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Original title: The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.

19531953
K-8K-8
1h 29min

A young boy dreams that he is in an imaginary world where, assisted by his family's plumber, he must save other piano-playing kids like himself from the dungeons of his dictatorial piano tea... Read allA young boy dreams that he is in an imaginary world where, assisted by his family's plumber, he must save other piano-playing kids like himself from the dungeons of his dictatorial piano teacher who also mind-controls his mother.A young boy dreams that he is in an imaginary world where, assisted by his family's plumber, he must save other piano-playing kids like himself from the dungeons of his dictatorial piano teacher who also mind-controls his mother.

6.8/10

Director
- Roy Rowland
Writers
- Dr. Seuss(screenplay)
- Allan Scott(screenplay)
Stars

Top credits

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 nomination total

Videos2

Trailer 0:53

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.

Trailer 2:05

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T

Poster for (1983) rerelease, 30 x 45 Movie Poster

Tommy Rettig in The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953)

Hans Conried and Tommy Rettig in The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953)

Hans Conried, Peter Lind Hayes, and Tommy Rettig in The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953)

Director
- Roy Rowland
Writers
- Dr. Seuss(screenplay) (story and conception)
- Allan Scott(screenplay)
All cast & crew
See more cast details at IMDbPro

The bane of young Bart Collins' existence is the piano lessons he's forced to take under the tutelage of Dr. Terwilliker, the only person he detests because of his dictatorial nature. Bart feels that Dr. Terwilliker has undue influence on his widowed mother Heloise. Bart constantly daydreams of a place--the Terwilliker Institute--at which the evil madman is its overlord. The mad doctor's built a piano so immense that it needs 500 children to play it. —Huggo

surrealism music teacher dream world cigar smoking playing piano 64 more

Taglines
- The new kind of entertainment that's got everything including the kitchen sink - and it's got 500 of those!
Genres
Certificate
- K-8
Parents guide

Trivia
When Bart and Mr. Zadlabowski are taken to the dungeon via elevator, there is no reference to a third floor dungeon by the Elevator Operator. The third stanza of the Elevator Operator's song was cut due to increasingly horrific lyrics referring to household appliances. The complete deleted stanza went as follows: "Third floor dungeon, household appliances/Spiked beds, electric chairs/Gas chambers, roasting pots/And scalping devices." (The reference to "gas chambers" was probably regarded as in bad taste since the film was made so soon after World War II and the Holocaust.)

Goofs
Various times through the movie, Heloise Collins's pink scarf alternates from her shoulder/arm, changing positions occasionally.

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!

Connections
Edited into TNT 100% Weird (1992)

Soundtracks
Dream Stuff
Music by Friedrich Hollaender (as Frederick Hollander)
Lyrics by Dr. Seuss
Performed by Peter Lind Hayes Tommy Rettig (dubbed by Tony Butala)

Top review

It will leave you feeling rather uncomfortable

This movie is one of the most bizarre and random films I have ever seen. 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. Among my favorites are the "Doe-me-doe" dress up song, "The Dungeon Song," and "We are Victorious!" Any orchestra geek will get a kick out of the dungeon ballet. This is a terrific film to scare your friends or corrupt your children. I highly recommend it to anyone with an unbalanced imagination.

Also recommended: The Brave Little Toaster, Time Bandits, Happily Ever After: a Snow White Tale, The Never Ending Story, Nightmare Before Christmas and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

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