High Anxiety

High Anxiety. 1977 20th Century Fox.
Starring: Mel Brooks, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Ron Carey, Cloris Leachman, Howard Morris, Dick Van Patten, Jack Riley, Barry Levinson
Director: Mel Brooks
Available at Amazon as a single DVD, or as part of the Mel Brooks Collection.

Mel Brooks wrote, directed, and starred in this 1977 film that was intended as a tribute to, and a parody of suspense films, notably the films made by Alfred Hitchcock. There are references and parodies of other movies, such as Blowup, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and The Pink Panther, among others.

Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke is the new administrator of the Psychoneurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous. He also suffers from "high anxiety", and even the plane landing at a "very dramatic" airport in Los Angeles proves to be traumatic. Throughout the movie, Thorndyke finds himself subjected to situations that aggravate his fear of heights.

The previous director of the institute died under suspicious circumstances. After arriving, Thorndyke meets some of his new colleagues, like the domineering nurse, Nurse Diesel (Leachman), and her BDSM lover, Dr. Charles Montague (Korman), who is treated like a dog in their relationship. Dr. Montague is also jealous of Thorndyke, since he was originally supposed to take over the institute. Professor Lilloman (Morris), alias "Professor Little Old Man", is helping Thorndyke with his high anxiety, whenever he isn't appearing to be dead while asleep, which "scares the hell out of everyone". Thorndyke also employs Brophy (Carey) as a chauffeur who has problems lifting large objects.

Thorndyke meets a millionaire patient named Arthur Brisbane, who believes himself to be a cocker spaniel. Actually, this is a man planted by Nurse Diesel and Dr. Montague to impersonate the millionaire. Victoria Brisbane (Kahn) asks Thorndyke to help her regarding her dad, where they discover that the inmate is not the real Arthur Brisbane.

Nurse Diesel also has her flunky "Braces" (Rudy De Luca) kill Dr. Wentworth (Van Patten) after he tried to leave the institute. Wentworth knew everything that was going on, and his conscience finally drove him out, which alarmed Nurse Diesel, who was afraid he would talk. Braces is also employed to impersonate Thorndyke while shooting a man at the hotel where the genuine article is staying. Luckily, Brophy took a picture of the crime, with the real Thorndyke emerging from an elevator in the background.

It's up to Thorndyke to save Brophy and Brisbane (the real one this time) while conquering his high anxiety.

Recommended movie.