FSM: The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953) / Kung Fu/Man in the Wilderness (1973, 1971)

[Beaverhausen]

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

Composed by: Frederick Hollander

View CD Page at FSM Site (More Details)

Long before the Grinch ever gave a thought to stealing Christmas, the fertile and inexhaustible imagination of Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) conceived a different but equally memorable villain: Dr. Terwilliker. The autocratic and maniacal piano teacher known as Dr. T. holds 500 young boys captive in his castle-like Happy Finger Institute in order to present a concert featuring 5,000 fingers on a giant piano of his own invention. The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953) is the only live-action film featuring an original story, script and lyrics by Dr. Seuss. It is a cult favorite, but its extensive musical score has never been available in any authorized (or complete) formuntil now.

The music for The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. was written by Frederick Hollander, whose Falling In Love Again from The Blue Angel is one of the most famous songs ever written for film. The 17 diverse songs Hollander composed for Dr. T. encompass lyric ballads, mock-operatic recitative, Gershwinesque swing and up-tempo Broadway; he also wrote two extensive ballet sequences for the film. Heinz Roemheld and Hans J. Salter added additional dramatic underscore, based on Hollanders themes.

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. was heavily edited prior to release, with only 6 songs remaining in the picture. With this 3CD release, Film Score Monthly has lovingly recreated the authors complete original conception of the musica painstaking restoration effort that involved many years of scouring the globe for the best-sounding copies of rare acetate discs (the only surviving music masters from the production). All of Hollanders songs, both ballet sequences in their entirety and most of the underscore (including much that wasnt used in the final film) are presented on the first disc and the beginning of disc 2.

But that isnt allthe rest of disc 2 features alternate versions and additional material, including orchestra-only tracks of several of the songs (Karaoke Seuss, anyone?). Disc 3 comprises archival piano recordings played by Hollander himself, revealing some of his early ideas for the music; pre-production piano recordings made for rehearsal purposes; and all the major song and dance sequences exactly as they are heard in the finished film.

This long-awaited release of the Dr. T. soundtrack is the result of several producers, including Mike Matessino, Neil Bulk, FSM's Lukas Kendall, as well as popular entertainer Michael Feinstein (whose peerless devotion to promoting and preserving American theatrical song is well-known). The 40-page bookletwith colorful and irreverent Seuss-inspired graphics designed by FSMs Joe Sikoryakincludes film stills, publicity materials and production photos. Alan Lareau, who is writing a biography of composer Hollander, wrote the informative essay and detailed track analysis.

This labor of love, which rescues and regenerates a significant work that has never before been fully heard in any form, is a must-buy for children of all ages!

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.

Original Music by Frederick Hollander

Musical Direction by Morris Stoloff

Additional Music by Hans Salter, Heinz Roemheld and Bob van Eps.

Lyrics by Dr. Seuss (Ted Geisel). Additional Lyrics by Jack Brooks.

