The Lemon Drop Kid (1951)

★ 6.5 1h 31m IMDb

When the Lemon Drop Kid accidentally cheats gangster Moose Moran out of his track winnings, the Kid promises to repay Moose the money by Christmas. Creating a fake charity for "Apple Annie" Nellie Thursday, the Kid tricks his gang into donning Santa suits and "collecting dough for old dolls" like Nellie who have nowhere to live.

The Lemon Drop Kid

Where to Watch

Netflix Netflix
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video
Disney Plus Disney Plus
HBO Max HBO Max
Max Max
Hulu Hulu
Paramount Plus Paramount Plus
Apple TV Plus Apple TV Plus
Peacock Peacock
Showtime Showtime
Starz Starz
Paramount+ with Showtime Paramount+ with Showtime

Rent / Buy

Rent

Apple TV Apple TV
Google Play Movies Google Play Movies
Amazon Video Amazon Video
YouTube YouTube
Vudu Vudu
Fandango at Home Fandango at Home

Buy

Apple TV Apple TV
Google Play Movies Google Play Movies
Amazon Video Amazon Video
YouTube YouTube
Vudu Vudu
Fandango at Home Fandango at Home

Cast

Bob Hope
Bob Hope as Sidney Melbourne (The Lemon Drop Kid) Died 2003 · Eltham, London, England, UK Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, and entertainer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature fi...
Marilyn Maxwell
Marilyn Maxwell as 'Brainey' Baxter Died 1972 · Clarinda, Iowa, USA Marilyn Maxwell (August 3, 1921 – March 20, 1972), born Marvel Marilyn Maxwell, was an American actress and entertainer. Noted for her blonde hair and sexy persona she appeared in several films and r...
Lloyd Nolan
Lloyd Nolan as Oxford Charley Died 1985 · San Francisco, California, USA From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Lloyd Benedict Nolan (August 11, 1902 – September 27, 1985) was an American film and television actor. Among his many roles, Nolan is remembered for originatin...
Jane Darwell
Jane Darwell as 'Nellie Thursday' Regan Died 1967 · Palmyra, Missouri, USA From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jane Darwell was an American film and stage actress. With appearances in over 100 major motion pictures, Darwell is perhaps best-remembered for her portrayal of...
Andrea King
Andrea King as Stella Died 2003 · Paris, France Andrea King (1919-2003) was an American theatre and movie actress..
Fred Clark
Fred Clark as Moose Moran Died 1968 · Lincoln, California, USA Fred Clark (March 19, 1914 – December 5, 1968) was an American actor known for his versatile performances across film, television, and stage from the 1940s to the 1960s. Clark often portrayed authorit...

Audience Reviews

John Chard 10/10 Dec 27, 2015
Simply lovely con artist caper delivering mirth for the yuletide season.

The Lemon Drop Kid is directed by Sidney Lanfield (Frank Tashlin uncredited) and based on the short story of the same name written by Damon Runyon (Edmund Beloin adapting). It stars Bob Hope, Marilyn Maxwell, Lloyd Nolan, Jane Darwell, Andrea King & Fred Clark.

It's perhaps a bit unfair to call it purely a Christmas movie? But watching it during the festive holiday season itself more than doubles the impact of the viewing. Bob Hope is The Lemon Drop Kid, a scam artist who during one of his cons at the race track finds himself in debt to a gangster for $10,000. If he doesn't find the money by Christmas day then he's going to be done for in a very grizzly way. We then follow the intrepid Hope on his various escapades to get the money; no mater how morally corrupt it be! A charity scam in the name of an old peoples home brings about much mirth and frivolity, and as the film twists as much as Hope does in his energetic scenes, it leave us with a delightful feel good seasonal offering. The lead cast are fine, with Hope in his element with the material to hand, while Marilyn Maxwell is perfect foil for Hope in the lead female role that calls for gusto and sentiment to be layered equally. While the final cherry on this lovely yuletide cake comes with the Hope/Maxwell rendition of "Silver Bells" that underpins the Christmas flavour of the piece.

It's unlikely to impress hardcore Runyon followers, and those that don't buy into Hope's form of comedy are probably best to avoid it. But for many folk, myself included, The Lemon Drop Kid is a 10/10 film, particularly at the Crimble season.

Similar Movies