High Anxiety (1977)

Director:

Mel Brooks

Writers:

Mel Brooks (written by) &
Ron Clark (written by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

1 September 1978 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy | Thriller

Tagline:

The Master of Comedy takes on The Master of Suspense!

Plot:

Dr. Richard Thorndyke arrives as new administrator of the Psychoneurotic Institute for the Very, VERY Nervous to discover some suspicious goings-on...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Directed By Star | Impostor | Hitchcock Spoof | Dominatrix

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes.

Cast

Mel Brooks	...	Richard H. Thorndyke
Madeline Kahn	...	Victoria Brisbane
Cloris Leachman	...	Nurse Diesel
Harvey Korman	...	Dr. Charles Montague
Ron Carey	...	Brophy
Howard Morris	...	Professor Lilloman
Dick Van Patten	...	Dr. Wentworth
Jack Riley	...	The Desk Clerk
Charlie Callas	...	Cocker Spaniel
Ron Clark	...	Zachary Cartwright
Rudy De Luca	...	Killer (as Rudy DeLuca)
Barry Levinson	...	Bellboy
Lee Delano	...	Norton
Richard Stahl	...	Dr. Baxter
Darrell Zwerling	...	Dr. Eckhardt
Murphy Dunne	...	Piano Player
Al Hopson	...	Man Who is Shot
Robert Ridgely	...	Flasher (as Bob Ridgely)
Albert Whitlock	...	Arthur Brisbane (as Albert J. Whitlock)
Pearl Shear	...	Screaming Woman at Gate
Arnold Soboloff	...	Dr. Colburn
Eddie Ryder	...	Doctor at Convention
Sandy Helberg	...	Airport Attendant
Fred Franklyn	...	Man (as Fredric Franklyn)
Deborah Dawes	...	Stewardess
Bernie Kuby	...	Dr. Wilson
Billy Sands	...	Customer
Ira Miller	...	Psychiatrist with Children
Jimmy Martinez	...	Waiter
Beatrice Colen	...	Maid
Robert Manuel	...	Policeman at Airport
Hunter von Leer	...	Policeman at Airport (as Hunter Von Leer)
John Dennis	...	Orderly
Robin Menken	...	Cocktail Waitress
Frank Campanella	...	Bartender
Henry Kaiser	...	New Groom
Bullets Durgom	...	Man in Phone Booth
Joe Bellan	...	Male Attendant
Mitchell Bock	...	Bar Patron
Jay Burton	...	Patient
Bryan Englund	...	Orderly #2
Anne Macey	...	Screaming Woman
Alan U. Schwartz	...	Psychiatrist

Directed by
Mel Brooks

Writing credits
Mel Brooks		(written by) &
Ron Clark		(written by) &
Rudy De Luca		(written by) (as Rudy DeLuca) &
Barry Levinson		(written by)

Produced by
Mel Brooks	....	producer

Original Music by
John Morris		(music composed by)

Cinematography by
Paul Lohmann		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
John C. Howard

Production Design by
Peter Wooley

Set Decoration by
Richard D. Kent		(as Richard Kent)
Anne MacCauley

Costume Design by
Patricia Norris

Makeup Department
Sugar Blymyer	....	hair stylist
Terry Miles	....	makeup artist
Linda Trainoff	....	hair stylist
Thomas Tuttle	....	makeup artist (as Tom Tuttle)

Production Management
Ernest B. Wehmeyer	....	production manager (as Ernest Wehmeyer)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mark Johnson	....	second assistant director
Jonathan Sanger	....	assistant director
David Sosna	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Bill MacSems	....	property master
Edward Richardson	....	assistant art director
Hendrik Wynands	....	construction coordinator
Claudia Gilligan Ivanjack	....	painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Gene S. Cantamessa	....	production sound mixer (as Gene Cantamessa)
William Hartman	....	sound effects
Richard Portman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Richard Sperber	....	sound effects
Raul A. Bruce	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Jack Monroe	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Albert Whitlock	....	special visual effects (as Albert J. Whitlock)
Henry Schoessler	....	matte crew (uncredited)

