History Film / HighAnxiety

Brooks plays Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke (the H. stands for "[[Creator/MarxBrothers Harpo]]"), who is assigned as the new administrator of the Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous. He arrives in Los Angeles to take his position and meets the eccentric staff: Dr. Montague (Creator/HarveyKorman), Dr. Wentworth (Dick Van Patten), and Nurse Diesel (Cloris Leachman). Diesel is extremely domineering and is soon revealed to be in a BDSM relationship with the submissive Montague. Thorndyke also meets Arthur Brisbane, a wealthy industrialist who had a nervous breakdown the year before. He currently thinks he is a cocker spaniel.

Brooks plays Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke (the H. stands for "[[Creator/MarxBrothers Harpo]]"), who is assigned as the new administrator of the Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous. He arrives in Los Angeles to take his position and meets the eccentric staff: Dr. Montague (Harvey Korman), Dr. Wentworth (Dick Van Patten), and Nurse Diesel (Cloris Leachman). Diesel is extremely domineering and is soon revealed to be in a BDSM relationship with the submissive Montague. Thorndyke also meets Arthur Brisbane, a wealthy industrialist who had a nervous breakdown the year before. He currently thinks he is a cocker spaniel.

''High Anxiety'' is a 1977 comedy film directed by (and starring) Creator/MelBrooks. It is an AffectionateParody of the films of Creator/AlfredHitchcock. While there are [[ShoutOut numerous allusions]] to almost any Hitchcock film between ''Film/TheLodger'' (1927) and ''Film/FamilyPlot'' (1976), the main plot and setting are taken from ''Film/{{Spellbound}}'' and ''Film/{{Vertigo}}''. There are also minor allusions to films not directed by Hitchcock, such as ''Franchise/ThePinkPanther'' and ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'', with characters resembling Jacques Clouseau and Jaws.

''High Anxiety'' is a 1977 comedy directed by (and starring) Creator/MelBrooks. It is an AffectionateParody of the films of Creator/AlfredHitchcock. While there are [[ShoutOut numerous allusions]] to almost any Hitchcock film between ''Film/TheLodger'' (1927) and ''Film/FamilyPlot'' (1976), the main plot and setting are taken from ''Film/{{Spellbound}}'' and ''Film/{{Vertigo}}''. There are also minor allusions to films not directed by Hitchcock, such as ''Franchise/ThePinkPanther'' and ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'', with characters resembling Jacques Clouseau and Jaws.

''High Anxiety'' is a 1977 comedy, directed by Creator/MelBrooks. It is an AffectionateParody of the films of Creator/AlfredHitchcock. While there are [[ShoutOut numerous allusions]] to almost any Hitchcock film between ''Film/TheLodger'' (1927) and ''Film/FamilyPlot'' (1976), the main plot and setting are taken from ''Film/{{Spellbound}}'' and ''Film/{{Vertigo}}''. There are also minor allusions to films not directed by Hitchcock, such as ''Franchise/ThePinkPanther'' and ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'', with characters resembling Jacques Clouseau and Jaws.

Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke (the H. stands for "[[Creator/MarxBrothers Harpo]]") is assigned as the new administrator of The Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous. He arrives at Los Angeles to take his position and meets the eccentric staff: Dr. Montague (Harvey Korman), Dr. Wentworth (Dick Van Patten), and Nurse Diesel (Cloris Leachman). Diesel is extremely domineering and is soon revealed to be in a BDSM relationship with the submissive Montague. Thorndyke also meets Arthur Brisbane, a wealthy industrialist who had a nervous breakdown the year before. He currently thinks he is a cocker spaniel.

Thorndyke is contacted by Victoria Brisbane (Madeline Kahn), "the Cocker's daughter". She wants him to take a closer look at her father's case. He does so and discovers that his patient may not be the actual Brisbane. The Institute apparently could use the money from the Brisbane family, and keeps the real Arthur prisoner. Diesel decides to get rid of her boss. She hires the assassin Braces (Rudy De Luca) to frame Thorndyke for murder. Richard has to [[ClearMyName clear his name]] before resolving the case.

* FanDisservice: Mel Brooks taking a shower.

Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke (the H. stands for "[[MarxBrothers Harpo]]") is assigned as the new administrator of The Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous. He arrives at Los Angeles to take his position and meets the eccentric staff: Dr. Montague (Harvey Korman), Dr. Wentworth (Dick Van Patten), and Nurse Diesel (Cloris Leachman). Diesel is extremely domineering and is soon revealed to be in a BDSM relationship with the submissive Montague. Thorndyke also meets Arthur Brisbane, a wealthy industrialist who had a nervous breakdown the year before. He currently thinks he is a cocker spaniel.

** A second one occurs near the end of the film, involving pigeon dung, in a direct parody of ''TheBirds''.

** There's also a scatological take on ''TheBirds''.

* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: Brofy's schtick when he's first introduced.

