All the mystery, suspense, and intrique of a wet towel...




"The Master Of Comedy Takes On the Master of Suspense"


After spoofing the Old Hollywood Monster Movie Genre, making sure no one would ever take a western seriously again, and paying tribute to the Silent Age of Movies, Mel moved on to parody arguably the best director of all time, Alfred Hitchcock. When "High Anxiety" hit theaters in 1977 the film did well at the box office, but not as good as "Young Frankenstein" or "Blazing Saddles". Today It's become one of Mel's undiscovered gems, and it's hard for me to see why this film didn't go down in cinema history with the rest of Mel's earlier works.


"Danger, Intrique, Romance....and a touch of Kinkiness"


Some say that the fact that Mel Brooks played the lead role in his own movie is what made it less successful. It's true that he's too funny to play the straight man, but I think there's another explanation. Unlike Brooks' previous two parodies, this one required previous knowledge of Hitchcock movies to get a healthy portion of the jokes. This is probably why it didn't get as much viewer acclaim as it's sibling films, but it is what sets it apart from the rest. In my opinion, this is definately Mel Brooks at his finest.



"It Sucks" -Nurse Diesel-


The Story: Richard H. Thorndyke (Mel Brooks) has just assumed the position of "head shrink" at the Psychoneurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous. One his arrival from the
airport he is informed by his Driver/Sidekick, Brophy (Ron Carey), that his predecessor had recently died under mysterious circumstances. Upon arriving at the Institute he is greeted by his co-workers: the oily Dr. Charles Montague (Harvey Korman), and the sharp-breasted Nurse Diesel (Cloris Leachman). He is also greeted by Wentworth (Dick Van Patten) the sniveling snitch of the institute. Although these three seem to be shifty characters, he soon finds a familiar face working at the institute also. His old mentor, Dr. Lilloman (Howard Morris) which is pronounced "Littl' Ol' Man". The Doctor Diagnoses Richard with a rare affliction, High Anxiety.


Just as he's just getting oblivious to the frequent plotting of his co-workers and the numerous mental cases frequenting his workplace a terrible murder is committed. Before he can find out about it he is whisked away to San Francisco to the National Psychiatric Convention. While he speaks at the convention the dastardly Doctor and Nurse scheme to get him out of the way. After an attempt on his life he meets the beautiful and mysterious, Victoria Brisbane (Madeline Kahn). She holds a long-kept secret about her wrongly institutionalized father. Shortly after Thorndyke is accused for a murder he didn't commit and he's on the run. Will he clear his name? Will evil triumph? Will Richard and Victoria ever see their wedding night? And Who Cares as Long as it's Funny?



This Film Spoofs:

Spellbound (1945) The head of the Green Manors mental asylum Dr. Murchison is retiring to be replaced by Dr. Edwards, a famous psychiatrist. Edwards arrives and is immediately attracted to the beautiful but cold Dr. Constance Petersen. However, it soon becomes apparent that Dr. Edwards is in fact a paranoid amnesiac imposter. He goes on the run with Constance who tries to help his condition and solve the mystery of what happened to the real Dr. Edwards. HOW: The basic plot for "High Anxiety" is the plot of this movie, with the plots from other Hitchcock masterpieces mixed in.


Vertigo (1958) San Francisco police detective Scottie Fergusson develops a paralysing fear of heights (Vertigo) and is forced to retire when a colleague falls to his death during a chase. An old college friend hires Scottie to watch his wife Madeleine who has become obsessed with the past. Scottie follows her around San Francisco and is drawn into a complex plot. HOW: Dr. Throndyke's case of "High Anxiety" is a direct parody of Scottie's "Vertigo". Plus, "High Anxiety" features a struggle in a phone booth on the edge of San Francisco Bay, whose location is the exact same as the dock Madeline jumps off of in "Vertigo". Also, the climax to "High Anxiety" involves the same bell tower that the climax to "Vertigo" used.


Psycho (1960) Phoenix officeworker Marion Crane is fed up with the way life has treated her. She has to meet her lover Sam in lunch breaks and they cannot get married because Sam has to give most of his money away in alimony. One Friday Marion is trusted to bank $40,000 by her employer. Seeing the opportunity to take the money and start a new life, Marion leaves town and heads towards Sam's California store. Tired after the long drive and caught in a storm, she gets off the main highway and pulls into The Bates Motel. The motel is managed by a quiet young man called Norman who seems to be dominated by his mother. Unfortunately, she doesn't check out. How: The famous shower scene from Psycho where a young woman is stabbed to death in the shower, is masterfully spoofed in "High Anxiety", using the same camera angles and shots.


The Birds (1963) Spoilt socialite and notorious practical joker Melanie Daniels is shopping in a San Francisco pet store when she meets Mitch Brenner. Mitch is looking to buy a pair of love birds for his young sister's birthday; he recognises Melanie but pretends to mistake her for an assistant. She decides to get her own back by buying the birds and driving up to the quiet coastal town of Bodega Bay, where Mitch spends his weekends with his sister and mother. Shortly after she arrives, Melanie is attacked by a gull, but this is just the start of a series of attacks by an increasing number of birds. HOW: There is a scene in the birds where the heroine is sitting on a park bench in front of a jungle gym, all of a sudden a startling amount of crows start landing on the jungle gym. Once she noticed them they attack her. In "High Anxiety", Dr. Thorndyke is also seated on a park bench in front of a jungle gym, when a startling number of pidgeons start landing on it. Once he noticed them, instead of attacking him, they do something hilarious instead. And you'll just have to watch to find out.


Also Spoofs: the 39 Steps (1935), The Wizard of Oz (1939), Suspicion (1941), Notorious (1946), Under Capricorn (1949), Dial M for Murder (1954), The Wrong Man (1956), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), Frenzy (1972), and the Spy Who Loved Me (1977).


Things to Watch For: In my opinion, the Best Brookstune, "High Anxiety" preformed by Mel Brooks himself. Also: The best spoof on the "Psycho" shower scene I have ever seen, A hilarious parody on "the Birds", not to mention the subtle hammering of at least ten of Hitchcock's finest movies. The title of the movie is, in fact, a send-up of "Vertigo". And last, but definately not least, the highly-pointed breats of Nurse Diesel, which had me rolling around on the floor with laughter.


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If you didn't notice there are at least fifteen original sounds from "High Anxiety" scattered throughout the text of this page.