The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Roy Rowland
Produced by	Stanley Kramer
Screenplay by	Dr. Seuss Allan Scott
Starring	Peter Lind Hayes Mary Healy Hans Conried Tommy Rettig
Music by	Frederick Hollander
Cinematography	Frank Planer A.S.C.
Editing by	Al Clark, A.C.E.
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	July 1, 1953
Running time	92 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$2.75 million

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. is a 1953 American musical fantasy film. It tells the story of a boy who dreams he is in a strange world. In this dream, a mean piano teacher makes many children play the piano forever. This was the only full-length movie written by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel). He created the story, wrote the script, and even the songs. Roy Rowland directed the movie. The film stars Peter Lind Hayes, Mary Healy, Hans Conried, and Tommy Rettig.

Story of the Film

The movie follows a young boy named Bart Collins (Tommy Rettig). Bart lives with his mother, Heloise (Mary Healy). Bart really dislikes his piano lessons with the strict Dr. Terwilliker (Hans Conried). Bart feels his mom is too influenced by Dr. Terwilliker. He even complains to their plumber, August Zabladowski (Peter Lind Hayes), but it doesn't help.

While practicing piano, Bart falls asleep and has a wild musical dream.

Bart's Dream World

In his dream, Bart is stuck in a weird place called the Terwilliker Institute. Here, Dr. Terwilliker is a crazy leader. He has locked up all musicians who don't play the piano. He built a giant piano that needs Bart and 499 other boys to play it. That's why it's called "The 5,000 Fingers."

Bart's mother is also in the dream. She is under Terwilliker's spell and is going to marry him. Bart has to avoid the Institute's guards. He tries to save himself and his mother. He asks Mr. Zabladowski for help. Mr. Zabladowski is there to install bathrooms. At first, he doesn't believe Bart. But soon, he agrees to help.

Saving the Day

Bart and Mr. Zabladowski build a special machine. This machine sucks up all noise. They use it to ruin the big piano's first concert. The boys who were forced to play run wild. The "atomic" noise-sucker explodes in a huge way. This explosion wakes Bart up from his dream.

The movie ends with a happy feeling for Bart. Mr. Zabladowski offers to drive Bart's mom to town. Bart happily runs down the street to play. His dog, Sport, runs joyfully beside him.

Main Characters

• Peter Lind Hayes as August Zabladowski: The friendly plumber who helps Bart.
• Mary Healy as Heloise Collins: Bart's mother.
• Hans Conried as Dr. Terwilliker: The mean piano teacher and dream villain.
• Tommy Rettig as Bart Collins: The young boy who dreams the whole adventure.
• John Heasley as Uncle Whitney
• Robert Heasley as Uncle Judson
• Noel Cravat as Sgt. Lunk

Other Actors

Some actors had smaller parts that were not listed in the main credits:

• Henry Kulky as Stroogo
• George Chakiris as Dancer
• Tony Butala as Boy pianist
• Harry Wilson as Guard / doorman

Music in the Film

Frederick Hollander wrote the music for the movie. Dr. Seuss wrote the words for the songs. The music was so good that it was nominated for an Oscar. It was nominated for "Best Scoring of a Musical Picture".

The singing voice for Tommy Rettig (Bart) was actually done by Tony Butala. He later started the famous music group, The Lettermen.

Musical Songs

The movie has many songs and musical parts. Here are some from the version shown in theaters:

• Opening Credits / Butterfly Ballet — Dream Sequence
• Ten Happy Fingers
• Piano Concerto (a different version of Ten Happy Fingers)
• Dream Stuff
• Hypnotic Duel
• Get Together Weather
• Because We're Kids
• Dungeon Ballet
• We Are Victorious
• Dressing Song / Do-Mi-Do Duds
• End Credits

Soundtrack Release

The music from the film was released on CDs. In 2010, a set of 3 CDs came out. It included music that was not even used in the final movie. Before that, in 2007, a soundtrack CD was released by Él Records with Cherry Red Records.