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The Red and Black, Tuesday, February 21. 197H
Page 11
Entertainment
Movie review
Institute for the Very. Very Nervous. And it
isn't very, verv long before Brooks realizes
that sorm“crazy" things are going on, and
that his own life is in danger.
Cloris Leachman is consistently hysterical
as Nurse Diesel, a hefty. Hitchcockian,
mustached broad with a penchant for
mischeif and murder Harvey Korman plays
the conspiring Dr. Montague, whose secret
desires include taking control of the
Institute, as well as wearing Nurse Diesel’s
underwear. Madeline Kahn is Brooks’
answer to Tippi Hedrin and Grace Kelly, the
classic, archetypical Hitchcock cool blondes.
High Anxiety is at its best when it is a
no-nonsense take-off of Hitchcock, and at its
worst w hen Brooks, always desperate for
laughs, resorts to sequences more reminis-
cient of Blazing Saddles.
Remember those lengthy Alfred-esque
tracking shots where the camera would
gracefully, almost ballet-like pull in from an
exterior shot, approach a building, go right
through the window into the room with the
actors 0 Well. Brooks’ camera tries that, and
breaks the window.
There’s a delightful, shot-for-shot lambast
ing of Janet Leigh’s shower sequence in
Psycho, and an especially Brooksian
goofing up of The Birds Brooks is sitting in
a park, and ominously, a jungle-gym set
behind him is being covered with pigeons.
Since they are pigeons, and not some other
Although High Anxiety is one of Brooks’
most technically accurate and consistent
spoofs, it is unfortunatley less funny than his
last three or four films. This is largely
attributable to the absence of the likes of
Gene Wilder , Marty Feldman, and Dom
DeLouise from his comic stock company.
Another disturbing reservation about this,
his sixth feature film, is that it’s essentially
the same kind of movie he’s been doing all
along. As a director, Brooks has the
originality of a chameleon. Rather than
developing a distinct visual style of his own,
he borrows one from someone else, adapting
a style to a particular film in much the
same way a chameleon changes colors.
Why Brooks, probably one of America’s
greatest screenwriters, has devoted his life
to gagging up. and drawing mustaches on
other people’s work 1 haven’t the foggiest.
Certainly it’s profitable. But it’s very sad to
see such a vast talent languishing; Brooks is
too busy knocking someone else’s work to
come up with something original of his own.
If Brooks only applied his immense comic
insight into something worthy of it...if only
he would make films that aren't rip-offs of
something else, and that are complete in
themselves...new genres instead of a
continuation of old ones.
I submit that Mel Brooks take a more
serious approach to the grim business of
being funny.
Brooks’ ‘sincere’ spoof
parodies Hitchcock films
By BEN FUGITT
Alfred Hitchcock doesn’t really need to be
parodied Very often there’s a tongue-in-
cheek. black , black humor running as an
undercurrent through his best films that
make them amusing enough, in a dry sort of
way. in themselves.
But, Mel Brooks has gone and done it
anyway, with High Anxiety. Why 9 Search
me. It’s as unnecessary as putting pointed
ears on fish Luckily, because it’s an
affectionate, straightforward, and most
importantly, a sincere spoof, it works. It’s
the rare sort of parody that compliments its
subject instead of grinding it to shards.
Brooks takes the lead as Richard Harpo
Thorndyke, a Harvard-trained shrink that
takes over the prestigious Psycho-Neurotic
variety of bird, they attack Brooks in a
manner suitable to their reputation. Their
ensuing defecations are tasteless, but you’re
too busy laughing to turn up your nose and
hiss haughtily; “Tsk! Tsk!”
In fact, if you’re a Hitchcock aficionado,
there may be more fun in counting the
Hitchcock references than in the film itself.
The very title High Anxiety is a glaringly
obvious reference to Vertigo, as a matter of
fact Brooks’ even uses many of Vertigo’s
original locations. The fact that the film
revolves around an asylum is reminiscient
of Spellbound. There’s a plane sequence a la
F'oreign Correspondent, and well, something
from just about everything Hitchcock put on
film: North by Northwest. Notorious. Rope.
Revecca, The Trouble with Harry, and God
knows what else.
Classical concerts
schedule
F’EB. 21—8:30 p.m., Balcony Auditorium-
Composer’s Forum.
FEB. 21—8:30 p m., Chapel-Certificate
Recital with Estelle Roth, Viola
F’F^B. 23—8 p.m.—Fine Arts Auditorium-Uni
versity Civic Symphony Orchestra Concert.
FEB. 24— 7 p.m.. Graduate Chamber
Recital, Doug Harmon, Clarinet-Chapel.
FEB. 24 — 8:30 p m., Chapel, Graduate
Chamer Recital—Mary Ackerman, Guitar.
F'EB. 27— 8 p.m., First Baptist Church-Sen
ior Recital, Bill Callaway, Organ.
F'EB. 27—8 p.m., Chapel, Saxophone
Ensemble-Buddy Deans.
F'EB. 28—8:30 p.m., Chapel, Certificate
Recital, Jeff Johnson, Voice.
WUOG schedule
for the week
TUESDAY
11 a m.-Half-track, Moody Blues, On the
Threshold of a Dream side 2.
5 p.m.—Half-track, Big Mama Thornton,
Sassy Mama-side 2.
