#lyric rettig

[rettiglegacy]

Lavender has joined the social media career path and is slowly gaining a following on simstagram.  She hosted New Year’s Eve at her place but it was a bit of a flop honestly.  Her older siblings were unimpressed to see her and Naksh’s new place and it’s lack of basic necessities. 

[waking-hell]

Saviour // Pressure And Composure

[dweemeister]

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953)

Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, remains best-known for his children’s books. The Cat in the Hat; Green Eggs and Ham; and Oh, the Places You’ll Go! are household names in English-language literature. Seuss’ bibliography overshadows his work in films, beginning with the adapted screenplay of his own book, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins (1943) – directed by George Pal as part of the Puppetoons series. During WWII, Seuss was heavily involved in propaganda films and the Private Snafu (1943-1946) military training films. After the war’s end, Seuss returned to writing children’s books, but also continued to write for movies. The Academy Award-winning animated short film Gerald McBoing-Boing (1950) benefitted from Seuss’ story work, and Seuss’ success there inspired him to write a screenplay for a live-action fantasy film. That screenplay – the unwieldy rough draft coming in at over 1,200 pages – was The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. The eventual movie, produced by Stanley Kramer (1960’s Inherit the Wind, 1961’s Judgment at Nuremberg) and directed by Roy Rowland (1945’s Our Vines Have Tender Grapes, 1956’s Meet Me in Las Vegas) for Columbia Pictures, would be Seuss’ only involvement in a non-documentary feature film.

Like many who speak English as their first language, Dr. Seuss’ books graced my early childhood. So integral to numerous children’s youth is Seuss that his whimsy, wordplay, and authorial stamps are easily recognizable. In that spirit, the cinematic record of live-action Seuss adaptations consists of the scatological Jim Carrey in How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) and the visual nightmare that is Mike Myers as The Cat in the Hat (2003). Compared to the original works, both films are ungainly, casually cruel, and overcomplicated. Not promising company for Dr. T. But even taking into account the three animated feature adaptations of Seuss – Horton Hears a Who! (2008), The Lorax (2012), and The Grinch (2018) – and the fact that Columbia forced wholesale deletions from the rough draft script of Dr. T to achieve a feasible runtime, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T is arguably the most faithful feature adaptation to Dr. Seuss’ authorial intent and signature aesthetic.

In other words, this is one of the strangest films you may ever encounter. No synopsis I could write in one paragraph will ever capture the film’s bizarreries.

Little Bart Collins (Tommy Rettig) is asleep during piano practice and his teacher, Dr. Terwilliker (Hans Conried), is furious. His overworked, widowed mother Heloise (Mary Healey) intuits Terwilliker’s unrealistic expectations (Terwilliker wants to teach the next Paderewski) towards Bart’s piano skills and inability to concentrate. Heloise also appears to be quietly eyeing the plumber August Zabladowski (Peter Lind Hayes) and his wrench. With the lesson done for the day, Bart falls asleep again. This time, he dreams that Terwilliker is now the leader of the Terwilliker Institute, a pianist supremacy mini-state which is built upon five hundred young pianist slave boys (hence, 5,000 fingers) forcibly playing Terwilliker’s latest compositions. His mother is Terwilliker’s unwilling, hypnotized assistant and plumber August Zabladowski (Hayes is essentially playing the same character, but in a different world) is Bart’s only ally around. Together, Bart and Mr. Zabladowski must evade the Institute’s guards as they attempt to undermine Terwilliker’s plans for his next concert.

In its final form, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T is a muddled mess of a story. The analogues between Bart’s reality and his dreams are inconsistent, several would-be subplots never resolve (or at the very least develop beyond a basic idea), and the film’s initial lightness is subject to rapid mood swings that make this picture feel disjointed. Indeed, Seuss’ sprawling social commentary in his first draft – including allegories and themes of post-WWII totalitarianism, anti-communism, and atomic annihilation – is in tatters in this final product. The viewer will witness brief fragments of those ideas, remaining in this movie as the barest of hints of the contents of the original screenplay’s rough draft. Even now, Dr. T inspires psychiatric analyses and accusations that Bart’s relationship with his mother reveals signs of an Oedipal complex (to yours truly, the latter is too much of a reach). The grim nature of Terwilliker Institute renders Dr. T unsuitable for the youngest children. For older children and adults, try going into this movie without expectations of narrative logic and embrace the grotesque aspects that only Seuss could imagine.

If my attempts to describe this movie’s preposterousness through its narrative and screenwriting approach have failed, perhaps I can capture that for you by writing on its technical features.

