The Man Who Knew Too Much summary and related information.

This movie was dedicated to Alfred Hitchcock, who loved this film enormously and went as far as to send Brooks a bottle of champagne ^[1].

Suspicion — Prior to Wentworth's death the lattice work of the window throws a shadow like a spider's web behind him.

Rebecca — Stern countenanced Nurse Diesel in long black dress is reminiscent of Rebecca's Mrs. Danvers.

One of Brooks' comic schticks was an impression of Frank Sinatra, whom he employed to sing the film's theme song.

Dr. Richard Harpo Thorndyke (Mel Brooks): The new head administrator of the Psychoneurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous. He suffers from high anxiety and is trying to find out more about the shady dealings going on inside the Institute.

Psycho — shot-by-shot parody of the famous shower scene; the closing shot - a zoom out from a hotel room - is a reverse of Psycho's opening shot; also the suspenseful soundtrack is similar. The bellhop's high-pitched screams of "Here! Here! Here!" mimic the screeching violins of Hitchcock's shower-murder scene.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest — Nurse Diesel's name and bosom are in reference to Nurse Ratched.

The Wizard of Oz — when Nurse Diesel falls to her death she is holding a broom and cackles like the Wicked Witch.

North by Northwest — main character's name is a take-off of Roger O. Thornhill, but unlike Thorndyke, Thornhill never reveals his middle name; at one point Thorndyke tells Victoria to meet him in the North by Northwest corner of a park.

The Birds — also partially set in San Francisco, the jungle-gym scene is parodied.

The Spy Who Loved Me — the assassin with metal braces on his teeth.

High Anxiety at the Internet Movie Database.

Frenzy — Thorndyke hides in the park and calls from the payphone.

This is Brooks' first film as a producer and first "speaking" lead role (his first lead role was in Silent Movie).

The Thirty-Nine Steps — When Victoria comes in the hotel room, she asks to move from the door and window, and close the drapes; She then kisses him when someone comes in, similar to the train situation.

Spellbound — Hitchcock's film about an insane asylum, the basic source of the plot. The High Anxiety joke in which the main characters find Professor Lilloman apparently dead in a chair, only to have him wake up, is a take on a similar situation in Spellbound.

Family Plot — Car sabotage by radio being played too loud.

Victoria Brisbane (Madeline Kahn): Victoria is the concerned daughter of Arthur Brisbane, an industrialist who was entered into the Institute months ago for a nervous breakdown. She starts a relationship with Dr. Thorndyke at the end. She is often referred to as "The Cocker's Daughter".

Torn Curtain — The Professor Lilloman is similar to Professor Gustav Lindt, the German scientist.

The Cobweb — setting, references to changing the drapes

Notorious.

Montague uses the alias of "Mr. McGuffin" to switch Thorndyke's room at the hotel from the 2nd to the 17th. A MacGuffin is a plot device that advances the story but has little other significance. The term was popularized by Hitchcock.

Under Capricorn.

The Wrong Man.

Professor Lilloman (Howard Morris): Often called Professor "Little Old Man", Lilloman was Dr. Thorndyke's teacher from school and currently works as a consultant at the Institute. He is helping Dr. Thorndyke with his high anxiety.

The Ring — In fighting for his high anxiety under hypnosis Thorndyke and Lilloman engage in a boxing fight.

Dr. Wentworth (Dick Van Patten): Wentworth knew about what was going on at the Institute, and this weighed down on his conscience so much he left, but Nursel Diesel worried that he might talk, so she had Braces kill him. Braces rigged his car radio to play a very loud and annoying song that wouldn't shut off, and the strain it caused on Dr. Wentworth's body trying to make it stop caused a cerebral hemorrhage.

The Man Who Knew Too Much.

Brophy (Ron Carey): Brophy is Dr. Thorndyke's sidekick. He works as his chauffeur and is a bit of shutterbug. He also has trouble lifting very large objects.

