Black & White World

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953)

I’m surprised this children’s film isn’t better-known today.  I had never really heard of it until it was recommended enthusiastically by my friend Bet.  One thing I will definitely say in its favor, after dreck like the Mike Myers version of Cat in the Hat and the Jim Carrey version The Grinch, Hollywood executives might want to give Dr. T a gander to remind themselves how to capture the spirit of Dr. Suess.  Theodore Geisel himself wrote the screenplay for the film, and was involved heavily in the filming process from what I understand.

The big drawback here was the musical sequences, which were too frequent and too long.  The songs themselves weren’t very good, either.  Otherwise, this is fun family fare with good performances from Tommy Rettig (Jeff from Jeff’s Collie), Peter Lind Hayes, and the formidable Hans Conreid as the evil Dr. T.  Rettig’s hair sticks up in comical cowlicks when he’s not wearing his Dr. T beanie.  His chemistry with Hayes is very sweet, they seem to get along well.

The real star of the movie is the art direction.  It really is a Dr. Suess book come to life, and it’s an achievement that’s more astonishing judging by the fact that it was 1953.  It doesn’t look like they spent a fortune on it, either—it’s not flashy, it’s just imaginative.  Imagination is what drives Dr. Suess’s work.  It’s a shame no one’s thought to apply any to recent adaptations of his work.