Lost in Alaska is a 1952 film by Abbott and Costello, and their ninth under Universal Studios after its reorganization into Universal-International.
In the 1890s, Tom Watson (Abbott) and George Bell (Costello) are volunteer firefighters in San Francisco who spot a man in the water and dive in to save him. The man turns out to be "Nugget" Joe McDermott, a prospector from Alaska who was trying to commit suicide via drowning after his girlfriend Rosette dumped him, and is not happy that he was saved. The two men end up keeping watch over him until he receives a message from Rosette, claiming she wants him back. Soon after he leaves, Tom and George learn that they're wanted for Joe's murder (due to circumstantial evidence cropping up) and rush to meet him on the ship taking him back to Alaska. The ship leaves before they can get him off and to the police, and they end up traveling north with him and acting as his bodyguards when it turns out a lot of people in Alaska want him dead for various reasons, including so the would-be killers can get their hands on the two million dollars in gold that he's recovered during his time there.
This film contains examples of:
- Abnormal Ammo: During the battle to stall Stillman and his henchmen, George improvises a slingshot and starts flinging fish at the attackers.
- All for Nothing: After Tom, George, Joe and Rosette make much effort to get Joe's gold, it ends up falling in the water. Fortunately, with the gold gone, everyone comes to their senses and become friends afterward.
- Body Bridge: George ends up accidentally forming one when an ice floe breaks off from the main land, falling forward off the ice and gripping the main ground. Tom, Rosette and Joe end up crossing him to get onto the floe in an attempt to escape Stillman and his henchmen.
- Break His Heart to Save Him: This is part of why Rosette initially refuses to marry Joe — this way, Stillman can't force her to claim his money when he dies and then give Stillman half of it.
- Clear My Name: Due to a series of misunderstandings, the police think Tom and George killed Joe, when they'd really saved his life and he's now heading back to Alaska. Consequently, the boys have to meet him at his boat and bring him to the cops to prove their innocence, only to accidentally go with him to Alaska when the boat leaves before they can get off.
- Clock Tampering: In order to keep Joe from trying to get away and attempting suicide again, Tom and George decide to sleep in two-hour shifts. During his turn, Tom changes the time on the clock so he can get more sleep and George will get less.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: Joe McDermott has a reputation for jealousy when it comes to Rosette and any guy she interacts with in any way, which is why Rosette dumped him pre-film and refuses to take him back initially.
- Driven to Suicide: Joe McDermott tries, repeatedly, after his girlfriend dumps him. He ultimately gets persuaded not to.
- Easy Come, Easy Go: While asking a number of questions of a man at a roulette table, George's comments (numbering each of the questions he's asking) are mistaken for bets by the dealer, and he accidentally makes a number of bets and wins a lot of money. Unfortunately, another bet ends up costing him it all, without his ever realizing it.
- Fun with Foreign Languages: George sees some Eskimos communicating in sign language and makes a few random hand gestures of his own. The Eskimo chief starts laughing, telling George, "Oh, you told him a funny story!" Later, when George meets an attractive Eskimo lady, he tries to impress her by creating the same hand gestures he used before. She slaps him in the face; apparently it was that kind of story.
- Harmless Freezing: After both ended up in the water and subsequently freeze solid in a snowstorm, Tom and George are rescued by Eskimos and taken back to their village, thawing out with no problem.
- Inheritance Murder:
- It turns out several of Joe's friends back in Alaska were in his will, and are trying to kill him to get their share of the gold he'd found.
- Variant with Rosette's boss Jake Stillman, who wants her to marry Joe so Jake can kill him, letting Rosette inherit his gold and then, as her partner, he can claim half of it for himself.
- Kitchen Sink Included: While getting stuff out of the "ammunition igloo" (which is full of miscellaneous items) and throwing them at Stillman and his henchmen to keep them from advancing, Tom says he and George have thrown everything but the kitchen sink. George promptly comes back with one and hurls it at the trio.
- Laughing at Your Own Jokes: After rescuing Joe from his attempted suicide and taking him back to their apartment, Tom and George try to cheer him up with bad jokes, which they laugh at after making them.
- Literal Ass-Kicking: After George accidentally catches Tom with his fishing line and drags him into the water, Tom is so angry that he kicks George in the butt, sending him into the water.
- Literal Cliffhanger: While taking their sled up a hill of snow and ice, Tom unwittingly steers them over a cliff with a river below. Fortunately, George (who's the front of the sled, and thus hanging over the river), catches on and gets Tom to pull back before he falls off, though it takes a few attempts.
- Scooby-Dooby Doors: Done with igloos in the final battle between Tom and George on one side and Stillman and his guys on the other, as the pair flee into an igloo, come out the other side and end up jumping between them somehow.
- The Sheriff: Joe McDermott used to be sheriff of Skagway, Alaska, and hung a full dozen people during his time in office. This turns out to be a motive for his attempted murder, as all twelve victims have relatives who want him dead.
- Title Drop: After the boys set off from Skagway and lose their dog team:Tom: "You know what this means? We're lost in Alaska!"
- Unwanted Rescue: The film starts with George trying to save Joe McDermott, who doesn't appreciate it — he was trying to commit suicide by drowning after his girlfriend dumped him.
- Use Your Head: The Literal-Minded George is told to "use your head" when Tom orders him to get a fire axe, which is in a case marked "Break in case of fire". He responds by headbutting the case to smash it open.
