Eskimo Limon
Encyclopedia
Eskimo Limon is a 1978 Israeli
cult film
directed by Boaz Davidson
which led to a series of sequels.
(Bobby), Zachi Noy
(Hughie) and Anat Atzmon (Niki). The movie focuses on three high school kids growing up in Tel Aviv
and deals with their relationships with each other and of course girls. The film, although a typical adolescence
story, tackles subjects such as abortion
and unrequited love, not happily resolved by a neat ending. It contains the memorable scene of an older woman (played by Ophelia Shtruhl) enticing the three kids into having sex with her in sequence, and then earning the nickname "Stella HaMegameret" ("A-cumming Stella"). Anat Atzmon makes an appearance in this movie as Niki - an adolescent girl who gets pregnant. Eskimo Limon recreates the life of a sixties teenager - including the clothes, music, behaviour, scenery and cars. The film was a great success all over the world and represented Israel at the 28th Berlin International Film Festival
in 1978. When the main actors toured Japan, they were mobbed by fans. The main characters had name changes in most international versions, known as Benji, Bobby and Hughie respectively to English audiences.
boyfriend is never home, manages to have the street's fresh ice delivery guy (a common practice in the 1950s) send over his helper Benji to her place with the ice instead of her coming down to the street to take it. When Benji puts the ice in its place, he breaks a jar of jelly and as they kneel over to pick it up, she picks up some of the leftovers, feeds his mouth and then hers. She then asks a bewildered Benji to stay over, but he uses the fact his boss calls out to him from the outside to apologize and leave in a hurry. He does so only to ditch work and get his two friends to come along with him to her place.
Stella lets them in, serves them some wine, puts on some music and starts dancing. Afterwards, she takes them in sequence - each in his turn - to have sex with her in her bedroom. Stella's characteristic is that she moans loudly during the intercourse, but as a stereotypical immigrant she mispronounces the language and continuously calls out "I'm a-cumming! I'm a-cumming!" (instead of "cumming"). Momo is the first to take initiative, and once he's done, he leaves her bedroom and sends in Yudale, who hesitates at first but Stella tells him not to be afraid of her. Yudale's scene is the most detailed. After they're done, she gives a suggestive look to Benji but her boyfriend then returns home. Momo and Benji manage to quickly dress before he sees them. Stella pretends she was helping her "neighbor boys from upstairs" with their algebra
, but then Yudale walks out of her bedroom still in his underwear and says "She's a nymphomaniac all right." Stella's boyfriend gets furious and the protagonists (with Yudale just half dressed) have to run away.
, The Last American Virgin
, which was not met with the same success as the original.
and United Kingdom
.
released around that time. Main segments included Momo having sex with Benji's visiting older blond German cousin (Sibylle Rauch), with Yudale replacing him and eventually getting stuck in her resembling a bulbus glandis
. Another segment had the trio hearing about a local piano tutor who likes receiving handjob
s from her students during her lessons. They immediately go waiting outside her place while Momo takes a lesson. During the lesson, Momo casually performs a handjob on the older large breasted blond tutor (Christiane Schmidtmer
in her last acting role). She then gives him an off-screen fellatio
in return. But when Yudale is next, he is paired with her uptight large and unattractive sister, who is furious when he attempts the same thing.
) to have sex with them one night before they enlist in the Israel Defense Forces
. As usual, Momo is successful, but Yudale is soon chased out by her husband. The rest of the movie involves their boot camp experiences with new cast member Joseph Shiloach as their Sergeant
Shemesh—a stereotypical Persian Jew.
, Sababa (Private Manouvers) centering around the characters of Yudale with Shemesh, still in the army. This movie lacked the characters of Benji and Momo, but had Yudale beating a frustrated Shemesh in getting in bed with The Swiss Ambassador's wife (the series' now regular Sibylle Rauch). This movie is not counted as part of the series.
also returns as a nerdy looking dental assistant
who, when the dentist is not present, is rumored to mount on the dental chair any client who winks at her. As usual, Momo proves the rumors right, but Yudale gets caught in the act by the dentist, who punishes him by a rushed dental treatment.
not participating in the project and later attempting to sue for the unauthorised use of earlier footage of him within the film. After Yudale is caught trying to have sex by his date's father (a returning Joseph Shiloach), he tries to get away by getting a work on a cruise ship
. Benji joins him in order to get close to one of the female passengers he met on shore. Alas, Shiloach's character happens to be the worker in charge of both of them. Main segments included a Countess passenger (Bea Fiedler
) having sex with the comically grateful character of Shiloach. She does so in order to allow her Count husband to plant stolen jewels in his shoes (and thus smuggle them without risking the couple themselves). Later on in a shore leave
in Venice
, Yudale learns some local fortune tellers are also hookers if being told the right secret phrase. His own fortune teller ignores his phrase though. But after he reaches under her cloak for her large breasts, she suddenly gives him a handjob
, then lies down topless and signals for him. When he approaches her, she gives him another handjob but this time taking off her hood to reveal a disfigured face. Before he reacts, she already pulls him down and climbs on top of him. However, her fire breathing
husband then comes in and chases Yudale out with fire breaths. The movie ends in a clash between the Count, Shiloach's character and Venice's police, followed up with Benji finally catching up with his love interest and sharing a romantic moment.
