Review #330: 'The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T' (1953)

Bart Collins (Tommy Rettig) hates playing the piano. His egotistical piano teacher Dr. Terwilliker (Hans Conried) insists he perfects his art for an upcoming performance that will prove Terwilliker the greatest teacher. Bart drifts off into a sleep, where he dreams of an alternative world where he is imprisoned in Terwilliker's castle, who also has Bart's mother Heloise (Mary Healy) under his control in a trance-like state. Terwilliker forces Bart to practice on his giant piano where he plans to capture 500 children to perform all at once. 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. Works like How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Cat in the Hat have been made popular by recent Jim Carrey and Mike Myers movie vehicles, but I went into this film not really knowing what to expect, with this being Dr. Seuss' sole movie writing credit. Dr. T. plays out like The Wizard of Oz (1939) with less colour, campness, and much more imagination. The songs that Seuss wrote for the film are instantly forgettable, so the film works less as a musical, and better as a rather strange and twisted children's fantasy.

The sets are the film's main strength. From the start, which has Bart fleeing from a group of men with different coloured nets in a barren, futuristic and industrial landscape, to Terwilliker's gigantic piano hall, the film is rich with imagination. I can only assume the set designers were influenced by German expressionism, as it immediately brought Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (1920) to mind, all jagged angles and exaggerated features. Dr. T is occasionally ridiculous, but the film's heart and playfulness make it a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and features a surprisingly annoying-light central performance by young Rettig.


Directed by: Roy Rowland
Starring: Peter Lind Hayes, Mary Healy, Hans Conried, Tommy Rettig
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie