High Anxiety
“High Anxiety” was one of my mother’s favorite films of Mel Brooks’s, and it’s easy to see why. Coming a few years after the 1-2 punch of “Blazing Saddles” and “Young Frankenstein,” Brooks was still in the era where his direct parodies of genres had their own stories to them, rather than basically adapting the narratives of his targets that would happen later in his career. Here, his target is Alfred Hitchcock- whose last film came out the year before- and the Master of Suspense’s films (at least, the ones Brooks takes from most here) would have been relatively fresh in audiences minds. His major works are all referenced here, from straight-up scene spoofs to simple name checks, and he apparently had the blessing of Hitchcock himself.
One of the best parts about “High Anxiety” is that it gives Brooks a leading role, as its protagonist, Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke. A noted psychiatrist, he is coming to San Francisco to run a facility. We see him anxious as his plane is coming in, and then- at the airport- he is confronted by several comedic situations, including his driver, Brophy (Ron Carey), who turns out to be useful in ways we don’t expect and not useful in ways we do expect. As Thorndyke settles in to the facility, he finds that few patients really seem to be getting better, which might be what another doctor at the facility (Dr. Charles Montague, played by Harvey Korman) and nurse (Nurse Charlotte Diesel, a dominant played by Cloris Leachman) have in mind. When he meets the daughter of one of the patients (played by Madeline Kahn) at a conference, there might be more happening than what it looks like.
With a movie like “High Anxiety,” it’s hard not to just run through the jokes. Diesel and Montague’s late night activities. Brophy’s uselessness as a chauffeur. The orchestra playing the suspenseful music in the bus they pass heading to the facility. Montague’s torture of a seemingly normal patient who would be ready to leave otherwise. Brophy finding the key to Thorndyke’s innocence. And, of course, Barry Levinson’s exasperated bellhop. Levinson collaborated on the screenplay with Brooks, Ron Clark and Rudy DeLuca, and this is definitely more of a piecemeal collection of gags than a cogent story from Brooks. But “High Anxiety” has plenty of great moments- when Thorndyke has to improvise a kid-friendly discussion of penis envy on the fly. Thorndyke’s session with his mentor, Professor Lilloman (Howard Morris), and how it becomes akin to a boxing match when they try to dig to the roots of Thorndyke’s “high anxiety.” And, of course, Thorndyke’s relationship with Victoria Brisbane (Kahn’s character), which includes a date that has him singing the titular song (which Brooks wrote), and a later phone call that comes off as something very different. And yes, there are Hitchcock references, but I’ll leave you to watch the movie to figure those out for yourself. “High Anxiety” has more in common with latter day Brooks than early Brooks, but it still has that charm that highlights his parodies and overall humor in general. I enjoy it even if I don’t love it.
