Lost in Alaska

Abbott: "Miss McGillicuddy, you look charming today. Did you do something to your hair?"

Costello: "Yeah, she put it on her head"!

"Lost in Alaska" does have some inspired moments, and most of them are in the first half, like the "sleeping in 2-hour shifts" routine, or Costello's response to a sign that says "Use the axe only in case of fire" ("Got a match?"). But when A&C actually do get Lost in Alaska, the comedy gets largely reduced to elementary, childish slapstick (Costello falling down on the snow a lot, etc). I did laugh a couple of times, but overall the film is pretty tiresome, despite its short running time. (**)

The creative juices at Universal were grinding to a halt when Abbott and Costello made Lost In Alaska. The film is obviously taken from the classic Road To Utopia that Bing and Bob did at Paramount a few years back.

The Dottie Lamour role in this film went to Mitzi Green, but the boys aren't fighting over here. She's the squeeze of Tom Ewell a poor sad sack sourdough who wants to kill himself because she gave him in the air. Bud and Lou begin the film as volunteer firemen in San Francisco who save Ewell from drowning himself though Costello nearly goes down in the effort. Then they accompany Ewell to Alaska to maybe get a share of his gold if they can straighten his love life out.

Ewell's a popular guy in Skagway, everyone wants to see him dead because of his strike. Keeping him alive is a full time job for Bud and Lou.

The best routine in the film is Bud putting one over on Lou when they agree to take one hour shifts keeping tabs on Ewell. Bud sleeps for an hour then Lou wakes him, but Bud just puts the clock ahead an hour and then wakes Lou after about a few seconds. Poor Costello can't figure out why he's so drowsy. I wish the rest of the film were as good.

Universal no longer was being kept alive by Abbott&Costello, their box office was assured by a crop of new leading men like Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis, and Jeff Chandler. The quality of their films declined in the Fifties and Lost In Alaska is an example of same.

Abbott and Costello play two volunteer firemen who save the life of suicidal prospector Nugget Joe (Tom Ewell), only to find themselves accused of his murder. Joe heads back to Alaska for his girlfriend and the boys tag along. They soon find everybody wants Nugget Joe dead and they have to keep him alive so they can prove their innocence. Tom Ewell is great as Nugget Joe. His constant suicide attempts are the funniest bits in the movie. This is a rare case of a supporting actor outshining Bud and Lou. Bruce Cabot plays the villain. Mitzi Green is a forgettable leading lady. Most of the funny stuff is early in the movie. Once they get to Alaska, it's not as good.

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.

Abbott and Costello's 50s offerings do nothing other than make you hanker for the halcyon days of the 40s where their best efforts are to be found. Sure there are a couple of decent films in the 50s such as Meet Jekyll/Hyde & The Mummy, but in the main you sense the boys are tired, you sense that the once glowing genius is a shadow of its former self, we sense right because it's true, never more so proved than with this barely average piece.

There are a couple of decent scenes in here, and sure enough the pratfalling antics off Costello will raise a smile, but the writing doesn't give them much to work with, the co stars are suitably bored with the plot, and the biggest crime of all is that we don't get a remotely mirthful ending to save the picture.

5/10 out of loyalty to a couple of comic geniuses going thru the motions, oh and a crab that stole the film.