6.7/10
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High Anxiety (1977)

PG | | Comedy | 25 December 1977 (USA)
High Anxiety Poster
Mel Brooks' parody of Alfred Hitchcock films.

Director:

Mel Brooks

Writers:

Mel Brooks, Ron Clark | 2 more credits »

Stars:

Mel Brooks, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman | See full cast & crew »
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Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Ron Clark ... Zachary Cartwright
Rudy De Luca ... Killer (as Rudy DeLuca)
Barry Levinson ... Bellboy
Lee Delano ... Norton
Richard Stahl Richard Stahl ... Dr. Baxter
Darrell Zwerling ... Dr. Eckhardt
See full cast »
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Storyline

Dr. Richard Thorndyke arrives as new administrator of the Psychoneurotic Institute for the Very, VERY Nervous to discover some suspicious goings-on. When he's framed for murder, Dr. Thorndyke must confront his own psychiatric condition, "high anxiety," in order to clear his name. An homage to the films of Alfred Hitchcock; contains many parodies of famous Hitchcock scenes from THE BIRDS, PSYCHO, and VERTIGO. Written by Scott Renshaw <as.idc@forsythe.stanford.edu>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

newspaper | framed for murder | los angeles california | photograph | elevator | See All (43) »

Taglines:

A Psycho-Comedy See more »

Genres:

Comedy

Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 1977 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Alta Ansiedade See more »

Filming Locations:

Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, California, USA See more »
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Box Office

Budget:

$4,015,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$31,063,038
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Crossbow Productions See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

First film as a producer for Mel Brooks. See more »

Goofs

When Brophy tries to lift the rock in the bathroom, the toilet tank lid is clearly ajar. When the scene switches to the two-shot, the lid is properly in place. See more »

Quotes

[Dr. Thorndyke brushes his teeth]
Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke: [starts off slow] Up and down. Up and down. Side, side, side, side, side. In and out. In and out. Side, side, side, side, side.
[quicker, now]
Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke: Up and down. Up and down. Side, side, side, side, side. In and out. In and out.
[very deliberate for the finish]
Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke: Side, side, side, side, side.
See more »

Crazy Credits

Opening dedication: This film is dedicated to the Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock See more »

Alternate Versions

Extra footage added for network versions. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Full House: High Anxiety (1993) See more »

Soundtracks

If You Love Me Baby, Tell Me Loud
(1977) (uncredited)
Written by Mel Brooks
Courtesy of Fanfare Music Inc.
See more »

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User Reviews

Dizzy parody is Brooks at his height.
2 May 2000 | by James.S.Davies – See all my reviews

Though often overlooked in favor of Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstein, I believe this to be the pick of Brooks' parodies. Whether you share this opinion would depend on your familiarity with all things Hitchcockian.

It is not only Vertigo, as the title suggests, that gets the Brooks treatment here, but The Birds, Spellbound and Psycho are all parodied to various degrees of subtlety. Many of these films key scenes are simply re-enacted with comic touches, whilst the Hitchcock formalae is very much in evidence. The style is particularly amusing in its parody. Highlights include a probing camera becoming all too literally intrusive when it crashes through a pane of glass in the window, and a dramatic sound composition turning out to be merely the didactic passing bus load of a touring philamonic orchestra.

Resisting the out and out farce of his earlier effort, Blazing Saddles, and managing not to evolve into simply being a one joke movie such as the tendency of his recent efforts, High Anxiety is Brooks at his most clever. The cast, mainly consisting of Brooks regulars, all display splendidly entertaining and aptly silly impersonations of recognisible Hitchcock stereotypes. It is Brooks' finest hour however, with not only directing, writing, and acting to his credit but singing as well!!!
26 of 34 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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