High Anxiety is a 1977 comedy film directed by and starring Mel Brooks. Veteran Brooks ensemble members Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman and Madeline Kahn are also featured. The film is a parody of and a tribute to the suspense film genre, most obviously the films directed by Alfred Hitchcock and most notably Vertigo.

Brooks' character, Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke, arrives as new administrator of the Psychoneurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous to discover some suspicious goings-on. When he's framed for murder, Dr. Thorndyke must confront his own anxiety disorder, "high anxiety," in order to clear his name.

The story begins at Los Angeles airport, where Thorndyke encounters several odd occurrences. He then leaves for the institute with his driver, Brophy. Upon his arrival, he is greeted by the staff. He has dinner with the staff, and when he goes to his room, a large rock is thrown through the window, saying "welcome, from the violent ward." He then hears strange noises coming from Nurse Diesel's room, when he and Brophy go to investigate, she claims it is the TV. However, it was a foolhardy session of BDSM with Dr. Montague. The next morning, he is alerted by a light shining through his window. It is coming from the violent ward. When he goes to investigate, it is Arthur Brisbane, who now thinks he is a cocker spaniel. Later, Nurse Diesel is talking with Dr. Wentworth. He wants to leave, but she won't let him. However, after some arguing, she says she'll let him go. When Wentworth is driving home that night, his radio blasts music loudly and will not shut off. He is trapped in his car, and he dies from an ear hemorrhage. After this, Thorndyke goes to the grand hotel, where he gets a room on the top floor. He aggravates the bellboy about getting the newspaper, wanting to look in the obituary for Dr. Wentworth. He then takes a shower, however the bellboy comes and in a frenzy screams "Here's your paper! Take it! Take it! Happy now?! Happy!" (see Psycho (1960 film))^[clarify]. After his shower, a woman bursts through the door, her name Victoria Brisbane. The daughter of Arthur Brisbane. She wants help regarding her father. He agrees to the terms, however then finds out Nurse Diesel's plot. The "cocker" is not the real Arthur Brisbane. To stop him, Diesel and Montague have a killer, "Braces" impersonate Thorndyke and shoot a man in the lobby. Now with the police after him, he must prove his innocence. He contacts Brophy, and realizes he took a picture of the shooting. The real Thorndyke was in the elevator at the time, so he should be in the picture. He orders Brophy to enlarge the picture. When he goes to call, "Braces" tries to strangle him, however Thorndyke is able to kill him. Brophy enlarges the photo, and Thorndyke is visible in the picture. However, Nurse Diesel and Montague capture Brophy and take him to the North Wing. They also take the real Arthur Brisbane to a tower to kill him. As Thorndyke runs up the tower to save him, he is able to kill Nurse Diesel and save Brisbane. After this, he and Victoria Brisbane marry.

Nurse Diesel (Cloris Leachman): Nurse Diesel is the controlling and domineering nurse of the Institute, but is quite a psychopath herself. She is in a BDSM relationship with Dr. Montague, and is the puppet master behind the scenes.

Dr. Montague (Harvey Korman): Charles Montague was set to take over the Institute before Dr. Thorndyke arrived, and has trouble hiding his jealousy. He is in a BDSM relationship with Nurse Diesel, who treats him like a dog.

Vertigo — same San Francisco Bay setting at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge, same bell tower location, similar movie poster graphics, and gives the main character his condition, Victoria Brisbane wears a gray suit similar to the one Madeleine Elster wears.

Dial M for Murder — the struggle in the phone booth is similar to the struggle Grace Kelly has in "Dial M": She is nearly strangled and all the opposite end can hear are the fighting noises. Also, the character causing the struggle gets stabbed in both cases through the back (or in the back). The pictures on the wall of Professor Lillloman's office are another allusion.

Blowup - Brophy's multiple enlargements of the crime scene photo spoof the repeated blowups produced by Thomas in Antonioni's film.

Two of the film's writers appear in comical supporting roles: Rudy De Luca as the killer "Braces," and Rain Man-director Barry Levinson as the tightly-wound bellhop, "Dennis."

One scene is set in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in San Francisco, in the uniquely configured 22-story-high triangular atrium of the hotel.