Revisiting Robert Zemeckis' Death Becomes Her, Mortal Kombat X: 8 Things to Expect in the Story, Always Sunny to Talking Sopranos: The Best TV Rewatch Podcasts Hosted By Cast & Creators, The Star Trek Story Bridging the Gaps Between Deep Space Nine and Picard, Taskmaster and The Underrated Comic Genius of Kiell Smith-Bynoe. So before I watched this, I was like is this going to work. Color-94m. A psychiatrist with intense acrophobia (fear of heights) goes to work for a mental institution run by doctors who appear to be crazier than their patients, and have secrets that they are willing to commit murder to keep. She also put in a cameo in The Muppet Movie in 1979 and she played First Lady Mrs. Link to Bob Newharts plain soup-dreaming U.S. President in 1980s First Family. Thorndyke is contacted by Victoria Brisbane (Madeline Kahn), "the Cocker's daughter". In 1993 she won a Tony Award for her role as Dr. Gorgeous in the play The Sisters Rosensweig by Wendy Wasserstein. Harvey Korman makes for an interesting match as Dr. Montague for Cloris Leachman's Nurse Diesel character. It was love at first woof, as she streaked her hair to settles down with the man with the knobs to become Mrs. Zipperneck, freeing Dr. Frankenstein to marry Inga, the assistant with fabulous knockers, played by Teri Garr. Hitchcock's suspense melodramas are sparked by his perverse wit; they're satirical to start with. Thorndyke's reaction? As a Hitchcock parody, it includes some excellent visual touches, such as skewed camera angles, use of "caged" shadow motifs, Madeline Kahn's icy blond wig, and especially the Psycho shower scene, here staged with Brooks the victim of a . Competence, played by Dena Dietrich, helped her make her selection. Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. CookiePolicy What are you wearing? High Anxiety is Mel Brooks' renowned spoof of over ten Alfred Hitchcock classics, including Psycho, Vertigo, and The Birds. High Anxiety is definitely lesser Brooks and wildly uneven, but partisans will embrace it wholeheartedly. Mel Brooks on Comedy Legends Madeline Kahn and Gene Wilder The 41st recipient of AFI's highest honor opens up about his six-decade career, late wife Anne Bancroft and why he kept working with. She can be distracted, confused and preoccupied, often at the same time, without ever losing focus, without ever losing funny. She appeared in three of The American Film Institutes list of the top 100 funniest movies: Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein and Whats Up Doc? Keep your eyes open for other references as you watch. The film also starred Steve Martin, Rita Wilson, Anthony LaPaglia, Garry Shandling, Juliette Lewis, Adam Sandler and Jon Stewart. None of those parodies work. Kahn returned to the stage for the 1989 revival of Born Yesterday where she recreated the role made famous by Judy Holliday. All rights reserved. Kahn moved next door to Bill Cosby when he cast her as the slightly eccentric Pauline Fox on his sitcom Cosby starting in 1996. She knew what was really good, what was funny and what was unique and original. Dr Richard Thorndyke is a psychiatrist who, despite himself having a fear of heights, is on his way to become the new chief administrator for the Psychoneurotic Institute for the Very Very Nervous. His masochistic screaming as Nurse Diesel spanks him caps it all. By using this site, you agree to our updated, Writer, director and star Mel Brooks establishes from the start that his film is meant as a tribute to Alfred Hitchcock, then gets busy on the airplane, then accosted after landing at LAX by a guy in a trenchcoat (Bob Ridgely), in, More waves of Hitchcock from writer-director Mel Brooks, as rattled shrink Thorndyke, arriving at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco with Brophy (Ron Carey), dealing with Jack Riley at the desk, co-writer Barry Levinson carrying bags, and an agorophobic episode, in the comic tribute. The climax of High Anxiety is the climax of Vertigo as it would look in a funhouse mirror. It was a caricature of Marlene Dietrichs vampy part in the 1939 classic western, Destry Rides Again. Thorndyke and Victoria head back to LA where they rescue Brophy and see Montague and Diesel taking the real Arthur Brisbane to a tower to kill him. Brooks thinks he is so cute, both women AND men want him! Madeline Kahn gave a deeply nuanced performance in the brief role of Martha Mitchell in Oliver Stones Nixon from 1995. In 1994, Kahn played Mrs. Munchnick in the holiday farce Mixed Nuts, which was based on the 1982 French comedy, Le Pre Nol est une ordure and directed by Nora Ephron. The worst possible outcome of a decent concept, Not as funny as other Mel Brooks films but still good, Brooks' Less-Than-Sincere Brand Engagement to Hitchcock. He combines scenes from "Spellbound," "Vertigo," "Foreign Correspondent," "The Birds," "Psycho," "Dial M for Murder," and "North by Northwest" in this story of a man taking over as the head of a mental sanitarium, replacing a man who is murd - uh, dead. You could almost take it seriously, except that Brooks is no Jimmy Stewart, and his hysterical comic acting doesn't let you forget this for an instant. is less interested in curing its rich clientele than in keeping them indefinitely and thus getting more of their money, Braces broke that glass himself trying to kill Thorndyke, UsefulNotes/Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy Film, UsefulNotes/Parental Guidance Suggested Rating. The Psycho shower scene parody uses the shrill cries of an angry bellhop in place of the strings: "Here! The film also starred Louise Fletcher, Ann-Margret, Eileen Brennan, Stockard Channing, Marsha Mason, Sid Caesar, John Houseman, Dom DeLuise, the ever-youthful Abe Vigoda, James Coco, Phil Silvers, Scatman Crothers and Dr. Zaius lookalike Paul Williams. Kahn didnt have to star in a movie to be the most memorable thing in it. How does he light them? In an interview he said, "I watch the kind of film we're making with the [director of photography], so he knows not to be frivolous. Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. She was asked to audition for a part in Candide at Lincoln Center while at a birthday party for Leonard Bernstein. Penis envy" becomes "pee-pee envy"; the womb is temporarily rechristened "the woo-woo. Upon his arrival, Thorndyke is greeted by the staff, Dr. Philip Wentworth, Dr. Charles Montague, and Nurse Charlotte Diesel. After a Harvard psychiatrist (Brooks) takes over the Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous, he realizes his predecessor died under suspicious circumstances. . [8] After viewing the film himself, Alfred Hitchcock sent Brooks a case of six magnums of 1961 Chteau Haut-Brion wine with a note that read, "A small token of my pleasure, have no anxiety about this. Her baby talk whispers, little girl lisps, her entire speech impediment repertoire. He combines scenes from "Spellbound," "Vertigo," "Foreign Correspondent," "The Birds," "Psycho," "Dial M for Murder," and "North by Northwest" in this story of a man taking over as the head of a mental sanitarium, replacing a man who is murd - uh, dead. STORY:Martin Scorsese to Present AFI Award to Mel Brooks. High Anxiety (1977) -- (Movie Clip) Dedicated To The Master, High Anxiety (1977) -- (Movie Clip) A Mr. MacGuffin Called, Mel Brooks was a standup comic, a TV writer, and a Broadway playwright before he became a movie director in his early forties, a ripe old age for a filmmaking debut. Thorndyke and Brophy travel to San Francisco, where Thorndyke is to speak at a psychiatric convention. She agrees after an argument. Peter Bogdanovich cast her in her first feature as Ryan ONeills controlling, tight-ass fiance, Eunice Burns (not A Eunice Burns, THE Eunice Burns, she drips disdainfully when denied entry to a black-tie dinner), in the Golden Globe-nominated Whats Up, Doc? Cloris Leachman is the only person on screen who ever gets a single laugh, as Nurse Diesel, the wack-job, manly, conniving, dominatrix, but she's trying so hard that she only managed to make me laugh a couple of times. THR: What do you think of the state of comedy today? Very very funny Hitchcock spoof with some adult humor. Support. Thats my last one, I promise! in the Neil Simon satire of all things Bogart, The Cheap Detective, in 1978. There are also minor allusions to films not directed by Hitchcock, such as The Pink Panther and The Spy Who Loved Me, with characters resembling Jacques Clouseau and Jaws. I dont know how they did it. Victoria is reunited with her father, marries Thorndyke, and they embark on their honeymoon. A psychiatrist with intense acrophobia (fear of heights) goes to work for a mental institution run by doctors who appear to be crazier than their patients, and have secrets that they are willing to commit murder to keep. Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future. Like all his pictures, it's a hit-or-miss affair, sometimes reaching high hilarity, other times plummeting like the proverbial lead balloon. Classics 1977 1 hr 34 . Apple TV & Privacy Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke, - Harvey Korman (playing Dr. Charles Montague) is good as always but Cloris Leachman (playing Nurse Charlotte Diesel) and Ron Carey (Brophy) are great in their supporting roles. Titles . Mel Brooks (Actor, Director, Producer, Writer), Madeline Kahn (Actor) Rated: PG Format: DVD 2,048 ratings IMDb 6.6/10.0 $2798 Prime Video $3.99 $9.99 Blu-ray $69.97 DVD $27.98 Multi-Format from $10.61 VHS Tape $19.75 Additional DVD options Edition Discs Price New from Used from DVD 1 $13.51 $13.51 DVD September 5, 2006 1 $26.00 $27.00 $6.21 Here it's almost anything for a joke, including a casual reference to Jack Benny and highly dramatic music in one scene which turns out to be a concert band going by in a bus. Thorndyke is indeed visible in it, but Diesel and Montague capture Brophy and take him to the North Wing. After seeing the movie, Hitchcock sent Brooks a case of expensive 1961 Chteau Haut-Brion wine with a note that said A small token of my pleasure, have no anxiety about this. Madeline Kahn followed the bouncing balls to select an escort for an evenings orgy as Empress Nympho in Mel Brooks History of the World Part 1 (Could you please step on the same foot at the same time. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/HighAnxiety. And as everyone also knows, this movie's actor-director-writer-producer is not to everyone's taste; among the great Jewish-American comic filmmakers, I'll take Woody Allen or Albert Brooks over Mel Brooks any day. Brooks is an equal-opportunity satirist, so non-Hitchcock movies also get dragooned into High Anxiety. Like all of Brooks' best movies, the plot would work . Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! After she lets him go, he drives home, but the radio is rigged to blast deafening rock music. But real comedy has a lot to say about the human condition and said so beautifully over the years. There are a couple of funny moments in this movie, all provided by Cloris Leachman and Harvey Korman. Kahn ends her reminiscences by writing Never. There are a few dud moments sprinkled throughout but it is successfully funny on occasions too. His films, even at their most terrifying and most suspenseful, are full of jokes shared with the audience. Diesel decides to get rid of her boss. To stop Thorndyke, Diesel and Montague hire "Braces", the silver-toothed man behind the Ashley and Wentworth murders, to impersonate him and shoot a man in the lobby. This is Mel Brooks' spoof of over ten Alfred Hitchcock classics, including, Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser, [Dolby Digital Mono, Dolby Digital Stereo], Director,Songwriter,Producer,Screenwriter. The critical consensus states: "Uneven but hilarious when it hits, this spoof of Hitchcock movies is a minor classic in the Mel Brooks canon. "[15] In addition to parodying Hitchcock films, High Anxiety became noteworthy for frequently mocking popular psychoanalysis theories at the time, with New Statesman journalist Ryan Gilbey stating that "viewers were familiar enough with the babble and buzzwords of psychoanalysis to respond instinctively to the films wittiest sequence, when Brooks speech at a psychiatric conference has to be spontaneously modified so as not to impinge upon the innocence of two young children who have joined the audience. To view this content, please use one of the following compatible browsers: A man must come to terms with his own "high anxiety" in this loving parody of the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Kahn first demurred because she thought that was a tasteless title and, because she was just getting known on Broadway, she thought she wasnt yet ready to do a bad movie. Last time I read a book, I was raped. The 1983 swashbuckling comedy starred Graham Chapman along with Cheech and Chong, Peters Cook and Boyle, Eric Idle, James Mason and John Cleese. After High Anxiety, Brooks went into something of a commercial decline as his style of humor fell out of favor with audiences. [original research?]. Cast & Crew Read More Mel Brooks Director Deborah Dawes Henry Kaiser Mel Brooks Al Hopson Albert J Whitlock Photos & Videos View All We meet the main character, Nobel Prize-winning psychiatrist Richard Thorndyke (Brooks), when he arrives at the institute to become its head after the mysterious death of the former director. Remove Ads Cast Crew When events take a murderous turn, he is accused of the crime and left with a full blown case of "High Anxiety." Very very funny Hitchcock spoof with some adult humor. This aspect of the movie comes from Hitchcock's 1958 Vertigo, starring James Stewart as a detective whose acrophobia kicks in during a rooftop chase, paralyzing him with terror and touching off a murder scheme. Mel Brooks, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman. Most of the names are borrowed from other Hitchcock films. If you are a fan of the master of suspense you will probably get a kick out of this one to some extent. The picture might have worked (it's a wacky spoof of Hitchcock moments), but not with this cornball script--nor with Brooks in the lead as a vertigo-prone psychiatrist. You know what theyre capable of, how high they can fly. Brooks: If you make something that makes sense, that is basically truthful about the human condition, it works it stays alive. Nurse Diesel. 1977 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. If You Love Hitchcock, You'll Love HIGH ANXIETY! Madeline Kahn was a comic legend who could do anything with her voice. It lampoons many of Hitchcock's standard plot devices and directorial techniques, but not in a mean-spirited way. The only really wacky character is Cloris Leachman as a nurse from heck. Here's your paper! Youre not writing in the dark and then casting. The Hollywood Reporter: Why do you think Hollywood so rarely acknowledges comedy directing as an awards-worthy endeavor? Movie High Anxiety (1977 Movie) 8 x 10 black & white Advertising Still / Lobby Card, featuring Madeline Kahn. Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman and Cloris Leachman co-star in this hilarious parody. See production, box office & company info, Very funny Mel Brooks spoof/homage to Hitchcock, Hyatt Regency Hotel - 5 Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, California, USA. Victoria barely represses her sexual longings as she gets closer to Brooks Dr. Thorndyke. On arrival, Thorndyke immediately notices that in some ways his staff are not totally different from his patients but it is not long before he cannot help but noticed a myriad of suspicious and unusual occurrences around him and his new workplace. She had a naturally beautiful operatic voice that could do gymnastics, whether in song or in character or caricature. His head had been cut off, and so had his, uh. Although she proclaims that life after death is as improbable as sex after marriage, her husbands death allowed her to append her beliefs, now that hes dead, I have a life. Blasted by critics at the time, who blamed John Landis for writing the script, Clue has gone on to become a cult favorite and Kahns comic flames soliloquy, which was improvised on set, is considered a classic comedy bit.