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"The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T" Movie Review

87. "The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T "
There are just so few movies that were made, in whole, for young boys. Not teenagers, not toddlers,
but for boys 7-10. "The Invisible Boy" is one, if not necessarily a great one. Then there is
"The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T."
    It also happens to be the only feature ever written and designed by Ted Geisel (Better known as Dr. Seuss).
    You cannot escape the sound and look of the Dr. where ever you look or listen in this film, and those are the parts that are glorious.
    This story of the evil piano teacher (Hans Conried) or the heroic (eventually) plumber Mr. Zablodowski, just plain vibrates on a level that
could only be truly appreciated by the unjaded eye and ears of a kid who
went to "Grinch" school on beyond Zebra.
    There are a couple of other points to mention.
    Like "Invaders From Mars" you have to sit back and realize that this is
all part of a child's mind, and if you try to grade it any other way you lose the charm and innocence that it is bathed with.
    Secondly, you have to remember the era that this comes from.
The mystical references to things "Atomic" must be viewed in context. This was something so new as to cause any use of the word to make everyone in the neighborhood duck and cover.
    Finally, this takes place at that point in a boys life when there is no
more pristine, saintly figure in the world than your mother. She is capable of no evil, except by the control of a entity so hideous that by the mere
use of someone who is so pure she could never have had sex, much less enjoy  it, that he (the controller) must come directly from Hell itself.
    Is this a great movie? Well . . . no. It is a great time. It is unendingly enjoyable.
    You will be glad you watched, and you will have a good time. The songs are fun, if not memorable. Conried is, as always, beyond great in his
performance (As good as he was as "Uncle Tanuse" on  "Make Room for Daddy!").
    And, in these post "Brokeback Mountain" era there are a couple of moments that will get laughs for all the wrong reasons (i.e. the song "Dress me, Dress me" and the almost creepy ballet in the "Non-Piano Dungeon.")
    But, the good guys win and the bad guys lose and all is right with the world at the end. Here is the cast: Peter Lind Hayes.... August Zabladowski Mary Healy.... Heloise Collins Hans Conried.... Dr. Terwilliker Tommy Rettig.... Bartholomew Collins John Heasley.... Uncle Whitney Robert Heasley.... Uncle Judson Noel Cravat.... Sgt. Lunk George Chakiris.... Dancer And, it's by Dr. Seuss, darn it! And it's better than the Mike Myers "The Cat in the Hat" with one eye closed!

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--posted by Wayne Monday, July 10, 2006

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