"The picture was badly cut in fear and anguish of the reappraisal after it was made, even if it was evident to those knowledgeable but inartistic heads of studio that it might have been an artistic triumph rather than a financial one. But in an attempt to make it one, they cut 11 whole musical numbers and re-shot for one whole week. I have never had any such part before, never have since, and probably never will again....
If you mentioned it, people would laugh. And if you were connected with it, you might cough embarrassedly. At any rate, it was a big failure, although it did well and got marvelous reviews in Tokyo, Berlin, Paris, and London. If it had been a success, with my prominent part in the title role, it would have changed my life. The general public thinks of a break as being an opportunity, no. A break is an opportunity that pays off."
Hans Conreid on THE 5,000 FINGERS OF DR. T, in an interview with Leonard Maltin in "The Real Stars," 1973.