Lou receives a telegram from his Uncle Tom that he's struck gold in Alaska. Bud takes Lou to the bank to get a loan for supplies and guides when in Alaska. They arrive to find the tellers tied up. Mike the Cop shows up and pays Bud and Lou $200 to be a partner in the venture. He begins thinking he's been taken and grabs his money back and starts to haul them off, but the pair is saved by a man identifying himself as the commissioner (Murray Leonard). The delusional man takes them to a bar and orders invisible drinks from an invisible bartender "Joe" to the confusion of Bud and Lou. Things escalate when "Joe" gets invisibly shot. They decide to try and get the money from Mr. Fields and Lou shows him the telegram. A suddenly jovial Mr. Fields offers to finance their trip if Lou will bring him back some "gold ore". A confused Lou asks, "Or what?" This begins one of their classic routines, "Gold Ore":
Lou Costello: "It can't be gold or nothing! It's got to be gold or something!"
Mr. Fields: "No no no, you don't understand, you see gold comes from ore. You see first you dig the gold - and then you smelt it."
Lou Costello: "How can I smelt it if I got a cold?"
In the apartment, Bud decides to soak his aching feet, but Lou hands him cement instead of Epsom salt. Mr. Fields tries to get him out, resulting in a barrage of physical pratfalls toward Lou.
3 Reviews
Sydney Fields Revenge, Also Black Face Ending!
verbusen2 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This show has grown on me so much over the years (45+) so my 10 rating is probably due to nostalgia. This episode is funny in that Sydney Fields gets to do some physical comedy at the expense of Costello. Before that there is a funny skit with Costello not understanding what gold ore and smelt means, the intro act is funny with a crazy guy and his imaginary friend "Joe" who he kills by "accident". Also, there is a black face moment at the end where Costello speaks in a Southern-ish (black) accent. Love watching some Abbott and Costello Show Sunday morning (on MeTV, DVR it) with my wife over a nice breakfast! MeTV didn't edit out the black face scene which pleasantly surprised me. I like the original content versus edited like what Ted Turner does to Looney Toon cartoons. They also show the Little Rascals unedited which has a lot of Hal Roach directed black face jokes in it.
REMEMBER THIS ONE?
tcchelsey31 May 2022
ALASKA is a hilarious episode, all about Lou's uncle striking gold! Bud, naturally, thinks they're both rich and sets out to get supplies so they can make the trip to Alaska. In between, the boys get caught up in all sorts of complications, including running into a kook who takes them to an invisible bar that has invisible customers! Typical Abbott and Costello insanity! Watch for the scene as Lou accidentally pours cement into Bud's bucket while he's soaking his feet. You can especially tell that Costello was having lots of fun and making the most of the script. You often wonder while watching this show if it wasn't inspired by THE THREE STOOGES! This was the stuff all us little big kids grew up on long ago, and still worth a second glance. SEASON 1 dvd box set.
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