by a cadre of talented Hollywoodians. But it's not very good." [14] Later critics were more enthusiastic. In 2002, Peter Bradshaw said the film "has charm, a riotous imagination, and some very weird dream-like sets by production designer Rudolph Sternad and art director Cary Odell"; it's "surreal, disturbing, strong meat for young stomachs." [15] In 2005, Violet Glaze of the Baltimore City Paper called the film "refreshingly tart and defiant for a children's film, its space-age-by-way-of-Caligari world parks right on the delicious side of creepy. Bring the kids, especially the smart ones." [16] In 2008, Dennis Schwartz wrote that it was "probably the best children's fantasy film ever made by Hollywood—even if it's rambling." [17] Jello Biafra named it his all-time favourite movie in a 2013 interview.

Home media

The film was released by RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video in 1991. It was then re-released in 1995, as part of the Columbia Tristar family collection. It became available on DVD in 2001 by Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment. It featured the Gerald McBoing-Boing short, Gerald McBoing-Boing's Symphony, as a bonus feature. Sony then re-released the DVD in 2008 as part of the Stanley Kramer collection. Finally, it was released as a region 1 Blu-Ray and DVD in 2016 by Mill Creek Entertainment, under licence from Sony. [18]

Soundtrack

The music that was composed for the film, including material that was not used in the extant copies of the film itself, was released as a set of 3 CDs in 2010. [3] [19] In 2007, a soundtrack CD (ACMEM126CD) was released by Él Records in association with Cherry Red Records. [6] [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dr. Seuss</span> American childrens author and cartoonist (1904–1991)

Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American children's author and cartoonist. He is known for his work writing and illustrating more than 60 books under the pen name Dr. Seuss. His work includes many of the most popular children's books of all time, selling over 600 million copies and being translated into more than 20 languages by the time of his death.

<i>Gerald McBoing-Boing</i> 1950 short film

Gerald McBoing-Boing is an animated short film about a little boy who speaks through sound effects instead of spoken words. It was produced by United Productions of America (UPA) and given wide release by Columbia Pictures on November 2, 1950. It was adapted by Phil Eastman and Bill Scott from a story by Dr. Seuss, directed by Robert Cannon, and produced by John Hubley.

<i>The Cat in the Hat</i> 1957 childrens book by Dr. Seuss

The Cat in the Hat is a 1957 children's book written and illustrated by American author Theodor Geisel, using the pen name Dr. Seuss. The story centers on a tall anthropomorphic cat who wears a red and white-striped top hat and a red bow tie. The Cat shows up at the house of Sally and her brother one rainy day when their mother is away. Despite the repeated objections of the children's fish, the Cat shows the children a few of his tricks in an attempt to entertain them. In the process, he and his companions, Thing One and Thing Two, wreck the house. As the children and the fish become more alarmed, the Cat produces a machine that he uses to clean everything up and disappears just before the children's mother comes home.

<i>Horton Hears a Who!</i> 1954 childrens book by Dr. Seuss

Horton Hears a Who! is a children's book written and illustrated by Theodor Seuss Geisel under the pen name Dr. Seuss. It was published in 1954 by Random House. This book tells the story of Horton the Elephant and his adventures saving Whoville, a tiny planet located on a speck of dust, from the animals who mock him. These animals attempt to steal and burn the speck of dust, so Horton goes to great lengths to save Whoville from being incinerated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hans Conried</span> American actor (1917–1982)

Hans Georg Conried Jr. was an American actor and comedian. He was known for providing the voices of George Darling and Captain Hook in Walt Disney's Peter Pan (1953), Snidely Whiplash in Jay Ward's Dudley Do-Right cartoons, Professor Waldo P. Wigglesworth in Ward's Hoppity Hooper cartoons, was host of Ward's live-action "Fractured Flickers" show and Professor Kropotkin on the radio and film versions of My Friend Irma. He also appeared as Uncle Tonoose on Danny Thomas' sitcom Make Room for Daddy, and twice on I Love Lucy.

