Trying to remember a movie from my childfood

October 9, 2011 11:43 PM

Identify a movie containing a dreamy/ominous scene involving children playing a really long outdoor piano.

I have a distinct but hazy childhood memory of catching a movie on TV containing a scene more or less like this:

There were many children, all practicing (or performing) piano, but instead of each kid playing on his/her own keyboard, they were all seated at this really long outdoors piano. For some reason it felt somewhat ominous. Maybe this was child labor, like the children were being forced to do this, perhaps for a great cause of some sort. I also remember a directing figure.

It could have been a dream scene in an overall less surreal movie. I think that the movie was in black and white.

Question: what's the movie?

That's pretty much all I remember. I realize it's very little but it haunts me occasionally and I figured I'd give it a try here.

posted by pantufla_milagrosa to media & arts (8 answers total)

Haven't seen it, but is it The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T?
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 11:48 PM on October 9, 2011

I have seen it and he's right. It also has this lovely scene. a big swingin' dungeon number, and is generally wonderful.
posted by louche mustachio at 12:47 AM on October 10, 2011

I think it is the 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. It was indoors, but there is a shot of the piano 55 seconds into the trailer.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 12:52 AM on October 10, 2011

The big swingin' dungeon number.

Bartholemew walks past the giant piano in this scene.
posted by louche mustachio at 12:55 AM on October 10, 2011

The interesting thing about that movie is that the visual designer was Dr. Seuss. That piano-from-hell was his idea.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:13 AM on October 10, 2011

Wow, thanks Ask MetaFilter :) You've done it again@ Or at least I assume you did it again. This is such a nebulous memory that I can't be sure. All the elements are there: the piano, the kids, the ominous mastermind. It looks a lot more festive than I remember it and it's not black and white (but I can see how I got that in from the old-timey feel).

I'm really curious to watch it now.
posted by pantufla_milagrosa at 1:14 AM on October 11, 2011

louche mustachio: wow! so apparently this is also the movie that made me gay! good to know at last. :P
posted by pantufla_milagrosa at 1:16 AM on October 11, 2011

(I love that the wikipedia article uses the word "ominous" too.)
posted by pantufla_milagrosa at 1:29 AM on October 11, 2011