For its sheer narrative inventiveness – inconsistencies, abrupt tonal shifts, nonsense, and Rowland’s uninspired direction aside – The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T is nevertheless an ambitious film, and Columbia bequeathed a hefty budget to match that ambition. Much of that budget went to the film’s visuals. This is an extravagantly-staged motion picture, as nothing could do Dr. Seuss’ illustrations justice without fully committing to his geometric impossibilities: skyward ladders and improbable connections between rooms, an eschewal of right angles and straight lines, and architecture bound to raise the ire of physics teachers. One could compare this to German Expressionism, but Dr. T’s sets tend not to dictate the film’s mood nor are they subject to high-contrast lighting. Seuss went uncredited as the concept artist on Dr. T, and it was up to Clem Beauchamp (1935’s The Lives of a Bengal Lancer, 1952’s High Noon) and the uncredited matte artists to commit those visuals to the real world. Outside of animated film, Beauchamp and the matte artists succeed in creating twisted sets that seem to leap off the pages of Seuss’ most artistically interesting books. Some of the sets appear too stagebound, but the production design accomplishes its need to resemble a world borne from a fever dream (or, at least, a young pianist’s nightmare).

This movie’s outrageous costume design (other than Jean Louis’ gowns for Mary Healey, the costume designer/s for this film are uncredited) comprises absurd uniforms and two of the most ludicrous hats – the “happy fingers” cap (see photo at the top of this write-up) and whatever the hell Terwilliker dons in the film’s climax – one might ever see in a film. Most of the costumes are laughably impractical and ridiculous to even those without fashion sense. In what might be the tamest example, while working under Terwilliker, Bart’s mother wears a suit that is all business formal on the left-hand side and bare-shouldered, sleeveless, and nightclub-y on the right. The delineation of real life – which barely features in the film’s eighty-nine minutes – and this world of Bart’s dreams could not be any more unambiguous thanks to the combination of the production and costume design work.

The disappointing musical score by Fredrich Hollaender (1930’s The Blue Angel, 1948’s A Foreign Affair) and song lyrics by Seuss rarely connects to the larger narrative unfolding. Seven songs make the final print, with nine (yikes!) Hollaender-Seuss songs ending up on the cutting room floor. Seuss’ wordplay is evident, as are Hollaender’s melodic flourishes. Columbia, a studio not known for its musicals, assembled a 98-piece orchestra – the largest musical ensemble to work on a Columbia film at the time – for The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T alone. That lush sound is apparent throughout for the numerous nonsense songs that color the score in addition to the incidental score. It is unusual to listen to a collection of novelty songs orchestrated so fully. Listen to “Dressing Song: Do-Mi-Do Duds” and its complicated, seeming unsingable lines:

Come on and dress me, dress me, dress me In my peek-a-boo blouse With the lovely inner lining made of Chesapeake mouse! I want my polka-dotted dickie with the crinoline fringe For I'm going doe-me-doe-ing on a doe-me-doe binge!

The rich orchestration seems to hail from a more lavish film. But too many of these songs are scene-specific, and rarely does Hollaender utilize musical quotations from these songs into his score. “Get Together Weather” is delightful, but it seems so isolated from the rest of the film; elsewhere, “The Dungeon Song” exemplifies a macabre side to Seuss seldom appearing in his books. Nevertheless, Hollaender is able to demonstrate his playfulness across the entire film, none moreso during any scene with the bearded, roller-skating twins and the “Dungeon Ballet”, in which the music complements stunning choreography and fascinating props that recall the jingtinglers, floofloovers, tartookas, whohoopers, slooslunkas, and whowonkas from the Christmas television special How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966). Yet, Hollaender’s film score and the soundtrack with Seuss seems to demand something – anything – to tie the entire compositional effort together. Perhaps a song or some cue like that was cut from the film, which is ultimately to its detriment.

Hans Conried (who starred as Captain Hook in Disney’s Peter Pan several months prior to Dr. T’s release) stands out from a decidedly average Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healey – Hayes and Healey, in a sort of in-joke, were married. Conried’s performance as the sadistic, torture- and imprisonment-happy music teacher can be considered camp, but this is anything but “bad” camp. He throws himself completely into this cartoonish role, sans shame, complete with mid-Atlantic accent, and topped off with exaggerated facial and physical acting that fits this fantasy. As Bart, child actor Tommy Rettig (best known as Jeff Miller on the CBS television series Lassie) seems more assured in his performance than most child performers his age during the 1950s. His fourth wall-breaking asides seem more appropriate in a Bugs Bunny cartoon, but Rettig makes it work, and inhabits Bart’s flaws wonderfully.