DISC ONE

Music for the Original Version

Main Title (original) 1:40

Ten Happy Fingers 1:04

Before Concerto/Theme and Variations 4:24

After Transition 2:24

Meeting the Twins/The Uncles Skating Waltz 4:05

Balloon Cue/Finding Mom/Why, Why, Why 1:10

Many Questions 2:32

Enter Dr. T./Hypnotic Chant 1:19

Take an Essay/Terwillikers Do Re Mi 2:36

Search and Chase/Bart Kicks 4:04

The Dungeon 0:26

Bart Kicks 0:43

Dungeon Shlim Shlam 5:41

Bart Runs/After Shlim 1:46

Lead to Grindstone/The Grindstone 0:49

Lead to Involved/I Will Not Get Involved 1:08

Bart Miffed 0:23

Pete Rows/Dream Stuff/Dream Stuff Reprise 3:07

Massage Opera 2:56

Some Prisoner 0:37

Love is Grand/You Opened My Eyes 3:04

Love Song Lead-In/Hypnotic Duel 1:53

New Lead-In to Get Together Weather/Get Together Weather 2:40

Go On/Kids Song 1:55

Bart Goes for Money 0:21

Money 1:09

Track Down Dr. T./Dr. T.s Bedroom 5:02

The Flower Pot Chase 2:08

Freckle on a Pygmy 2:16

Mound Country/Before Ballet 1:45

Butterfly Ballet 3:02

Rescuing Mother 1:08

Mrs. C. Freed/Intro to Twins Death 2:34

Drum Roll/Victory Procession 2:36

Total Disc Time: 76:07

DISC TWO

Follow Me/The Whammy/Dungeon Elevator 3:34

The Cage 1:01

The Chase 1:01

Cut to T./Dressing Song 2:37

It Works/Atomic Success/Presenting Dr. T. 2:23

Chopsticks 0:34

Reality/ End Title 2:22

Finale 0:35

Total Time: 14:24

Total Score Time: 90:31

Alternate Versions and Additional Material

Main Title (new) 2:31

Search and Chase (alternate sequence) 1:16

Roller Skating Waltz Insert 1:02

Many Questions (alternate) 2:21

Up and Down, Part 1/End of Up 1:04

I Will Not Get Involved (alternate) 1:09

Pete Rows (alternate) 0:38

Bart in Hall 0:06

Say, Dr. T./Hypnotic Duel 1:54

Freckle on a Pygmy (alternate) 2:16

Dungeon Elevator (alternate) 2:06

Dressing Song (alternate vocal) 2:32

Reality (revised) 0:50

Finale 0:34

Total Time: 21:06

Orchestral Tracks of the Songs

The Uncles Skating Waltz 3:22

Many Questions 2:18

Terwillikers Do Re Mi 2:07

Dream Stuff 2:27

You Opened My Eyes 2:43

Get Together Weather 2:20

Kids Song 1:43

Victory Procession 2:33

Dungeon Elevator 1:45

Dressing Song 2:32

Total Time: 24:25

Total Disc Time: 59:57

DISC THREE

Composer Sketches

Main Title 1:49

Ten Happy Fingers 1:07

The Boys Theme 0:56

Childhood Theme 2:43

Many Questions 1:27

I Will Not Get Involved 0:47

One Moment 1:48

Kids Song 1:26

The Plumbers Song (Freckle on a Pygmy) 3:06

Count Me Out 0:39

Valse Phantastique 2:03

Total Time: 18:21

Pre-Production Material

The Uncles Skating Waltz 2:09

Dream Stuff (first version) 0:52

Dream Stuff (second version) 1:19

Massage Opera 2:30

Get Together Weather 1:05

Butterfly Ballet 2:36

Victory Procession 2:58

Dressing Song 2:42

Dungeon Shlim Shlam 3:03

Total Time: 19:45

Soundtrack Cuts

Main Title/Butterfly Ballet 3:06

Ten Happy Fingers 1:04

Before Concerto/Happy FingersTheme and Variations 1:08

Dream Stuff 2:47

Hypnotic Duel 1:38

Get Together Weather 2:19

Kids Song 1:54

Dungeon Shlim Shlam 5:45

Twins Death 1:07

Victory Procession 2:37

Dungeon Elevator 1:18

Dressing Song 2:39

End Title 0:31

Total Time: 28:36

Total Disc Time: 66:40

THE 5,000 FINGERS OF DR. T. -- SCREEN ARCHIVES ENTERTAINMENT

Kung Fu/Man in the Wilderness (1973, 1971)

First Time on CD

Composed by: Johnny Harris, Jim Helms

View CD Page at FSM Site (More Details)

FSM debuts on CD two LPs released on Warner Bros. Records in the early 1970s: Kung Fu (1973) and Man in the Wilderness (1971).

Kung Fu was a highly successful ABC-TV series starring David Carradine as a Chinese-American Shaolin priest who, having accidently killed the Chinese emperors nephew, finds himself a fugitive in the American West. Flashbacks to Carradines early training with his Chinese mentors, Master Po and Master Kan, were a unique feature of each show.

One of the series most evocative elements was its musiccomposed, arranged and conducted by Jim Helms. Using a modest, string-based ensemble augmented by exotic colors like recorder and harpsichord and rare percussion instruments such as Chinese temple bells and waterphone, Helms created a unique but subdued background for the shows unusual blend of Western action and Eastern philosophy. Each episode also featured the series evocative signature tune, which the producer called one of the prettiest themes in the history of television.