* EnhanceButton: Parodied. As a secondary character blows up a photograph, he pins up a series of even greater enlargements until he finally gets one roughly 20 feet across, which he examines with a magnifying glass before exclaiming, "Aha!"

* BedlamHouse: The Psychoneurotic Institute for the Very, VERY Nervous, which [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate is less interested in curing its rich clientele than in keeping them indefinitely and thus getting more of their money]].

* BedlamHouse: The Psychoneurotic Institute for the Very, VERY Nervous, which is less interested in curing its rich clientele than in keeping them indefinitely and thus getting more of their money.

[[quoteright:332:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/High-Anxiety-poster-1-331x500_1017.jpg]]

** Most of the names are borrowed from other Hitchcock films. Thorndyke, for instance, is similar to names used in both ''RearWindow'' and ''Film/NorthByNorthwest''.

* WindowPain: Parodied. Thorndyke , the new head of a mental asylum, receives a rock to the window with a message -- a friendly welcome note from the psycho ward.

Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke (the H. stands for "[[MarxBrothers Harpo]]") is assigned as the new administrator of The Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous. He arrives at Los Angeles to take his position and meets the eccentric staff: Dr. Montague (Harvey Korman), Dr. Wentworth (Dick Van Patten), and Nurse Diesel (Cloris Leachman). Diesel is extremely domineering and is soon revealed to be in a BDSM relationship with the submissive Montague. Thorndyke also meets violent patient [[spoiler: (Charlie Callas as a fake Arthur Brisbane)]] / industrialist [[spoiler: Albert Whitlock as the real Arthur Brisbane, revealed in the bell tower at the end of the movie)]] Arthur Brisbane, a wealthy industrialist who had a nervous breakdown the year before. He currently thinks he is a cocker spaniel.

''High Anxiety'' is a 1977 comedy, directed by Creator/MelBrooks. It is an AffectionateParody of the films of Creator/AlfredHitchcock. While there are [[ShoutOut numerous allusions]] to almost any Hitchcock film between ''Film/TheLodger'' (1927) and ''Film/FamilyPlot'' (1976), the main plot and setting are taken from ''Film/{{Spellbound}}'' and ''Film/{{Vertigo}}''. There are also minor allusions to films not directed by Hitchcock, such as ''ThePinkPanther'' and ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'', with characters resembling Jacques Clouseau and Jaws.

* AlterKacker: The "loud and annoying" characters Thorndyke and Victoria use to hide in plain sight at the airport.

* {{Bowdlerization}}: Thorndyke is put in an awkward position when giving a speech on penis envy and other decidedly adult subjects, when one of the psychiatrists in the audience brings his kids along.

* LargeHam: Mel Brooks and Madeline Kahn at the airport, trying to get past airport security by being loud and annoying {{Alter Kacker}}s.

* PsychoStrings: The ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' shower scene parody uses the shrill cries of an angry bellhop in place of the strings: "Here! Here's your paper! Here's your lousy, stinking paper! Happy now?". Thorndyke's reaction?: "That boy gets no tip".

* SorryILeftTheBGMOn: The dramatic music as Thorndyke drives from the airport comes from the Los Angeles Philarmonic tour bus.
* ShoutOut: An extended one - Thorndyke pesters a bellboy with repeated requests about getting a newspaper, wanting to look in the obituary for information concerning Dr. Wentworth's demise. He then takes a shower, during which the bellboy comes and in a frenzy mimics stabbing Thorndyke with the paper while screaming "Here's your paper! Happy now?! Happy?" The paper's ink runs down the drain, a reference to ''Film/{{Psycho}}''. Bonus points for [[GeniusBonus the bellboy's shrieks emulating]] [[StealthPun the violin shrieks from the original.]]

''High Anxiety'' is a 1977 comedy, directed by Creator/MelBrooks. It is an AffectionateParody of the films of Creator/AlfredHitchcock. While there are [[ShoutOut numerous allusions]] to almost any Hitchcock film between ''Film/TheLodger'' (1927) and ''FamilyPlot'' (1976), the main plot and setting are taken from ''{{Spellbound}}'' and ''Film/{{Vertigo}}''. There are also minor allusions to films not directed by Hitchcock, such as ''ThePinkPanther'' and ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'', with characters resembling Jacques Clouseau and Jaws.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: You probably shouldn't try BavarianFireDrill-ing your way through airport security like that nowadays.
-->'''Thorndyke''' ''("[[Creator/MelBrooks disguised]]" as an old Jewish man)'': I beeped! I beeped! Take me away! Take me back to Russia! Put me in irons! I beeped! The [[MadBomber mad beeper]] is loose! Take away the beeper! Take me away!

* LargeHam: Mel Brooks and Madeline Kahn at the airport, trying to get past airport security by being loud and annoying {{Alter Kacker}}s.

* {{It Is Pronounced Tro-PAY}}: Thorndyke addresses his mentor Lilloman as "Professor Little Old Man" (accent on Man), and is corrected: "Little-Oldman" (accent on Old).