Happy 60th Birthday to "The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T"

Dr. T instructs his "favorite" pupil on the mega-piano.

Dismissed by critics and filmgoers in 1953, the wonderfully weird 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T has evolved into a classic fantasy favored by fervid fans. It also holds a special place in cinema history as the only film written by Dr. Seuss expressly for the screen (he penned the original story and co-wrote the screenplay). While some of his literary works boast mischievous characters (e.g., The Cat in the Hat), none of them compares to the delightful, dastardly villain of Dr. T-- a piano teacher who imprisons 500 children and forces them to play a giant piano ad nauseum.

August the plumber and Bart hatch a scheme.

Much of The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T is presented as the dream of Bart Collins (Tommy Rettig), a young boy forced by his widowed mother to take piano lessons from the overbearing Dr. Terwilliker. In his dream--which comprises most of the movie--Bart transforms Terwilliker into the evil Dr. T, who has hypnotized Bart's mother and plans to marry her! The young boy enlists the aid of plumber August Zabladowski (Peter Lind Hayes) and sets out to thwart Dr. T's despicable plans. Oh, did I mention that The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T is a musical?

Dr. T looking very royal!

As in many of Dr. Seuss's children's books, the presentation matters more than the plot. Dr. T's nightmarish castle--which favors a purple, blue, and green color scheme--includes a giant harp, a hooded elevator operator that looks like an executioner, a pair of rollerskating twins who share the same beard, and, of course, that gigantic piano. Rudolph Sternad's colorful, expressionistic sets can be best described as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari meets The Wizard of Oz. His work should have received an Academy Award nomination. Still, it was recognized where it mattered most--Sternad collaborated with producer Stanley Kramer on 21 films, including classics such as High Noon, Inherit the Wind, and The Defiant Ones.

The elevator operator, Bart, and August.

The only Oscar nomination received by The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T was for the music score by Friedrich Hollaender and Morris Stoloff. Dr. Seuss wrote the lyrics for the songs, with the most famous one being The Dungeon Song which was sung by the aforementioned hooded elevator operator. He describes each floor of Dr. T's castle in the song, but seemingly omits the third floor. That's because those lyrics were considered too horrific and were later edited out of the film. However, so you can judge for yourself, here they are:

Third floor dungeon:

Household appliances,

Spike beds, electric chairs,

Gas chambers, roasting pots,

And scalping devices.

Hans Conried as Dr. T.

Yet, despite the stylish sets and memorable songs, the success of The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T hinges on its villain, who must be threatening and fun. No one could play the role better than Hans Conried, a well-regarded stage actor whose distinctive voice breathed life into Captain Hook in Disney's Peter Pan and Snideley Whiplash on the "Dudley Do-Right" cartoons in The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. Conried, who had a long, successful career in film and television, was also a member of The Mercury Theatre, the famous repertory stage company founded by Orson Welles and John Houseman. For many television viewers, though, Conried is best remembered as Uncle Tonoose on several episodes of Danny Thomas' Make Room for Daddy.

Ted Geisel and the Grinch.

Although The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T is widely regarded as a fantasy classic today, it was a huge box office flop when originally released. It was panned by critics, too, though not everyone was unkind (Variety called it "sometimes fascinating, more often fantastic"). The harshest critic, though, was Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. In their book Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel: A Biography, Judith and Neil Morgan wrote: 

But for years, Ted grew grim at any mention of the film, and declined to list it in his official Random House biography. He called the making of The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T the greatest "down period" of his career. "As to who was most responsible for this debaculous fiasco, I will have nothing more to say until all the participants have passed away, including myself." 

While no one can deny Dr. Seuss's talent as a children's author, film criticism apparently wasn't his forte. The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T has exhibited an enduring appeal over the last 60 years. It has never achieved the mainstream success of Oz or Disney's fantasies, but its quirky look, delightfully odd songs, and the marvelous Hans Conried have made it a film to be treasured by children of all ages--even adults.

You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch -- But We Love You

From it's debut on television in 1966 to the present day, How the Grinch Stole Christmas has become a staple as a special Christmas movie for many of us.  It has everything -- the great Boris Karloff lending his smooth, deep voice to the narration as well as the voice of the Grinch; the great Chuck Jones as producer and director (Jones created Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, Pepe le Pew, and his unforgettable cartoons What's Opera, Doc, Duck Amuck and One Froggy Evening were accepted by the U.S. National Film Registry); and of course the great Dr. Seuss (Ted Geisel), whose books reflect the genius and incredible creativity of this one-of-a-kind writer.  How could you go wrong?

Dr. Seuss was not enthusiastic about his book being animated and made into a television story, but he and Chuck Jones had been friends for years, and, fortunately for us, Jones convinced Seuss to agree. Dr. Seuss worried that the voice of Boris Karloff would be too scary for children, but again was reassured by Jones.  Actress June Foray provided the voice of Cindy Lou Who, and singer Thurl Ravenscroft sang the the famous title song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch."  Ravenscroft was not given credit for his work in the original showing, but Jones went to great lengths to correct that omission.  Ravenscroft is also known as the voice of Tony the Tiger in commercials for Frosted Flakes cereal.

The story of the Grinch is well known.  He is a bitter and hateful creature who lives in a cave high up on a mountain above Whoville.  The Whos are a peace-loving happy people who look forward to Christmas.  The Grinch hates Christmas.  Actually, he hates everything.  He conceives a dastardly plot to ruin Christmas for the Whos.  He creates a travesty of a Santa Claus suit and decides to go down the mountain as Santa.  He takes with him his dog, Max, the character that for me just about stole the show.  Max is a happy little dog who accepts his bad treatment at the hands of the Grinch and hopes for better things.  When the Grinch decides to make Max look like a reindeer, he puts antlers on his head which are too heavy for the little dog.  The Grinch removes antlers one by one until finally Max is able to stand, with only one antler left tied to the top of his head.  

The Grinch and Max make their way down the mountain in a sleigh with large sacks -- the Grinch intends to steal all of the decorations, trees, everything that the Whos have put up to celebrate Christmas.  He even steals their food, including roast beast (I always loved that one).  Little Cindy Lou Who interrupts the Grinch as he stuffs her Christmas tree up the chimney.  With his usual slick slyness, the Grinch convinces Cindy Lou that he is taking the tree to fix it.  The little girl believes what Santa Claus says, and goes back to bed.  The Grinch smiles his evil smile and finishes clearing Cindy Lou's house of all the decorations.  He and Max make their way up the mountain, poor Max trying his best to pull the heavy sleigh and not having much luck with it.  The scenes of Max and the sleigh are some of the best in the show.  But just as the Grinch positions the loaded sleigh over the peak of a cliff to destroy the Christmas trinkets, he hears the Whos singing their Christmas song, full of joy.  The Grinch marvels that even without their decorations and toys, the Whos still know the meaning of Christmas and give thanks for the day.  The Grinch finds himself changed as well.  

How the Grinch Stole Christmas must be seen to be truly enjoyed and appreciated.  It is a wonderful story of Christmas and the real meaning behind it.  It is also just hilarious.  For me, no Christmas would be complete without watching the Grinch.