Lost in Alaska

Lost in Alaska
Lost in Alaska
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jean Yarbrough
Written by	Martin Ragaway; Leonard Stern
Produced by	Howard Christie
Starring	Bud Abbott; Lou Costello; Mitzi Green; Tom Ewell; Iron Eyes Cody
Cinematography	George Robinson
Edited by	Leonard Weiner
Music by	Joseph Gershenson
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	July 28, 1952;
Running time	76 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$677,230
Box office	$1.5 million (US rentals)

Lost in Alaska is a 1952 American film starring comedy duo Abbott and Costello.

Plot

The time is the 1890s, and the place is San Francisco. George Ball and Tom Watson are firemen who rescue 'Nugget' Joe McDermott from committing suicide by drowning. Joe wants to die because his girlfriend, Rosette no longer loves him. The boys keep an eye on him and Joe is thankful for it after receiving a telegram the next morning from Rosette claiming that she still loves him. George and Tom take their gold reward to the bank when they learn the police mistakenly believe Joe was murdered for his gold that night by the two men who actually rescued. They catch up to Joe on his boat for the Yukon and try to get him down to the police station only to see the ship depart San Francisco with all three of them on it.

Joe returns to Alaska, with George and Tom anxious to get him back to San Francisco to clear their names. Once they arrive, it is learned that many people want to kill Joe, as he was once the local sheriff who had many people hanged. They also find that a group of Joe's old friends also want him dead as they are the beneficiaries of his will. Rosette works at a casino whose owner, Jake Stillman, demands that she marry Joe, whom Jake also plans to kill once he is married to Rosette, so that he can gain the fortune in gold.

Rosette reveals Jake's intent to George and Tom, who hide Joe and Rosette by sending them out of town. Jake is not happy about this turn of events and sends his gang to deal with George and Tom, who manage to outwit them. In the ensuing melee, the gold falls into a deep crevice in the ice, and is lost. Everyone manages to overcome their greed for the sake of friendship, and Joe and Rosette marry.

Cast

Bud Abbott as Tom Watson
Lou Costello as George Bell
Mitzi Green as Rosetta
Tom Ewell as 'Nugget Joe' McDermott
Bruce Cabot as Jake Stillman
Emory Parnell as Sherman
Jack Ingram as Henchman
Rex Lease as Old Timer

Production

Lost in Alaska was filmed from December 3 through December 31, 1951, under the working title The Sourdoughs.^[3]

Legal problems

Production on the film almost never began. One month before filming began, Abbott and Costello filed a lawsuit against Universal, which was selling 16mm clips (through Castle Films) taken from various Abbott and Costello films. They also sued Realart Pictures for re-releasing some of the team's older films without their consent.^{[citation needed]}

However, they settled for $2 million and additional profits from several of their prior films. Two weeks after the settlement, they re-signed with Universal through 1955.^[4]

Home media

This film has been released twice on DVD. The first time, on The Best of Abbott and Costello Volume Three, on August 3, 2004, and again on October 28, 2008 as part of Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ Furmanek p 225-226
^ 'Top Box-Office Hits of 1952', Variety, January 7, 1953
^ Abbott & Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection
^ Furmanek, Bob and Ron Palumbo (1991). Abbott and Costello in Hollywood. New York: Perigee Books. ISBN 0-399-51605-0

External links

Lost in Alaska at IMDb
Lost in Alaska at the TCM Movie Database

[1] Furmanek p 225-226

[2] 'Top Box-Office Hits of 1952', Variety, January 7, 1953

[3] Abbott & Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection

[4] Furmanek, Bob and Ron Palumbo (1991). Abbott and Costello in Hollywood. New York: Perigee Books. ISBN 0-399-51605-0

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