Lost in Alaska (1952)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Jean Yarbrough

Writers:

Elwood Ullman (story)
Martin Ragaway (writer) ...
(more)

Release Date:

August 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Adventure

Tagline:

It's ALL NEW and a RIOT TOO!

Plot:

Two volunteer firemen rescue a gold prospector from suicide. However, once they discover that the police mistakenly want them for murder...

Plot Keywords:

Gold | Alaska | Fireman | Steamship | San Francisco California

Cast

Bud Abbott	...	Tom Watson
Lou Costello	...	George Bell
Mitzi Green	...	Rosette
Tom Ewell	...	Nugget Joe McDermott
Bruce Cabot	...	Jake Stillman
Emory Parnell	...	Sherman
Jack Ingram	...	Henchman
Rex Lease	...	Old-Timer
Joe Kirk	...	Henchman (as Joseph Kirk)
Minerva Urecal	...	Mrs. McGillicuddy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fred Aldrich	...	Bearded Prospector (uncredited)
Bobby Barber	...	Ship's Cook (uncredited)
George Barton	...	(uncredited)
Iron Eyes Cody	...	Canook (uncredited)
William Gould	...	Second Stranger (uncredited)
Chuck Hamilton	...	Miner in saloon (uncredited)
Jean Hartelle	...	First Eskimo (uncredited)
Donald Kerr	...	Multolah (uncredited)
Mike Lally	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Bert LeBaron	...	Man in House (uncredited)
Julia Montoya	...	Eskimo Woman (uncredited)
Sherry Moreland	...	Hostess (uncredited)
Howard Negley	...	Higgins (uncredited)
Paul Newlan	...	Capt. Chisholm (uncredited)
Maudie Prickett	...	Woman in Window (uncredited)
Michael Ross	...	Willie (uncredited)
Brick Sullivan	...	Croupier (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan	...	Man at Roulette Wheel (uncredited)
Harry Tyler	...	Man in Line at Bank (uncredited)
Billy Wayne	...	Croupier (uncredited)

Directed by
Jean Yarbrough

Writing credits
Elwood Ullman		(story)
Martin Ragaway		(writer) (as Martin A. Ragaway) &
Leonard Stern		(writer)

Produced by
Howard Christie	....	producer

Cinematography by
George Robinson

Film Editing by
Leonard Weiner

Art Direction by
Robert F. Boyle		(as Robert Boyle)
Bernard Herzbrun

Set Decoration by
Russell A. Gausman
Ray Jeffers

Costume Design by
Kara

Makeup Department
Joan St. Oegger	....	hair stylist
Bud Westmore	....	makeup artist

Sound Department
Leslie I. Carey	....	sound
Harold Lewis	....	sound

Stunts
Vic Parks	....	stunt double (uncredited)

Music Department
Joseph Gershenson	....	musical director
Edgar Fairchild	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Arthur Lange	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Henry Mancini	....	composer: incidental music (uncredited)
Milton Rosen	....	composer: incidental music (uncredited)
Hans J. Salter	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Walter Schumann	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Frank Skinner	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Herman Stein	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Leith Stevens	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Other crew
Harold Belfer	....	choreographer

Production Companies

• Universal International Pictures (UI)

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1952) (USA) (theatrical)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Abbott and Costello Lost in Alaska (UK)

Runtime:

76 min | Argentina:80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Movie Connections:

Featured in The World of Abbott and Costello (1965)

Not one of their best!

Abbott and Costello, who are firemen in the 1890s save life of Alaskan suicidal millionaire 'nugget' Joe from drowning himself.( An idea from Chaplin's City lights perhaps?). His girl has told him she wants out. (How he ended up in San Fransisco from Alaska though is a mystery). They take him back to their place for him to stay the night. The morning after (after a lenthy routine which sees Abbott con Costello out of his night's sleep)Joe receives a letter from his love, Rosette stating she wants him back. In gratitude, he gives A+C the gold he has on him.

At the bank, 2 men tell them that a gold prospector was found murdered last night and the police suspect 2 volunteer firemen. They find Joe on his boat and tell him that the police think they murderd him. Naturally this cheers Joe up and sends him into hysterics.(!) They ask him to come down the station to set the record straight but he can't hear them properly as the whistles from the boat are to loud. It's to late anyhow as the boat has set sail taking them all to Alaska! When they arrive it turns out that a lot of people want Joe dead(including himself again when he finds out that Rosette didn't write the note) and it's A+C's job to keep him alive as they want to take him home to prove he's still alive. It turns out that Joe has wrote a will which leaves his £2 million fortune to his 'buddies' when he dies and they are all trying to bump him off. It turns out Mr Stillman, who owns the saloon, wrote the letter and asks Lucette to marry Joe so she becomes his only heir then he'll bump him off and then they split the gold...

Bad Abbott and Costello vehicle makes no use of their talents. Strange scenes including one which has the boys trying to cheer up Nugget Joe and do the routine they did 'at the fireman's ball'. 3 terrible 'jokes' occur and you don't know whether they are supposed to be funny or not. Nugget Joe doesn't laugh and who can blame him? The 2 songs are actually quite good and the actors aren't bad either. The script and budget lets the film down. The peculiar finale isn't funny at all and when the film finishes the viewer can't help but feel there's something missing.

If you want to see Abbott and Costello as they were in the 50s, watch one of their hilarious TV shows instead.