The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953) on Netflix
Bart Collins endures piano lessons from the bossy Dr. Terwilliker, and believes his mother has come under the teacher's sway. Dozing at the keyboard, Bart enters a musical dream.
- Netflix3.8/5
- IMDb6.7/104,927 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes83%
Trailer
Plot summary
The widowed Heloise Collins and her son Bart live together. The worst part of Bart's days is the piano instruction he takes from the bossy and egotistical Dr. Terwilliker. Bart is certain the teacher holds some power over his mother, and he complains about it to the household's plumber, August Zabladowski, who gives him no help. While he pounds at the keys during a lesson, Bart falls asleep and slips into a musical dream.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The film was shot in the middle of a bitter feud between producer Stanley Kramer and Columbia Pictures head Harry Cohn, who forbade Kramer from directing it himself and gave the job to studio journeyman Roy Rowland. Cohn also interfered constantly by sending unwanted notes to Kramer and to Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss).
- After the success of Gerald McBoing-Boing, Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) submitted a live-action storyline for the film in 1951 and then followed it with a 1,200-page script, carrying themes of world dominance and oppression coming out of World War II.
- Jello Biafra named The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. his all-time favorite movie in a 2013 interview. An electronic duo formed in Sydney in 1994, 5000 Fingers of Dr T, also took its name from the film.
- Columbia Pictures re-released the film in 1958 under the title Crazy Music, with the entire elevator scene cut from the picture.
