History Trivia / HighAnxiety

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: As mentioned above, the part of Thorndyke was originally intended to go to Creator/GeneWilder which would have reunited Brooks and Wilder for a fourth time (or fifth if you count Mel's voice cameo in Gene's directorial debut). However, Wilder was busy with ''The World's Greatest Lover'' and couldn't take the part.

* ApprovalOfGod: Creator/MelBrooks consulted with Creator/AlfredHitchock repeatedly during production and screened the film for him. He liked it enough that he sent him a very expensive case (six bottles) of wine as a thank-you gift and even invited Mel out to dinner afterwards. Brooks has revealed in a recent interview that in several moments of weakness he had consumed all but one bottle.

* ApprovalOfGod: Creator/MelBrooks personally screened the film for Creator/AlfredHitchcock, who liked it enough that he sent him a very expensive case (six bottles) of wine as a thank-you gift and even invited Mel out to dinner afterwards. Brooks has revealed in a recent interview that in several moments of weakness he had consumed all but one bottle.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: As mentioned above, the part of Thorndyke was originally intended to go to Creator/GeneWilder which would have reunited Brooks and Wilder for a fourth time (or fifth if you count Mel's voice cameo in Gene's directorial debut). However, Wilder was busy with ''The Worlds Greatest Lover'' and couldn't take the part.

* CreatorBacklash: Mel Brooks hated his performance in this film, having only taken the role because Creator/GeneWilder was forced to turn it down. Not only does Brooks feel that Wilder would have been funnier, but that this was the one movie where he felt more of an obligation to direct than act (despite his claim that directing is his least favorite job as a filmmaker).

* 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!
** In the age where even the most common cell phone has some form of high-definition photography, the bellhop printing ever-enlarging exposures to prove Thorndyke's innocence seems like overkill.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: As mentioned above, the part of Thorndyke was originally intended to go to Creator/GeneWilder which would have reunited Brooks and Wilder for a fourth time (or fifth if you count Mel's voice cameo in Gene's directorial debut). However, Wilder was busy with ''The Worlds Greatest Lover'' and couldn't take the part.

* ApprovalOfGod: Creator/MelBrooks personally screened the film for Creator/AlfredHitchcock, who liked it enough that he sent him a very expensive bottle of wine as a thank-you gift and even invited Mel out to dinner afterwards.

* CreatorBacklash: Mel Brooks hated his performance in this film, having only taken the role because GeneWilder was forced to turn it down. Not only does Brooks feel that Wilder would have been funnier, but that this was the one movie where he felt more of an obligation to direct than act (despite his claim that directing is his least favorite job as a filmmaker).

* CreatorBacklash: Mel Brooks hated his performance in this film, having only taken the role because Gene Wilder turned it down. Not only does Brooks feel that Wilder would have been funnier, but that this was the one movie where he felt more of an obligation to direct than act (despite his claim that directing is his least favorite job as a filmmaker).

* ApprovalOfGod: Creator/MelBrooks personally screened the film for AlfredHitchcock, who liked it enough that he sent him a very expensive bottle of wine as a thank-you gift and even invited Mel out to dinner afterwards.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The part of Thorndyke was originally intended to go to Creator/GeneWilder which would have reunited Brooks and Wilder for a fourth time (or fifth if you count Mel's voice cameo in Gene's directorial debut). However, Wilder was busy with ''The Worlds Greatest Lover'' and couldn't take the part.
** Brooks stated once in an interview that his biggest regret regarding this movie was that Wilder couldn't take the lead role. He stated that Wilder was a better and funnier actor than he (Brooks) was and that it would've allowed him to focus his efforts on directing, which would've made the picture better. Indeed, Brooks was largely unhappy with his own acting in this particular film.

** Brooks stated once in an interview that his biggest regret regarding this movie was that Wilder couldn't take the lead role. He stated that Wilder was a better and funnier actor than he (Brooks) was and that it would've allowed him to focus his efforts on directing, which would've made the picture better.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The part of Thorndyke was originally intended to go to Creator/GeneWilder which would have reunited Brooks and Wilder for a fourth time (or fifth if you count Mel's voice cameo in Gene's directorial debut). However, Wilder was busy with ''The Worlds Greatest Lover'' and couldn't take the part.

* ApprovalOfGod: Mel Brooks personally screened the film for AlfredHitchcock, who liked it enough that he sent him a very expensive bottle of wine as a thank-you gift and even invited Mel out to dinner afterwards.

* 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!

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The part of Thorndyke was originally intended to go to GeneWilder which would have reunited Brooks and Wilder for a fourth time (or fifth if you count Mel's voice cameo in Gene's directorial debut). However, Wilder was busy with ''The Worlds Greatest Lover'' and couldn't take the part.

* EnforcedMethodActing: Hilariously enough, ''the pigeons''! The hurricane of bird shit that Thorndyke is pelted with was actually scoops of potato chip dip, shot off-screen as the flock of trained pigeons chased after him, but the pigeons became so frightened that enough of them actually did relieve themselves.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The part of Thorndyke was originally intended to go to GeneWilder which would have reunited Brooks and Wilder for a fourth time (or fifth if you count Mel's voice cameo in Gene's directorial debut). However, Wilder was busy with ''Film/TheWorldsGreatestLover'' and couldn't take the part.

* ApprovalOfGod: Mel Brooks personally screened the film for AlfredHitchcock, who liked it enough that he invited Mel out to dinner afterwards.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The part of Thorndyke was originally intended to go to GeneWilder which would have reunited Brooks and Wilder for a fourth time (or fifth if you count Mel's voice cameo in Gene's directorial debut). However, Wilder was busy with The World's Greatest Lover and couldn't take the part.

-->'''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!