IMDb > The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953)
The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.
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The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953) More at IMDbPro »

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The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953) -- Open-ended Trailer from Sony Pictures

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Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   1,677 votes
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Director:
Writers:
Dr. Seuss (screenplay) &
Allan Scott (screenplay) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 July 1953 (USA) more
Tagline:
The Wonder Musical of the Future!
Plot:
Bart has only one enemy in the world: his piano teacher Dr. Terwilliker. Dr. T has a mad plan to force... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. more
User Reviews:
Real adventure, real entertainment, and a real message. more (79 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Peter Lind Hayes ... August Zabladowski
Mary Healy ... Heloise Collins
Hans Conried ... Dr. Terwilliker
Tommy Rettig ... Bartholomew Collins
Jack Heasley ... Uncle Whitney (as John Heasley)
John Heasley ... Uncle Whitney
Robert Heasley ... Uncle Judson
Noel Cravat ... Sgt. Lunk
rest of cast listed alphabetically:

George Chakiris ... Dancer (as George Kerris)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Crazy Music (reissue title)
Dr. Seuss' 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (video title)
The Five-Thousand Fingers of Dr. T. (USA) (alternative spelling)
more
Runtime:
89 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
USA:Approved (Certificate No. 15928) | Australia:G | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Finland:K-8

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
According to producer Stanley Kramer, the film's budget would only allow him to hire 150 boys for the piano sequence, instead of the 500 boys he intended to use. When he threatened them with dismissal after they misbehaved, many of them stood up and cheered. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Dr. T catches Bart, his mother and Mr. Zabladowski trying to escape (after the fight with the twins), he is wearing a lavender coat with black trim when he first appears and says, "I, on the other hand, am inclined to doubt that." For the rest of the sequence, he wears a black coat with a pink treble clef and white stripes representing the five-line staff. more
Quotes:
Elevator operator: [Dungeon elevator song] First floor dungeon/Assorted simple tortures/Molten lead, chopping blocks and hot boiling oil/Second floor dungeon/Jewelry department/Leg chains, ankle chains, neck chains, wrist chains, thumbscrews and nooses of the very finest rope/Basement dungeon/EVERYBODY OUT! more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Pineapple Express (2008) more
Soundtrack:
Chopsticks more

FAQ

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18 out of 22 people found the following review useful.
Real adventure, real entertainment, and a real message., 18 October 2005
10/10
Author: shneur from United States

What a pity they don't make films like this anymore for children, and an even greater pity that if they did no one would watch them. This wonderful music-and-dance fantasy tale harks from the days when there actually was a "culture," and at least some movie makers, and some parents, felt it was their responsibility to pass that culture on to the next generation. The screenplay for "Dr. T" was written by none other than Dr. Seuss, including the songs, and is delightful from beginning to end. 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. The protagonist is played by Tommy Rettig -- "Jeff" of the original "Lassie" TV series -- at 12. It's interesting that so many of his pre-Lassie roles were in musicals, especially since apparently he couldn't carry a tune. (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. Watching this movie is a real and rare treat.

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Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Surprise appearance of future star dc-samurai
Re-imagined 5000 Fingers imdb-3918
How can I get the Zone 2 version of 5000 Fingers...? grose3
Formatted to fit this screen? Phyg_LeGuy
This movie sounds so familiar... mrew09
Deleted scenes. bpatrick-2
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