Columbia demanded numerous reworkings of Seuss’ script, leading to several reshoots – most notably the opening scene (Seuss opposed the conceit of Bart’s dream framing the film) – and a ballooning budget. Upon its release in the summer of 1953, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T bombed at the box office and was assailed by critics. A crestfallen Seuss, who could not stand the production difficulties that beset the film from the start of shooting, would never work in feature films again. He would dedicate himself almost entirely to writing and illustrating children’s books, with many of his most popular titles (including The Cat in the Hat, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, and Green Eggs and Ham) published within a decade of Dr. T’s critical and commercial failure. His hesitance to participate in filmmaking informed his reluctance to allow Chuck Jones to adapt How the Grinch Stole Christmas! thirteen years later. Animation suited his books, Seuss thought, and he would never again pay any consideration to live-action filmmaking.

The reevaluation of The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T has seen a rehabilitation of the film’s image in recent decades. Home media releases and television showings have introduced the film to viewers not influenced by the hyperbolic negativity of the film critics working in 1953. This is not a sterling example of Old Hollywood fantasy filmmaking, due to a heavily gutted screenplay, scattershot thematic development, and incongruent musical score. Yet, the movie’s surrealistic charms and Seussian chaos know no peers, even in the present day.

My rating: 7/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog (as of July 1, 2020, tumblr is not permitting certain posts with links to appear on tag pages, so I cannot provide the URL).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

[frank-o-meter]

One of my All-Time-Favorite-Movies in the category is "The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T" originally released in 1953. I saw it many years later on TV. It's the only film written by Theodor Seuss Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss) tho in later life seemed to disown it (not mentioning it in his memoir).

5000 Fingers didn't do well in theaters and it's a bit if a cult film so might require some digging to find it but it's worth the effort.

The story involves Bart Collins (Tommy Rettig) being required by his mom to take piano lesions from the insufferableDr. Terwilliker (played wonderfully by Hans Conried). Bart falls asleep at the piano and has a strange and surreal dream where Terwilliker has built a gigantic piano that will be played by 500 little boys (hence the 5000 fingers).

The sets are odd and seem impossible (like a Seuss drawing) and there are some clever songs - the best when Dr. T. sings the "Dressing Song".

Here are partial lyrics:

Come on and dress me, dress me, dress me in my finest array

‘Cause just in case you haven’t heard, today is doe-me-doe day!

Dress me in my silver garters, dress me in my diamond studs

‘Cause I’m going doe-me-doing in my doe-me-doe duds!

I want my undulating undies with the maribou frills

I want by beautiful bolero with the porcupine quills

I want my purple nylon girdle with the orange-blossom buds

‘Cause I’m going doe-me-doing in my doe-me-doe duds!

[thebricolageure]

The magical, touching, and possibly inappropriate (but mostly magical & touching) song Dream Stuff, performed by Peter Lind Hayes and Tommy Rettig (though the lad’s voice was dubbed over by Tony Butala, eventual founder of The Lettermen!). A sublime, bewitching ballad, this is featured in The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T, a cult classic for which Theodor Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) is almost entirely responsible, and which he berated as a “debaculous fiasco”. Geisel wrote the lyrics for all the songs heard in the film, while the music was composed by Frederick Hollander. Despite Geisel’s fierce animus towards the film, it has become a favorite of those who enjoy the more bizarre musicals of our era, approx (Dr. T first hit the silver screen in 1953...).

Hey!! Let’s have The Lettermen, then. 1964. The immortal Love is a Many-Splendored Thing.

[imonlyheretofollowyou]

“The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. is a 1953 American musical fantasy film about a boy who dreams himself into a fantasy world ruled by a diabolical piano teacher enslaving children to practice piano forever. It was the only feature film written by Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss), who wrote the story, screenplay and lyrics. It was directed by Roy Rowland, with many uncredited takes directed by producer Stanley Kramer. The film stars Peter Lind Hayes, Mary Healy, Hans Conried, and Tommy Rettig.”

So no, you’re asleep and dreaming.

Top 10 Anime Fights

[thefilmcollection]

The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T.  1953. Stars Peter Lind Hayes, Tommy Rettig and Hans Conreid

Bart has only one enemy in the world: his piano teacher Dr. Terwilliker. Dr. T has a mad plan to force 500 young boys to practice at his magnificent piano 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Bart is the only hope to save these boys from being enslaved. Fantastic sets, screenplay, and even song lyrics were provided by Dr. Seuss. Features the only piano academy ever known to be equipped with cells and surrounded by an electric fence.