Stunts
Jerry Brutsche	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Edmond L. Koons	....	camera operator (as Ed Koons)
Elliott Marks	....	still photographer
J. Michael Marlett	....	gaffer (as Michael J. Marlett)
Guy Polzel	....	key grip

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jered Green	....	costumer
Wally Harton	....	costumer
Nancy Martinelli	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Thomas G. Jingles	....	apprentice editor
Mary Scott	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Ralph Burns	....	orchestrator
John R. Harris	....	music editor
Jack Hayes	....	orchestrator
John Morris	....	conductor
John Morris	....	orchestrator
Nathan Scott	....	orchestrator
Dan Wallin	....	scoring mixer (as Danny Wallin)

Transportation Department
Jerry F. Johnson	....	transportation coordinator (uncredited)

Other crew
Roslyn Chaitoff	....	assistant: Mr. Brooks
Ron Clark	....	production consultant
Stuart Cornfeld	....	assistant to producer
Abe Glazer	....	production accountant
Marie Kenney	....	script supervisor
Harold Michelson	....	continuity sequences
Ray Berwick	....	bird trainer (uncredited)
Richard 'Bongo' Mitchell	....	animal wrangler (uncredited)

Thanks
Alfred Hitchcock	....	dedicated to: the Master of Suspense

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (presents) (as 20th Century Fox)
• Crossbow Productions (producer)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1977) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1981) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Abril Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox Video (1986) (Belgium) (video)
• Fox Video (video)
• Key Video (video)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (Canada) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Pacific Titles & Optical

Other Companies

• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  this picture made under the jurisdiction of (as I.A.T.S.E.)
• Melnick/Holstra  casting
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals
• Panavision  filmed with (as Panavision Equipment®)
• TWA  airline services
• Transcord  transportation
• Twentieth Century Fox Music  original music copyright (as Twentieth Century Music Corp.)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Netherlands:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Italy:VM14 (original rating) | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating) | Brazil:12 | Australia:M (TV rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG (Approved No. 25032) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Bel Air, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The appearance of Albert Whitlock as Arthur Brisbane is yet another of the film's many homages to Alfred Hitchcock; Whitlock was Hitchcock's special-effects man on several films.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: In the scene in the airport bathroom where Thorndike gets flashed, the boom mic is clearly visible for a few seconds.

Quotes:

Victoria: Have you seen my father at the Institute? Is he all right?
Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke: He's fine, he's fine. He's coming along just fine. He's very affectionate. He licked me.
Victoria: He what?
Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke: Well, he thinks he's a dog these days.
Victoria: A dog?
Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke: A dog, yes.
Victoria: Do you mind if I smoke?

Movie Connections:

References The Cobweb (1955)

Soundtrack:

If you love me baby, tell me loud

A "High" old time....

Mel as a psychiatrist? That's crazy!

But it's funny.

And so is "High Anxiety", a spoof of everything Hitchcock, with a few touches of Mel's own creativity dashed here and there.

As head psychiatrist for the Institute for the Very, VERY Nervous, Mel finds strange goings-on involving kidnapping, murder, double-crossing and Harvery Korman in leather.

Nearly every big Hitchcock scene is clobbered as the story progresses: the shower scene in "Psycho", the jungle gym scene in "The Birds", the shooting in "North by Northwest", the climax of "Vertigo".... The list goes on and on.

Mel does too, God bless him. Laugh after laugh after laugh is produced, and Mel and his writers seem to have an inexhaustable supply of sight gags, one-liners and word plays. And they all work.

Suffice it to say, this isn't as funny as "Blazing Saddles", but it's prime Mel and if you're like me, almost any Mel is good Mel.

Eight stars. And he has a lovely singing voice, too.