Inside Mel Brooks’ Surprising Friendship with Alfred Hitchcock
What To Know
- Mel Brooks formed an unexpected friendship with Alfred Hitchcock while developing his 1977 suspense parody film High Anxiety, seeking Hitchcock’s input and blessing.
- Hitchcock provided feedback on the script, offered creative suggestions—such as expanding the parody of The Birds—and declined any official credit for his help.
- After viewing the finished film, Hitchcock expressed his approval with a supportive note and a bottle of wine, and Brooks dedicated High Anxiety to him in the credits.
Mel Brooks has made it his life’s work to make people laugh, and he worked with many talented people over the years in pursuit of that goal. But one of his most unexpected creative relationships was with a director whose work could not have been more different: Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock was the undisputed “Master of Suspense,” who built his legacy on psychological unease, while Brooks built his on outrageous comedy. Yet the two men ended up forming a genuine friendship that helped shape one of Brooks’ most clever films. With Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man!, the new documentary airing on HBO on January 22 and 23, it is a perfect moment to revisit how this unlikely bond came to be.
How Mel Brooks met Alfred Hitchcock
By the mid 1970s, Brooks had already established himself as a master of genre spoofing. He had sent up classic horror with Young Frankenstein, the western with Blazing Saddles, and silent cinema with Silent Movie. His next target was the suspense thriller, and specifically Hitchcock’s instantly recognizable style. That idea became High Anxiety, released in 1977, a fast-paced parody packed with visual nods and story beats drawn from films like Psycho, Vertigo, North by Northwest and The Birds.
© Balcony Releasing /Courtesy Everett Collection
He reached out directly to Hitchcock and sent him a rough draft of the script. In an interview with The Daily Beast, Brooks recalled calling Hitchcock and explaining his approach. “I did a movie called High Anxiety. I sent a rough draft of it to Hitchcock,” Brooks said. “I called him, and I said, ‘I do genres. I do space. I do Westerns. I’m going to do High Anxiety about your stuff.'”
How Hitchcock secretly helped write High Anxiety
To Brooks’ surprise and delight, Hitchcock invited him over and offered genuine help. According to Brooks, Hitchcock went through the script with him, offering feedback and ideas while deliberately declining any official credit. “He said, ‘Come over,’ and he helped me write it, he didn’t take credit, and he became a pal of mine,” Brooks explained. Brooks later screened the finished film for Hitchcock, and the experience left him momentarily unsure how the director felt. Hitchcock watched the movie and then quietly stood up and left without comment. But the silence did not last long.
Everett Collection
The next day, Brooks arrived to find a bottle of wine waiting on his desk, along with a handwritten note from Hitchcock encouraging him to “have no anxiety over High Anxiety.” Hitchcock reportedly called it “a wonderful film,” indicating that he not only approved of the parody but also genuinely enjoyed it. The film ultimately included a dedication to Hitchcock in the end credits, an acknowledgment of his behind-the-scenes contribution.
One of the film’s most memorable gags also came directly from Hitchcock’s own suggestion. Brooks has said that Hitchcock encouraged him to parody The Birds, believing that the over-the-top chaos of attacking birds would translate beautifully into comedy. Hitchcock reportedly quipped that if the birds “mess all over you,” it would naturally be funny, which convinced Brooks to expand the parody even further. Hitchcock passed away in 1980, only a few years after High Anxiety was released, making their brief friendship all the more meaningful.
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