9-12 p.m. “Of the People’’ with William
Beasley.
WEDNESDAY
11 a.m.-Half-track, Gary Ogan, Gary
Ogan.-side 2.
5 p m —Half-track, Martin Mull, The Best of
Martin Mull-side 2
7 p.m —Chicago Symphony featuring
Mozart's Symphony No. 38
9-12 p m —“Dynaflo’’ with John Kelly
Midnight—NBC Radio Theater-Charles Dic
kens Baron of Grossweig’’
THURSDAY
11 a m —Half-track, Chieftans, Chieftans
4-side 2
5 p.m.—Half-track, Doors, Morrison Hotel -
side 1
9- 10 p.m —“Virgin Vinyl’’ with Beth Lynk
10- 11 p.m.—Live from the Last Resort
FRIDAY
11 a m.-Half-track. James Lewis, The Mu
sic of Scott Joplin, side 2
5 p.m -Half-track, Glenn Phillips, Swim in
the Wind, side 1
9-12 p m —“If it Rocks’’ with Johnny Pride
Midnight— National Lampoon Radio Thea
ter
Mel Brooks attempts to cure patient in “High Anxiety* R&h Knoto
By WILLIAM HAINES
Fmtertainment editor
Ed Sanford and John Town
send emulated the sound of
those Philadephia whiz kids,
Daryl Hall and John Oates,
stylistically and production-
wise in concert Thursday night
at the Georgia Theater. That’s
not a criticism of the
Sanford-Townsend Band so
much as it is a detached
observation.
I doifbt seriously if Sanford
and Townsend spend their off
hours on the road listening to
Abandoned Luncheonette or
Concert
review
Bigger Than Both of Us. but
the feel is there. So are the
blond, boyish looks. Hall could
use Townsend as a stand-in if
he should ever decide on some
kind of cinematic indulgence.
And Townsend even plays
keyboards.
A lot of coincidences to be
sure, but that doesn’t disguise
the truth that Sanford and
Townsend know how to write
snappy tunes with plenty of
lyrical and melodic punch. If
Sanford and Townsend have
modeled themselves after
Messrs. Hall and Oates, what
better band is there who
Sanford-Townsend reproduces studio sound at
appreciates a good pop ballad 9
The Great Southeast Music
Hall sponsored the Sanford-
Townsend Band's appearance
at the Theater. Two shows
were originally scheduled, one
at 8 p.m. and one at 10 p.m.,
but the band’s performance
was squashed into one 10
o’clock show.
Sanford-Townsend powered
through an hour-plus long set
with deliberate authority The
band pulls from several
contiguous sources for their
songs: Santa Monica, Calif.;
Phoenix, Arix. and Tuscaloosa.
Ala But the net result is Los
Angeles sunshine via New
York hard knocks.
Sanford-Townsend opened
with the uptempo "Paradise”
from their ‘second’’ album.
Duo Glide. Warner Bros, re
issued their first album after
"Smoke From a Distant Fire”
enexpectedly caught on as a
hit single. So, if you see three
Sanford-Townsend albums in
the bins, don’t be confused.
"Squire James,” taken from
Sanford-Townsend’s first al
bum. explained a lot about
Sanford and Townsend's em
phasis on rhythm section
philosophy (keyboards, bass
and drums). Also noticeable
was that smooth, cushioned
California sound with the gritty
New York underbelly men
tioned earlier.
Sanford-Townsend played a
12-song-set that had obviously
been carefully mapped out.
The group placed their new
single. "Eye of the Storm” in
front of “Smoke From a
Distant F'ire’’ in a fingers
crossed attempt to keep those
hits flowing. I was particularly
impressed, though, by the way
Townsend still toyed with
"Smoke.” looking for possibly
unmined nuances in the song
instead of racing through the
number.
Sanford-Townsend put on the
kind of show that young bands
could study and learn from.
Their set was a serious
approach to reproduce their
studio recording and it worked
Unfortunately, Sanford-
Townsend rarely interacted
with the 140 or so people in the
Theater; they were, appar
ently. disappointed by the poor
crowd showing. The $5.50
admissions price was pretty
stiff in light of the fact that the
Heart-Sanford-Tow nsend show
present€»d in the Coliseum in
October carried a $0 tag for
general admission and $3 for
students. Maybe the Theater
should start thinking about
some kind of discount for
college students.
Another problem the San
ford-Townsend Band created
was breaking down their
equipment after they finished
their set. This effectively
prevended Thermos Green
wood from playing another set
behind the headliners.
Greenwood had been contact
ed on Wednesday to fill the
opening act slot and were late
Photo by DONNA MINCEY
Georgia Theater
for the show since they had to
motor out of Atlanta. As a
result. Greenwood was permit
ted only a 30 minute perfor
mance that showed, for the
most part, the band hasn’t
played live together for a
while.
Greenwood's last live show
since their New Year's Eve
appearance at Rose's Cantina
was in Carroltown about a
month ago. Greenwood re
ceived no redeeming set at the
Georgia Theater
Earlier in the day. Thermos
Greenwood bassist and vocal
ist. Tommy Dean, dropped by
WUOG to play some master
tapes from the band's forth
coming album, tentatively
entitled. Pinhead T«*dd\.
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