<i>Hejji</i> Short-lived 1935 comic strip

Hejji is a short-lived 1935 comic strip, an early work and the only comic strip by prominent children's author Dr. Seuss. Hejji was produced by Geisel during the Great Depression, two years before the publication of his first book.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Rettig</span> American child actor (1941–1996)

Thomas Noel Rettig was an American child actor, computer software engineer, and author. He portrayed the character "Jeff Miller" in the first three seasons of CBS's Lassie television series, from 1954 to 1957, later seen in syndicated re-runs with the title Jeff's Collie. He also played the young orphan adopted by David Niven in Niven's film titled "No Identity," for the series, "Four Star Playhouse, He also co-starred with another former child actor, Tony Dow, in the mid-1960s television teen soap opera Never Too Young and recorded the song by that title with the group, The TR-4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grinch</span> Fictional character created by Dr. Seuss

The Grinch is a fictional character created by children's author and cartoonist Dr. Seuss. He is best known as the main character of the 1957 children's book How the Grinch Stole Christmas! He has been portrayed and voiced by many actors, including Boris Karloff, Hans Conried, Bob Holt, Walter Matthau, Anthony Asbury, Jim Carrey, Rik Mayall, Benedict Cumberbatch, Matthew Morrison, David Howard Thornton, and James Austin Johnson.

<i>The Cat in the Hat</i> (film) 2003 film by Bo Welch

The Cat in the Hat is a 2003 American fantasy comedy film directed by Bo Welch in his directorial debut and written by Alec Berg, David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer. Loosely based on Dr. Seuss's 1957 book of the same name, it was the second and final live-action feature-length Dr. Seuss adaptation after How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). The film stars Mike Myers in the title role along with Alec Baldwin, Kelly Preston, Dakota Fanning, Spencer Breslin, Amy Hill and Sean Hayes in supporting roles.

<i>How the Grinch Stole Christmas!</i> (TV special) 1966 American animated television special based on the book by Dr. Seuss

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a 1966 American animated television special, directed and co-produced by Chuck Jones. Based on the 1957 children's book of the same name by Dr. Seuss, the special features the voice of Boris Karloff as the Grinch. It tells the story of the Grinch, who tries to ruin Christmas for the townsfolk of Whoville below his mountain hideaway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geisel Library</span> Iconic Library at the University of California, San Diego

Geisel Library is the main library building of the University of California, San Diego. It is named in honor of Audrey and Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as children's author Dr. Seuss. The building's distinctive architecture, described as occupying "a fascinating nexus between brutalism and futurism", has resulted in its being featured in the UC San Diego logo and becoming the most recognizable building on campus.

<i>Horton Hears a Who!</i> (film) 2008 animated film by Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino

Horton Hears a Who! is a 2008 American animated adventure comedy film based on the 1954 book of the same name by Dr. Seuss, produced by Blue Sky Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film was directed by Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino, from a screenplay written by the writing team of Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. It stars the voices of Jim Carrey and Steve Carell as Horton the Elephant and Mayor Ned McDodd, respectively, alongside Carol Burnett, Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Dan Fogler, Isla Fisher, Jonah Hill, and Amy Poehler. Recurring Blue Sky collaborator John Powell composed the film's musical score. It is the fourth screen adaptation of the book following the 1970 Chuck Jones television special, the 1987 Soviet animated short, and the 1992 Russian animated short.

Bartholomew Cubbins is a fictional page, a pleasant boy, and the hero of two children's books by Dr. Seuss: The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins (1938) and Bartholomew and the Oobleck (1949). Cubbins also appears in "King Grimalken and the Wishbones", the first of Seuss's so-called "lost stories" that were only published in magazines. Besides the three printed stories about him—and the stage adaptations of both books—Bartholomew Cubbins also appears as a character in the TV show The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss. Seuss's only film, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T., has a main character named Bartholomew Collins who is based on Cubbins, and, like his namesake, is a young boy who is wiser than the adults around him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Healy (entertainer)</span> American actress (1918-2015)

Mary Sarah Healy was an American actress, singer, and variety entertainer.

Design for Death is a 1947 American documentary film that won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. It was based on a shorter U.S. Army training film, Our Job in Japan, that had been produced in 1945–1946 for the soldiers occupying Japan after World War II. Both films dealt with Japanese culture and the origins of the war.

<i>How the Grinch Stole Christmas!</i> 1957 childrens story by Dr. Seuss

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a Christmas children's book by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel written in rhymed verse with illustrations by the author. It follows the Grinch, a cranky, solitary creature who attempts to thwart the public's Christmas plans by stealing Christmas gifts and decorations from the homes of the nearby town of Whoville on Christmas Eve. Miraculously, the Grinch realizes that Christmas is not all about money and presents.

<i>The Lorax</i> (film) 2012 Illumination film

The Lorax, also known as Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, is a 2012 American animated musical fantasy comedy film produced by Illumination Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film is the second screen adaptation of Dr. Seuss' 1971 children's book of the same name following the 1972 animated television special. Directed by Chris Renaud, co-directed by Kyle Balda, produced by Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy and written by the writing team of Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, it stars the voices of Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Rob Riggle, Jenny Slate and Betty White.

Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, published over 60 children's books over the course of his long career. Though most were published under his well-known pseudonym, Dr. Seuss, he also authored a certain amount of books as Theo. LeSieg and one as Rosetta Stone.

<i>The Grinch</i> (film) 2018 animated film by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney

The Grinch, also known as Dr. Seuss' The Grinch, is a 2018 American animated Christmas comedy film produced by Illumination and distributed by Universal Pictures. The third screen adaptation of Dr. Seuss' 1957 book How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, following the 1966 television special and the 2000 live-action feature-length film, the film is Illumination's second Dr. Seuss film adaptation, after The Lorax in 2012. The plot follows the Grinch and his pet dog Max who plan to stop Whoville's Christmas celebration by stealing all the town's decorations and gifts.

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax: Original Songs from the Motion Picture and Dr. Seuss' The Lorax: Original Motion Picture Score are the albums released for the 2012 animated musical film The Lorax (2012), based on Dr. Seuss's children's book of the same name, following the 1972 animated television special. The first album consisted of several original songs written for the film, released on February 21, 2012 by Interscope Records. The second album consisted of original score composed by John Powell and released on February 28 by Back Lot Music.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Quin, Eleanor. "The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953)". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2014-08-02.
  2. ↑ Empire magazine; May 2023 issue; pages 91–92
  3. 1 2 Lunden, Jeff (January 15, 2011). "'5000 Fingers' Sings Again: A Seuss Rarity Revisited". National Public Radio. singer Michael Feinstein, who's such a fan of the movie that he spent the past 30 years gathering every scrap of music ever recorded for it — enough material to fill three CDs. And now, 57 years after its premiere, the definitive soundtrack of this kooky cult classic has finally been released. Transcript of story from the program "Weekend Edition Saturday".
  4. ↑ Gargiulo, Suzanne (2002). "Peter Pan, the Twonky, and Dr. T.". Hans Conried: A Biography; With a Filmography and a Listing of Radio, Television, Stage and Voice Work. McFarland. p. 90. ISBN   9780786413386.
  5. ↑ Davies, Bill. "5000 Fingers of Dr. T Documentary". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  6. 1 2 See the review of the 2007 CD: Eder, Bruce (2007). "The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T — Songs and Music from the Original Soundtrack". AllMusic.
  7. ↑ "The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (lost original cut of Dr. Seuss film; 1953)". Lost Media Wiki. January 20, 2018.
  8. ↑ Empire magazine; May 2023 issue; page 92
  9. ↑ Thomas Fernsch, The Man Who Was Dr. Seuss (NY: New Century Books, 2001), pp. 104-105
  10. ↑ Crowther, Bosley (June 20, 1953). "5,000 Fingers of Dr. T With Hayes, Matt Healy, Tommy Rettig, is at Criterion". The New York Times.
  11. ↑ Judith Morgan and Neil Morgan, Dr. Seuss & Mr. Geisel: A Biography (NY: Da Capo Press, 1996). p. 136.
  12. ↑ Hans Conried to Leonard Maltin, reprinted in The Real Stars, New York: Curtis Books, 1973, p. 84.
  13. ↑ "The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  14. ↑ Erickson, Glenn (April 27, 2001). "The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T". DVD Savant.
  15. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (March 28, 2002). "The 5,000 Fingers Of Dr T". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-08-02.
  16. ↑ Glaze, Violet (May 18, 2005). "The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953)". Baltimore City Paper. Archived from the original on July 29, 2007. Retrieved 2014-08-02.
  17. ↑ Schwartz, Dennis (October 15, 2008). "5,000 Fingers of Dr. T." Ozus' World Cinema Reviews. Roy Rowland (The Girl Hunters/Slander/Hit the Deck) directs this highly imaginative nightmare fantasy film, probably the best children's fantasy film ever made by Hollywood—even if it's rambling. Since it's so dark and surreal and can be subject to deep psychological analysis, it probably plays better for adults (children might be taken aback by the cruel adults and have real nightmares). ... It's as imaginatively framed as Alice in Wonderland, and follows the child's fantasy structure of The Wizard of Oz.
  18. ↑ AV media The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. DVD (region A/1) (Mill Creek Entertainment) oclc no. 956955388
  19. ↑ AV media CD Dr. Seuss's The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.: original motion picture soundtrack oclc no. 704281266 Film Score Monthly (November 2010)
  20. ↑ The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T (Songs and Music from the Original Soundtrack). El - Media Cherry Red Records. 2007. OCLC   271222456. Archived from the original (CD) on 2015-01-23. Retrieved 2014-08-02.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.