History Film / The5000FingersOfDrT

The film was a miserable Main/BoxOfficeBomb and critical bust at the time of it's release (people even left the theater ''15 minutes'' into the movie during it's Hollywood premiere), and prompted Dr. Seuss to [[FranchiseKiller not produce another feature film again]], but it has since become a CultClassic, and has inspired many filmmakers today, such as Creator/TimBurton.

* ClassicVillain: Classic children's villain, even. The grumpy inflicter of the boy's hated piano lesson becomes an egotistical, grandiose, vain and autocratic dictator who speaks with SesquipedalianLoquaciousness and demands that ''everyone'' is subservient to he, ''Dr. [=TerWILLIKER=]''! Why? Because piano playing is SeriousBusiness and he knows far more than a mere ''child!''

* CreatorBacklash: Dr. Seuss was not happy at all with the way this movie turned out, referring to it as "a debaculous fiasco." He refused even to mention it in his official memoir.

* {{Defictionalization}}: "Happy Fingers" Beanies were produced after this movie came out.

* ExecutiveMeddling: The film suffered from this during production.

* HeyItsThatVoice: Dr. T is also the Grinch from "The Grinch Grinches Halloween!", Horton, Captain Hook and, as previously noted, Snidely Whiplash.

* LifeImitatesArt: Tommy Rettig went on to become an ''[[MushroomSamba acid guru]]'' in the '60s.

''The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T'' is a sadly-overlooked 1953 fantasy movie, especially notable in that it was the only time that DrSeuss ventured into the live-action film medium. In it, young Bartholomew Collins (Tommy Rettig) [[AllJustADream finds himself]] and his hypnotized mother (Mary Healy) trapped in the piano-playing Institute of the maniacal Dr. Terwilliker (Hans Conried), a villain who doesn't just chew Seuss's [[{{Bizarrchitecture}} marvelous scenery]], but engages in an [[ChewingTheScenery epic multicourse banquet]]. Bartholomew's only hope is

''The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T'' is a sadly-overlooked 1953 fantasy movie, especially notable in that it was the only time that DrSeuss ventured into the live-action film medium. In it, young Bartholomew Collins (Tommy Rettig) [[AllJustADream finds himself]] and his hypnotized mother (Mary Healy) trapped in the piano-playing Institute of the maniacal Dr. Terwilliker (Hans Conried), a villain who doesn't just chew Seuss's [[{{Bizarrchitecture}} marvelous scenery]], but engages in an [[ChewingTheScenery epic multicourse banquet]]. Bartholomew's only hope is convincing plumber August Zabladowski (Peter Lind Hayes) to help him, instead of installing the Institute's sinks.

Despite being a miserable Main/BoxOfficeBomb and critical bust at the time of it's release, and causing Dr. Seuss to [[FranchiseKiller not produce another feature film again]], it has since become a CultClassic, and has inspired many filmmakers today, such as Creator/TimBurton.

Despite being a miserable Main/BoxOfficeBomb and critical bust at the time of it's release, and causing Dr. Seuss to [[FranchiseKiller not produce another feature film again]], it has since become a CultClassic, and has inspired many people today, such as Creator/TimBurton.

* SpiritualSuccessor: ''WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory'', TimBurton movies, DerangedAnimation...

* AffablyEvil: Dr. Terwillinker IS THIS up and down and back and forth the line, he even outright states he's a villain before offering refreshments AND has a VillainSong with Ms. Collins and Mr. Zabladowski!

** OrWasItADream: Bart and Mr. Zabladowski, after Bart wakes up, still have their thumbs bandaged from their blood sharing. Mr. Zabladowski, not "remembering" the dream, doesn't know how it got there.

** OrWasItADream: Bart and Mr. Zabladowski, after Bart wakes up, still have their thumbs bandaged from their blood sharing.

** Although the next line of the song makes it clear that the "jewelery" in question is an assortment of chains and nooses.

--> '''Oh We Are The Guards:''' We are Two Terrible Twins With a Terrible Siamese Beard.
--> Don't get fresh with us now, Or you will get choked by the beard of the twins with the
--> Siamese beard, with a terrible twin on each end.

* SuperSerum: ''Pickle juice''. {{It makes sense in context}}.

** {{Or Was It a Dream}}?

** Although the next line of the song makes it clear that the "jewelery" in question is an assortment of chains and nooses

* FrothyMugsOfWater: pickle juice. "Be careful, Mr. Zabladowski. That's some ''powerful stuff!''"

