Continuing onward with my mini Mel Brooks marathon, next stop was High Anxiety. Back as a kid this was another favorite Brooks film of mine. But the thing about it is, this came out when I was just a kid and I certainly didn't get all the nods to Alfred  H i t c h c o c k , which the movie is basically a tribute to. Since those earlier days, I have gotten to know the 'Master of Suspence' quite well and can easily pick up on all the inside jokes, be it name dropping a title, a set-up or camera movies (used to great effect here) made famous by Alfred. It has been a long time since I've watched High Anxiety from start to finish and there were a couple of moments in the film that I just never caught before.

I never picked up on Mel name dropping "North by Northwest" before till just now. D'oh! The other thing that I never noticed was a sign at the Mental Hospital. On the gate leading onto the grounds, there is a small sign that reads 'Keep In', which of course is a spin on other's 'Keeping Out'. Nice touch. This is definitely worth a Rent, especially if you like good spoofs of other films. Awesome cast by the way. Along with Mel you get Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Ron Carey, Howard Morris, Rudy De Luca, Dick Van Patten and the incredible Cloris Leachman who steals the movie as Nurse Diesel. Another thing I just noticed while watching the movie is that I never recognized the Bellboy as being played by Barry Levinson of all people and he has one of the most memorable scenes in the entire movie.

One of a kind director.

I wonder what he thinks of today's spoofs and parodies?