The Lemon Drop Kid (1951)

Director:

Sidney Lanfield

Writers:

Edmund Beloin (story)
Irving Elinson (additional dialogue)

Release Date:

2 April 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Music | Romance

Tagline:

Damon Runyan's zaniest Broadway characters come alive with fun...especially the Lemon Drop Kid (Bob, natch!)

Plot:

When the Lemon Drop Kid accidentally steers Moose Moran's girl away from a winning bet, he is forced...

Plot Keywords:

Christmas | Safecracker | Beautiful Woman | Horse Racing | Horse

Awards:

1 win

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Bob Hope	...	Sidney Melbourne (The Lemon Drop Kid)
Marilyn Maxwell	...	'Brainy' Baxter
Lloyd Nolan	...	Oxford Charley
Jane Darwell	...	Nellie Thursday
Andrea King	...	Stella
Fred Clark	...	Moose Moran
Jay C. Flippen	...	Straight Flush
William Frawley	...	Gloomy Willie
Harry Bellaver	...	Sam the Surgeon
Sid Melton	...	Little Louie
Ben Welden	...	Singing Solly
Ida Moore	...	The Bird Lady
Francis Pierlot	...	Henry Regan
Charles Cooley	...	Goomba
Salvatore De Lorenzo	...	Street-corner Santa Claus (as Society Kid Hogan)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Hope Enterprises

Trivia:

Frank Tashlin (uncredited) directed about one third of the entire film.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Bob Hope is fighting the winter storm walking up the street, the wire pulling him back is visible as well as where it pulls him on the back of the jacket.

Quotes:

Sidney Melbourne: Santy Claus don't drink.
Gloomy Willie: Oh, no? Well, how come he's always falling down chimleys?

Movie Connections:

Featured in A Hollywood Christmas (1996) (V)

Soundtrack:

It Doesn't Cost A Dime To Dream

Lemon Drops With Silver Bells

The Lemon Drop Kid is the second of two films Bob Hope did from stories based on Damon Runyon's colorful collection of characters, the first being Sorrowful Jones. Sidney Melbourne known to one and all as The Lemon Drop Kid for his inordinate fondness for lemon flavored candy is a fellow who lives by his wits as a race track tout.

Sometimes our hero is too clever by a half and when he gives the wrong tip to gambler Fred Clark's girl friend, Andrea King, Clark says that Hope owes him ten thousand dollars, the amount the horse would have paid him.

Things move fast and furious as Hope evolves a scheme to raise the money by starting a home for little old ladies named for Jane Darwell. Hope gets everyone in his set involved including his long suffering girl friend, Marilyn Maxwell.

Maxwell, who was reputedly involved romantically with Hope during the shooting of this film, plays a part almost identical to Runyon's better known Adelaide from Guys and Dolls.

Of course this film is famous for introducing that modern Christmas classic Silver Bells by Bob and Marilyn. And in an act that some might consider charity, that other well known Paramount star, Bing Crosby made a hit record of it with his radio girl singer of the moment Carole Richards.

In his musical autobiography record Bing said that he thought the secret of Silver Bells popularity is that it is an urban based song with its images of department stores, kid's rushing, and above all the bustle the sound of bells from street corner Santas. The song fits in real nice in the film with Hope's scheme involving his fellow street people in Santa Claus suits collecting for that little old ladies home.

Silver Bells got nominated for Best song, but lost to that other Paramount film song In the Cool Cool Cool of the Evening introduced by Bing Crosby.

Still the popularity of Jay Livingston and Ray Evans classic modern holiday ballad will insure people will be watching The Lemon Drop Kid for years to come.