, largely unseen outside of Germany. In keeping in line with the popular TV edited versions of the earlier films, this had hardly any raunchy content at all but returned the well known versions of songs from the sixties, woefully lacking since the fifth movie, most likely due to budget. The trio open up a club. Sibylle Rauch returns as their worker (she gets the job after deciding to be interviewed in the nude), who also later dates Benji (which signals the only time in the series they paired up).
(as a girl who is tempted by Momo to cheat on her boyfriend with him) and Orit Fux (in the character of the large breasted singing teacher in the protagonists' school - in a somewhat new version of the piano tutor in the third movie in the series, Shifshuf Naim - to whom Momo reaches in the pretext of a personal examination for the school's band, and manages to make her ignore his age and sleep with him on the piano's keys, for the amazement of the other examinees in the hall, who hear her moans from beyond the door).
Cinema of Israel
Cinema of Israel refers to movie production in Israel since its founding in 1948. Most Israeli films are produced in Hebrew. Israel has been nominated for more Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film than any other country in the Middle East....
cult film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
directed by Boaz Davidson
Boaz Davidson
Boaz Davidson is an Israeli film director, producer and screenwriter. He was born in Tel Aviv, British Mandate of Palestine and studied film in London....
which led to a series of sequels.
Original film
Eskimo Limon (English: Going All the Way, aka Lemon Popsicle) was first released on February 11, 1978, starring Yftach Katzur (Benji), Jonathan SagallJonathan Sagall
Jonathan Sagall is an Israeli actor, film director, TV director and screenwriter.-Biography:Sagall was born in Toronto, Canada. Several members of his family were survivors of the Holocaust, who then emigrated to Israel after World War II, then to Canada. Sagall immigrated to Israel from Canada...
(Bobby), Zachi Noy
Zachi Noy
-Biography:Noy was born in 1953 in Haifa, Israel. At a young age, Noy did stagework for the local Israeli theater "HaSadna" in Haifa. Later, he spent his military service in a military band....
(Hughie) and Anat Atzmon (Niki). The movie focuses on three high school kids growing up in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
and deals with their relationships with each other and of course girls. The film, although a typical adolescence
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
story, tackles subjects such as abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
and unrequited love, not happily resolved by a neat ending. It contains the memorable scene of an older woman (played by Ophelia Shtruhl) enticing the three kids into having sex with her in sequence, and then earning the nickname "Stella HaMegameret" ("A-cumming Stella"). Anat Atzmon makes an appearance in this movie as Niki - an adolescent girl who gets pregnant. Eskimo Limon recreates the life of a sixties teenager - including the clothes, music, behaviour, scenery and cars. The film was a great success all over the world and represented Israel at the 28th Berlin International Film Festival
28th Berlin International Film Festival
The 28th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 22 to March 5, 1978. This was the first year the festival was held in February.-Jury:* Patricia Highsmith * Sergio Leone* Theodoros Angelopoulos* Jacques Rozier...
in 1978. When the main actors toured Japan, they were mobbed by fans. The main characters had name changes in most international versions, known as Benji, Bobby and Hughie respectively to English audiences.
Stella HaMegameret
Stella, a lonely older woman whose sailorSailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
boyfriend is never home, manages to have the street's fresh ice delivery guy (a common practice in the 1950s) send over his helper Benji to her place with the ice instead of her coming down to the street to take it. When Benji puts the ice in its place, he breaks a jar of jelly and as they kneel over to pick it up, she picks up some of the leftovers, feeds his mouth and then hers. She then asks a bewildered Benji to stay over, but he uses the fact his boss calls out to him from the outside to apologize and leave in a hurry. He does so only to ditch work and get his two friends to come along with him to her place.
Stella lets them in, serves them some wine, puts on some music and starts dancing. Afterwards, she takes them in sequence - each in his turn - to have sex with her in her bedroom. Stella's characteristic is that she moans loudly during the intercourse, but as a stereotypical immigrant she mispronounces the language and continuously calls out "I'm a-cumming! I'm a-cumming!" (instead of "cumming"). Momo is the first to take initiative, and once he's done, he leaves her bedroom and sends in Yudale, who hesitates at first but Stella tells him not to be afraid of her. Yudale's scene is the most detailed. After they're done, she gives a suggestive look to Benji but her boyfriend then returns home. Momo and Benji manage to quickly dress before he sees them. Stella pretends she was helping her "neighbor boys from upstairs" with their algebra
Algebra
Algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning the study of the rules of operations and relations, and the constructions and concepts arising from them, including terms, polynomials, equations and algebraic structures...
