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:

Mel Brooks tells Madeline Kahn over the telephone to meet him at the "North by Northwest" corner of the park.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Toward the end of the "BIRDS" scene when Dr. Thorndyke is sitting in the gardener's shed being showered by the pigeons above him, one gob of the 'mayonnaise and spinach' mixture enters the picture from the left and strikes him on his left shoulder. Who launched this horizontal projectile?

Quotes:

Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke: And remember, folks. Be good to your parents. They were good to you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "King of the Hill: High Anxiety: Part 2 (#4.14)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

High Anxiety

Fast and furious gags in monumental spoof tribute to Hitchcock...

HIGH ANXIETY suffers only by comparison to Mel's YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, but it stands by itself as a frisky, very funny screwball spoof of the works of Alfred Hitchcock.

I do agree with others who complain that Mel should have given the Dr. Thorndyke role to someone like Gene Wilder since Brooks does lack the charisma needed to carry this sort of thing. But the other pros in the cast more than made up for this handicap--especially HARVEY KORMAN, CLORIS LEACHMAN, MADELINE KAHN and HOWARD MORRIS.

Cloris Leachman is hilarious as Nurse Diesel (practically repeating her formidable character in YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN) and Madeline Kahn is equally funny as the blonde femme fatale who finds herself in one ditzy situation after another as she tries to reach her father inside the asylum--here called "Psychoneurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous." Nothing subtle here. The gags are touch and go, some funny, some painfully unfunny--so it's strictly a mixed bag.

But if you know MEL BROOKS and his kind of satire, this has enough gags to keep you satisfied. Just don't expect anything on the level of YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN.