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The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.

JANUARY 19, 2007
Happy Fingers
This is what I believe is the only live action Dr. Suess film. Made in 1953. I first saw this at Film Forum years ago. Bart has only one enemy in the world: his piano teacher Dr. Terwilliker. Dr. T has a mad plan to force 500 young boys to practice at his magnificent piano 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Bart is the only hope to save these boys from being enslaved. Fantastic sets, screenplay, and even song lyrics were provided by Dr. Seuss. Features the only piano academy ever known to be equipped with cells and surrounded by an electric fence. According the Theodor Geisel/Dr. Seuss, the film's director, one of the 150 boys vomited on the piano while filming. This caused a chain reaction and they were left with 150 vomiting boys. Geisel said that the film's reviews were similar. 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.
© 2024 David Goldin