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Bob Hope, Marilyn Maxwell, Lloyd Nolan, Jane Darwell, Andrea King ... see more see more... , Fred Clark , Jay C. Flippen , William Frawley , Harry Bellaver , Sid Melton , Ida Moore , Francis Pierlot , Charles Cooley , Society Kid Hogan , Harry Shannon , Bernard Szold , Tor Johnson , Tom Dugan , Stanley Andrews , Helen Brown , Ray Cooke , John Doucette , Roy Gordon , Fred Graff , Tommy Ivo , Richard Karlan , Jack Kruschen , Mary Murphy , Almira Sessions , Douglas Spencer , Sid Tomack , Harry Tyler , Ben Welden , Fred Zendar , Slim Gaut

Damon Runyon's Broadway fable The Lemon Drop Kid was filmed twice by Paramount Pictures, but only the 1934 version with Lee Tracy paid more than lip service to the original Runyon story. The second ve... read more read more...rsion, filmed in 1951, was completely retooled to accommodate the talents of Bob Hope. Known far and wide as the Lemon Drop Kid because of his fondness for that particular round, yellow confection, Hope is a bookie who finds himself deeply in debt to Florida gangster Fred Clark. Magnanimously, Clark permits Hope to head to New York to raise the money--but he'd better have the dough ready by Christmas, or else. Ever on the lookout for Number One, Hope decides to exploit the Christmas spirit in order to get the money together. With the help of unsuspecting nightclub-singer Marilyn Maxwell, Hope sets up a charity fund to raise money for an "Old Doll's Home"--that is, a home for down-and-out little old ladies. He claims to be doing this on behalf of big-hearted Jane Darwell, but he has every intention of double-crossing Darwell and all the other elderly women by skipping town with the charity funds and leaving them at the mercy of the authorities. By the time Hope has seen the error of his ways and tries to do right by the old dolls, Maxwell's boss Lloyd Nolan has decided to muscle into the racket by using the ladies' home as a front for a gambling casino. To set things right, Hope finds it necessary to disguise himself as a fussy old spinster at one point. The best line in the film goes to William Frawley, playing one of many Broadway toughs who are being pressed into service as street-corner Santas. "Will you bring me a doll for Christmas?" asks a little girl. "Naw, my doll's workin' Christmas Eve" is Frawley's salty reply. The Lemon Drop Kid is the film in which Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell introduced the enduring Yuletide ballad "Silver Bells", written (reportedly in a real hurry) by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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72% liked it

1,289 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 31 min.

Directed by: Sidney Lanfield

Release Date: January 1, 1951

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DVD Release Date: November 21, 2000

Stats: 57 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (57)

  • zillionaire
    June 10, 2006
    zillionaire
    Must watch at Xmas comedy
  • threefolddado
    July 2, 2008
    threefolddado
    Nice Bob Hope humor.
  • jam233
    November 13, 2009
    jam233
    This is a very enjoyable and entertaining Bob Hope movie, there are plenty of laughs along the way thanks to a great screenplay. One of his better movies from the 1950's. Good supporting cast.
  • Living4real
    December 18, 2008
    Living4real
    Classic Bob Hope comedy set around the holidays. Bob decides to rig the bell ringing Christmas Santas and it all goes down hill from there - screwball style.
  • bt7995
    July 28, 2007
    bt7995
    I dig the classics now and again. It to bad Hope is only really remembered for his specials he was a funny man and a damn good actor.
  • Glinda
    June 1, 2007
    Glinda
    This is the film that "Silver Bells" was written for! Cute story and of course Bob Hope is a smash!

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Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz
August 18, 2011
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Another awful Bob Hope comedy. It goes down as sour as a lemon drop. Full Review

Ken Hanke
May 24, 2006
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Terrific Bob Hope Christmas picture. One of his best.

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Bosley Crowther
March 25, 2006
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

May 24, 2003
Film4

Click to read the article Full Review

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The Lemon Drop Kid Trivia

  • The Christmas song, "Silver Bells," comes from which movie?  Answer »
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