[brave-daily]

Christian Music Notable Releases for 2016

Christian music aside, twenty sixteen was a year for the books. We witnessed the well-deserved Cleveland Cavs championship (I hail from Northeast Ohio). We experienced one of the most legendary — or should I say stressful and comical — election years ever. Celebrity deaths seemed to be at an all-time high and we finally saw the return of Gilmore Girls. Finally. It was a year that has left its mark on all of us in many ways.

Christian Music Notable Releases for 2016

2016 was also a great year for CCM (Contemporary Christian Music). From the somewhat anti-climatic DC Talk reunion announcement, to the increase of Christian artists making their way into the “mainstream” airways, Christian Music had a great year.

Like every year before it, there are always some albums that stick out more then others. I am going to share with you what I think were some of the biggest releases of the year. Now I want to for warn you that I do listen to other genres outside of the CCM field. However, I want to keep this article to the albums that made the biggest mark on Christian music in 2016. Without further ado lets begin … and if you’d like to give a listen to the albums while you read my thoughts, I put together a playlist for you here:

#5. Have it all – Bethel Music (various Artists):

Not many worship albums do I find it easy to listen to straight through. Most of the time I find myself skipping around and reconfiguring the track listing. This album was definitely an exception. Each song seems to move seamlessly into the next creating an intimate worship experience. Some of the note worthy songs are: Lion and the lamb by Leeland. Leeland has always been a solid songwriter and I feel this one is no exception. Pieces by Steffany Gretzinger is another great song on this album. Her songs have an amazing way of brining on personal reflection and provoking thought.

For worship leaders this album had a select few tracks that would be great for a Sunday morning setting. Making this a great album for personal quiet times and reflection.

Learn More and Purchase: Have It All by Bethel Music

#4. American Prodigal – Crowder:

Crowder’s sophomore album was gritty. He has again redefined his sound and discovered a new way to make worship anything but ordinary. Calling this sound swamp rock, Crowder encompasses sounds from the south as well as some classic hymn styles songs. I don’t feel like it was better then Neon Steeple, however, it was a solid album through and through. Every song is catchy and memorable. Crowder even reached out to two hip-hop artists from Reach Records to feature on two of his songs. Tedashii & KB were both great additions to this project. Some songs worth mentioning are Run Devil Run, Prove it ft. KB, and my personal favorite All My Hope. Although I miss the David Crowder days, this projects proving a real success.

Learn More and Purchase: American Prodigal by Crowder

#3. Good Religion – Dream Junkies:

Having only experienced the West Coast once I am no expert at Southern California Culture. However, this album took me straight across the country and put me right on a sunny boardwalk enjoying the great atmosphere of LA. I found this album later in the year and immediately fell in love with its tracks. This group is composed of three solid solo acts that when put together become a collaboration for the ages. John Gives, Beleaf, and Ruslan bring three different dynamics that blend so very well. Normally I don’t think these guys would fit the CCM Category but this act has a great message that needs to be shared to churched and un-churched alike. One disclaimer this album has some mild urban language, while fitting and relevant to the message of the album, it does contain words that are not usually equated to the Contemporary Christian Music culture and can be seen as offensive. Tracks to check out are Boogie Man, I got the Juice, and Left Coast ft. Murs.

Learn More and Purchase: Good Religion by Dream Junkies

#2. H A R D L O V E – Needtobreath:

This is the sixth studio album from the Carolina boys. Its also the follow up the their biggest album to date. After the success of the song Brother ft. Gavin DeGraw, they launched this album to a larger fan base including those outside the CCM realm. H A R D L O V E has again given the band a chance to redefine their sound. This album goes a little more soulful then the previous albums. I had the opportunity to catch them on their Tour de Compadres with great supporting acts. These guys have no problem recreating their sound from the album and producing it live on stage. Tracks to listen to include: Hard Love, No Excuses, and Be Here Long. I recommend taking this album on a road trip.

Learn More and Purchase: H A R D L O V E by NEEDTOBREATH

#1. To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere – Thrice:

This Album is the best thing from Thrice since the Alchemy index project in 2008. After taking a little hiatus and allowing Dustin Kensrue (Lead singer) to lead worship for Mars Hill Church under Mark Driscoll, they have come back and have not held anything back. In 2014 the band announced that they will be reuniting to put more music out, and it was worth the wait. To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere (TBEITBN) has the grungy sound that you have come to expect from Thrice while bringing relevant lyrics that cover topics such as war, oppression, and just regular ole politics. But don’t let this deter you from giving it a listen; this album invites you to critically think about life, religion, and politics, while letting you decide for yourself what you believe. With that being said here are some tracks to check out: Hurricane, Blood on the Sand, and Black Honey.

Learn More and Purchase: To be Everywhere is to be Nowhere by Thrice

I look forward to what 2017 has to offer, if its anything like twenty sixteen then it will be a great year. I am going to leave you with the honorable mentions that just didn’t quite make the cut.

Twenty-One Pilots/Mutemath – TØPxMM EP

Switchfoot – Where the Light shines Through

Hillsong United – Of Dirt and Grace

All Sons and Daughters – Poets and Saints

Guest post by Jeff Rettig.

The post Christian Music Notable Releases for 2016 appeared first on Brave Daily.

from Christian Music Notable Releases for 2016

[gamesforlanguage]

"Guten Morgen Liebe Sorgen" - German song for Language Learning

See on Scoop.it - games for language learning

Peter Rettig's insight:

Not a game but if you get the lyrics of this song, your German is already pretty good!

[rettiglegacy]

Maia gave birth to another son.  Sage’s 2nd grandchild.  Lyric Rettig was born in a hospital much to his grandmother’s disapproval.  Cole and Strummer hung out at home waiting for Maia’s return.  

[waking-hell]

Saviour // The City

[rettiglegacy]

A quick (and dark) introduction to the family!  

Sage is the matriarch.  She is an adult now.  She has a renaissance aspiration and completed it shortly after becoming an adult.  She dabbled in the cooking, painting, and gardening as careers but is now a freelancer.  She has written 6 books, mostly about gardening.  She keeps her garden in great condition and has arranged her plants by the seasons in which they flower.  She has also dabbled in flower arranging but has found it hard with raising 7 children.  She recently married Jacob Miele, father to all of her daughters. 

Cole was Sage’s first and so far only son.  His father is Charles Kim who died when Cole was relatively young.  He was married when he met Sage and never did leave his wife.  Cole has a half-sister from his father’s marriage, Sara.  They are best friends.  He has a real talent on the violin and is hoping to become a composer. He is now married to his childhood sweetheart, Maia Lasten and has 2 sons. 

Willow is Sage’s first daughter and first child with Jacob Miele to whom she is now married.  She is a teenager now and is a straight A student and works part time in retail.  She is really into computers and is trying to make her own games. 

Poppy is a confident child.  She is the third child of Sage and the second daughter of Sage and Jacob.  She is also a straight A student and has already completed the motor aspiration and is now working on becoming a whizz kid. She has a close relationship with Willow and has found it hard since Willow became a teenager. 

Anise and Lavender are twins. Anise is a sweetheart with high aspirations.  Lavender is a little more mischievous.  Both are good girls at heart but we can be sure that Anise will be the one setting the table and Lavender the one aggravating the gnomes on Harvestfest.  

Ivy has just become a child.  She is a free spirit and has an eclectic dress sense.  She was the most successful toddler in the family 3/3 potty training and 5/5 across the board!  Ivy is a real charmer and has a special bond with her big brother who moved out just as she became a toddler.  Sage took Ivy with her nearly every day as they visited Cole at his new place and helped him set up his garden.  

Here we have Maia and Strummer.  Maia (nee Lasten) is the daughter of a single mother who constantly moved in with new men.  Maia spent most of her teenage years on a camp bed.  She was so pleased to meet Cole.  She left her mother and together they have built a beautiful scandi-style A-frame home in Willow Creek.  She and Cole recently got married. 

Strummer Rettig is the first son of Cole and Maia.  He is an inquisitive soul and loves to explore his environment and have a little dance at stereo. 

Petal is the seventh (and presumably final?!?) daughter of Sage and Jacob.  She just aged up last night and was so thrilled to spend her first day as a toddler celebrating Harvestfest. 

Lyric Rettig, a second son for Maia and Cole.  He just popped out the other day and deeply upset Strummer. 

[waking-hell]

Saviour // Pressure And Composure

[rettiglegacy]

Happy Winterfest Everybody!

[rettiglegacy]

WinterFest is here!  Ivy decided it was an excellent occasion to try to paint a family portrait!  Anise announced to absolute shock and horror that she is expecting twins!  The triplets were adorable.  Everyone was really pleased to see Flora and Rye in good spirits living with Willow, Pixie, and Nyan.  Sadly Poppy’s family were double booked, but we’re hoping to see them at Lavender’s NYE party. 

[rettiglegacy]

Lyric came over after school and the whole gang did their homework together.  Willow is relieved Pixie and Nyan took after her genius trait.  The rest of the family are even more relieved that Flora and Rye are settling in well to life with the more eclectic family members.