* {{It Runs on Nonsensoleum}}: The VERY atomic noise-sucker.

''The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T'' is a sadly-overlooked 1953 fantasy movie, especially notable in that it was the only time that DrSeuss ventured into the live-action film medium. In it, young Bartholomew Collins (Tommy Rettig) [[AllJustADream finds himself]] and his hypnotized mother (Mary Healy) trapped in the piano-playing Institute of the maniacal Dr. Terwilliker (Hans Conried), a villain who doesn't just eat Seuss's [[{{Bizarrchitecture}} marvellous scenery]], but engages in an [[ChewingTheScenery epic multicourse banquet]]. Bartholomew's only hope is convincing plumber August Zabladowski (Peter Lind Hayes) to help him, instead of installing the Institute's sinks.

* ClassicVillain: Classic children's villain, even. The grumpy inflicter of the boy's hated piano lesson becomes an egotistical, grandiose, vain and autocratic dictator who speaks with SesquipedalianLoquaciousness and demands that ''everyone'' is subservient to he, ''Dr. [=TerWILLIKER=]''! Why? Because piano playing is SeriousBusiness and he knows far more than a mere "child".

* DastardlyWhiplash: Dr. Terwilliker. Hans Conreid was the ''voice'' of Snidely Whiplash.

* DisintegratorRay: "Hello, physics laboratory? ... I want him disentegrated...''[[NoKillLikeOverkill atom...by atom]]!''"

* ExecutiveMeddling: The film sufferered "alot" of this during production.

* HeyItsThatVoice: Dr. T is also the Grinch from "The Grinch Grinches Halloween!", Horton, Captain Hook and, as someone below said, Snidely Whiplash.

* LargeHam: Dr. Terwilliker can rant with the best of them. He ''was'' played by the voice actor of [[DudleyDoRight Snidely Whiplash]].

** It was originally described in High Octane Nightmare Fuel glory (See Third Verse Curse below).
*** Ah, but as originally written, they got off on the ''fourth'' floor dungeon, which again was not described.
**** The original version is both the scariest and the most interesting.

* {{Real Life Writes the Plot}}: Mr. Zabladowski and Mrs. Collins were married in real life when they made the picture.

* AffablyEvil: Dr. Terwillinker IS THIS up and down and back and forth the line, he even outright states he's a villain before offering refreshments AND has a VillainSong with Ms. Collins and her friend!

* AffablyEvil: Dr. Terwillinker IS THIS up and down and back and forth the line, he even outright states he's a villain before offering refreshments AND has a villain song with Ms. Collins and her friend!

* AffablyEvil

** Or a FashionVictimVillain. Or maybe both simultaneously.
* FreudWasRight: Mr. Zabladowki has to rescue Bart's mom from her '''"lock-me-tight"''', which has a [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything heart-shaped lock]] that he has to bust open.

* [[SecondVerseCurse Third Verse Curse]]: The third stanza of the "Dungeon song" was cut out due to increasingly [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids horrific]] lyrics.
--> THIRD FLOOR DUNGEON! Household appliances.
--> Spike beds, electric chairs, gas chambers, roasting pots, and scalping devices.

* HeyItsThatVoice: Dr. T is also the Grinch from "The Grinch Grinches Halloween!", Captain Hook and, as someone below said, Snidely Whiplash.

* [[ExecutiveMeddling]]: The film sufferered "alot" of this during production.

* [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ExecutiveMeddling]]: The film sufferered "alot" of this during production.

* GRatedDrug: pickle juice. "Be careful, Mr. Zabladowski. That's some ''powerful stuff!''"

* LyricalDissonance

* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids -- see LyricalDissonance. Other than that, it's fun for the family, unless you're the sort of person who has nightmares about nuclear weapons or imprisonment at a summer camp or hearing a kid practice piano scales over and over and over and over...

** Are you kidding? ''Nothing'' makes sense in context in this movie. [[YourMileageMayVary And it's wonderful.]]

* {{Bizarrchitecture}}: It is, quite literally, a Dr. Suess book brought to life. Note, for example, the Toilet Tree in the background of Bart's cellblock.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: "Bartholomew Collins" sounds a lot like "Bartholomew Cubbins", the hero of an earlier book by Dr Suess. They are both boys of about the same age, hats and the number 500 features in both stories. Dr Suess ''did'' say his original idea was warped beyond recognition...

* SpiritualSuccessor: ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'', ''WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory'', TimBurton movies, DerangedAnimation...