After the success of the first season, Warner Bros. Records issued a concept album LP with music and dialogue from the show. Helms re-recorded his score with a larger (45-piece) orchestra for the music-only selections and an 8-piece ensemble for the dialogue tracks. This FSM re-release features authoritative notes by Jon Burlingame, including excerpts from interviews with Helms and several of his colleagues.

Man in the Wilderness was a gritty and violent survival movie starring Richard Harris as a grievously wounded fur trapper who fights his way back from near-death only to find a new peace with himself and his foes. To score the film, Harris chose his friend Johnny Harris (no relation), who had worked as an arranger and conductor on some of the actors pop vocal albums. The music is often spare, always moody and evocative, and occasionally muscularthe robust march which opens the film is balanced by a gentle and reflective theme (introduced on a music box) for the principal character. There is also a pioneering use of synthesizer in the music for the Arikara Indians. Liner notes by Jeff Bond and Alexander Kaplan include new interview comments by the composer.

Both scores have been newly remastered from the original 1/4" stereo album tapes. The 28-page booklet designed by Joe Sikoryak includes original album art and liner notes, plus the usual informative track-by-track commentary. FSM is proud to make these rare soundtracks available once again, in the best possible sound and at an affordable (not collectors) price.

Music and Dialogue From the Warner Bros TV Series: Kung Fu

Starring DAVID CARRADINE Produced by JIM HELMS

Music Composed, Arranged and Conducted by Jim Helms

Caines Theme 3:13

(a) The Shaolin Temple (1:58)/( The New Student (1:31)/© Ten Times Ten (1:25) 4:54

The Ancient Warrior/Shawns Theme 3:16

(a) A Childrens Game (1:55)/( Divine Strength (1:14) 3:09

Alethea/Su Yen 2:45

Grasshopper 1:01

(a) Power of the Other (1:06)/( The Lotus Pond (1:48)/© One With Nature (1:02) 3:56

Dark Angel (Hymn) 1:57

(a) On Evil (1:38)/( The Peaceful Path (1:27)/© Time of the Soul (1:05) 4:10

King of the Mountain/An Eye for an Eye 2:45

The Search 1:36

Sign of the Dragon 0:11

Total Time: 33:25

Original Soundtrack From the Motion Picture: Man in the Wilderness

Music Composed, Conducted, Arranged and Produced by Johnny Harris

Main Title (Capt. Henry Theme) 2:53

Zach Discovers Water 1:16

Shadows of Reckerys 2:26

Zach Makes His Bed 2:04

Zachs Music Box 0:36

Zach Bass Theme 1:59

Mandam Massacre 1:44

Lost Horizons Part One 1:28

Lost Horizons Part Two 1:20

Henry Meets Redthorn 1:27

Henry Continues 1:08

Zach Goes Mountain Climbing 1:06

Survival Time 4:06

Zach Bass Theme 1:58

Zach Meets Redthorn 0:48

Zach Goes for Henry 3:18

Finale (Zach Bass Theme) 1:53

Total Time: 32:12

Total Disc Time: 65:44

KUNG FU / MAN IN THE WILDERNESS -- SCREEN ARCHIVES ENTERTAINMENT

[Beaverhausen]

ist irgendwie bei allen untergegangen hier einzustellen,... nach 24std mach ich das also mal:)

[BigMacGyver]

Also 5,000 fingers klingt schon irgendwie schick. Trotzdem nicht interessant genug für einen sofortkauf. Von dem kung-fu album mit soundeffekten fange ich lieber garnicht erst an.

[Handstand]

Ich werde mir wohl KUNG FU/MAN IN THE WILDERNESS zulegen. Dialoge sind ärgerlich, aber insgesamt klingen die Samples der gesamten CD für mich gut. Die 5000 FINGERS klingen auch interessant, aber darüber werde ich wohl noch etwas brüten müssen.

Bearbeitet 9. November 2010 von Handstand