Reviews (22)

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T
Ted Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, wrote and helped design this eccentric fantasy about a young boy named Bart (Tommy Rettig) who, like most young boys, doesn't enjoy his piano lessons with the mean-spirited Dr. Terwilliker (Hans Conried). He figures his time would be better spent playing baseball with his friends or helping his grown-up buddy Arthur Zabladowski (Peter Lind Hayes), a plumber. One night, while fast asleep, Bart has a long and remarkable dream in which he's trapped in the kingdom of the fearsome Dr. T, who has enslaved hundreds of little boys, forcing them to practice on the world's largest piano until they drop. With the help of a familiar plumber, Bart plans a revolt that will topple Dr. T's evil empire once and for all.

This is a pretty goofy flick, but fun nevertheless. It has its share of dance numbers, and you can definitely tell that Dr. Seuss had a hand in making it. The props, characters, and one musical number in particular that Bart spies on just scream Dr. Seuss. The scene takes place in a cavern with musicians flying around playing all sorts of weird and gigantic instruments. Definitely worth watching if, you are in the mood for a goofy flick.

Genuinely Disturbing
Dr. Seuss's 5,000 Fingers

of Dr. T

Genuinely Disturbing!

Reviewed by Bruce Cantwell (visit a-movie-to-see.com)

I always thought there was something a little disturbing about Dr. Seuss. Remember the total anarchy of Cat in the Hat, the hubris of Yertle the Turtle and, of course, the parsimonious Grinch? Illustrations of negative personality traits have always had their tutorial value in children's literature, but Seuss's miscreants always seemed so vivid and his morals tagged on simply for social acceptance.

In this little nightmare, Bart Collins (Tommy Rettig) runs around wearing a "Happy Fingers" beanie, topped by a rubber hand, chased by an army of pudgy men in skin tight suits and balaclavas bearing colorful child-catching nets.

He awakens from his daydream to the stern admonitions of his piano teacher Dr. Terwilliker (Hans Conried) for whom "practice makes perfect."

Bart introduces his young and Betty Crocker beautiful war-widowed mother Mrs. Collins (Mary Healy) and surrogate father figure/plummer August Zabladowski (Peter Lind Hayes). From here, Auntie Em, we're not in Kansas anymore, but at the Terwilliger Institute where we find Bart mano a mano with Dr. T, diligently exercising his "10 Little Dancing Maidens" at the 44,000-key extended bi-level keyboard designed for 500 little boys.

The films most inseussiant highlight is a ballet sequence of by the non-pianistic instrumentalists that Terwilliker has banished to one of his dungeons. Here green skinned trumpeters, string players, percussionists, saxophonists etc. bound about in their tattered tuxes as if performing the halftime routine at the Hell Bowl. How does one play an instrument resembling a man with bells attached to his antlers? You grab him by the neck and shake him, of course. Buglers sway their instruments from right to left while overhead, a percussionist on a rope swings over to bang his drum. A half dozen men in colorful fuzzy mittens man the xylophone. Occasionally, during this bacchanale, there's a cutaway to fresh faced Bart looking on in wonderment. One only hopes he didn't have to witness the event.

There is no moral to this story and no apologies for its perversity. Did anyone have a problem with the roller skating Hassidics who fly about joined at the beard? And what about a piano teacher who wants to wear...well, check it out.

Yes, sir, it's VERY atomic!
"The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T" is a journey into the extraordinary, the unbelievable, and the entertaining. Albeit, it's wacky, but how else should the wonderful world of Dr. Seuss be? If you are up for a fantastic adventure into dreamland, than look no further!

Bart Collins is your average little boy--he loves his mom, he likes to play with his dog, and there is nothing he despises more than practicing the piano. No doubt his eccentric, but strangely captivating piano instructor, Dr. Terwilliker, has something to do with this. After a particularly trying lesson, Bart falls asleep at the ivories and is transported to the Terwilliker Institute, a prison-castle for tiny piano players like himself. He immediately attempts escape, but finds himself surrounded by a whole lot of bizarre characters, including some green-skinned musician-hostages who do not play the piano.

This colorful film may be a bit quirky, but beneath its oddity is a charming story that is sure to involve you and stimulate your imagination. Every aspect of "Fingers" is truly memorable, from the beautiful set to the catchy sing-along numbers to the original screenplay. This is a movie that the entire family will love--kids can identify with Bart and Dr. Seuss, adults can enjoy the music and choreography, and everyone will want to watch it again and again.

Once you watch "The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T," you'll see why I went crazy when I was able to tape it on TV (and went crazy when someone taped over it!). I couldn't wait until this title appeared on DVD! Get it while it's hot! :)

YOU MUST SEE THIS
This was my favorite movie as a little kid... and it still is. Its musical peices are fun for children and devilishly clever for adults. The insanity of its plot puts a smile on my face and makes me laugh even though I've seen it so many times. This is a timless classic that is good for people of all ages and is sure to make you laugh. This is just one of those films that you have to see.

Very Seussian
This movie is an excellent movie if you enjoy Dr. Seuss. It does much better than either "The Grinch" or "The Cat in the Hat" in being Seuss-like, and has a pretty good story. Some parts are highly illogical, but what do you expect? I loved it.

Oh, and I'm 13, not 12. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Mickey Spillane plays his own creation, street-thug-turned-PI Mike Hammer, in this 1963 adaptation of his novel. The film opens with Hammer on the downside of a years-long bender, scooped out of the gutter by a bitter cop intent on prying information from a dying man. Inspired to clean up his act by the secrets he hears, Hammer hits the streets on a personal crusade to find the love of his life. Future Bond girl Shirley Earton costars as a glamorous society widow who goes slumming with Hammer. Spillane, who brings the grace of a trained monkey and the sex appeal of a Bronx cheer to the role, is less a stoic, tarnished street knight than a street bum at a cocktail party, but it works for the working-class pug. The low-budget production is a rare black-and-white CinemaScope picture, rough and messy butlacking the raw edge and gritty look of more accomplished crime pictures. B-movie veteran Roy Rowland directs with a lazy pace and a prosaic style that drags until he takes his camera to streets of New York City. The definitive Hammer remains Ralph Meeker in Robert Aldrich's Kiss Me Deadly, but Spillane makes a respectable runner-up. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more