, but then Yudale walks out of her bedroom still in his underwear and says "She's a nymphomaniac all right." Stella's boyfriend gets furious and the protagonists (with Yudale just half dressed) have to run away.
Nice guys finish last
In the beginning of the movie, Benji is in love with Anat Atzmon's character (Nini), but she prefers Momo, who uses her and even dumps her when she becomes pregnant by him. At this point Benji decides to give her the needed emotional and economical help she needs in order to have an abortion. Then, they have sex, but she does not desire to remain with him. During the rest of the movie Benji tries to make her want to have a relationship with him.American remake
In 1982, Davidson wrote and directed an American remakeRemake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
, The Last American Virgin
The Last American Virgin
The Last American Virgin is a 1982 American coming-of-age film, a remake of the Israeli film Eskimo Limon .After the success of the original and several sequels, writer/director Boaz Davidson re-teamed with producers Golan-Globus to attempt to re-create the same success in the United States....
, which was not met with the same success as the original.
Sequels
The series became a success in Germany under the name Eis am Stiel. Most of the films were also dubbed into English enjoying theatrical releases in both the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
First sequel
In 1979 the first sequel Yotzim Kavua (Going Steady) was released. Anat Atzmon did not take a part in this movie, and there was an effort to find a new "Eskimo Limon girl". Like the original film, this film was about the same characters and included soft sex scenes and was similar in tone to Eskimo Limon. This time Benji tried dating a sensitive girl while Momo cheated on his girlfriend in favor of a large breasted girl.Second sequel
Additional films in the series were produced, based on the three male actors. The second sequel, Shifshuf Naim (Hot Bubblegum) was significantly lighter and breezier, stepping away from some of the heavier conflicts portrayed in the first two films. Most likely influenced by the teen American sex comediesSex comedy
Sex comedy is a term for comedy movies with sexual content usually referring to those made in the United Kingdom in the mid 1970s. They may range from comic pornographic films like the Confessions series to relatively innocent comedies that include jokes about sex and other sexual related humour,...
released around that time. Main segments included Momo having sex with Benji's visiting older blond German cousin (Sibylle Rauch), with Yudale replacing him and eventually getting stuck in her resembling a bulbus glandis
Bulbus glandis
The bulbus glandis is an erectile tissue structure on the penis of canid mammals. During mating the tissues swell up and lock the male's penis inside the female. For domestic dogs the tie may last up to half an hour, though usually less....
. Another segment had the trio hearing about a local piano tutor who likes receiving handjob
Handjob
Handjob is a slang or informal word referring to an act of manual stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner, whether female or male, usually to the point of orgasm and ejaculation. The act is similar to male masturbation, though the latter is performed by a male on himself...
s from her students during her lessons. They immediately go waiting outside her place while Momo takes a lesson. During the lesson, Momo casually performs a handjob on the older large breasted blond tutor (Christiane Schmidtmer
Christiane Schmidtmer
Christiane Schmidtmer was a German actress, fashion model and nude model of the 1960s and 1970s.-Early life:Christiane Schmidtmer was born in Mannheim, Germany to Gertrud and Jakob Schmidtmer on Christmas Eve 1939...
in her last acting role). She then gives him an off-screen fellatio
Fellatio
Fellatio is an act of oral stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner. It involves the stimulation of the penis by the use of the mouth, tongue, or throat. The person who performs fellatio can be referred to as the giving partner, and the other person is the receiving partner...
in return. But when Yudale is next, he is paired with her uptight large and unattractive sister, who is furious when he attempts the same thing.
Third sequel
This lighter trend continued with Sapiches (Private Popsicle), which started with the trio convincing a married woman (Bea FiedlerBea Fiedler
Bea Fiedler "the bee" is a German topless model who entered a paternity suit against Prince Albert of Monaco in 1987...
) to have sex with them one night before they enlist in the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
. As usual, Momo is successful, but Yudale is soon chased out by her husband. The rest of the movie involves their boot camp experiences with new cast member Joseph Shiloach as their Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
Shemesh—a stereotypical Persian Jew.
Spin-off
Sapiches had its own spin-off filmSpin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
, Sababa (Private Manouvers) centering around the characters of Yudale with Shemesh, still in the army. This movie lacked the characters of Benji and Momo, but had Yudale beating a frustrated Shemesh in getting in bed with The Swiss Ambassador's wife (the series' now regular Sibylle Rauch). This movie is not counted as part of the series.
Fourth sequel
Reuniting all the characters, the fourth sequel was directed by Dan Wolman, Roman Za'ir (Baby Love), which seemingly married the earlier style of the first movie with the later 'sex-comedy' approach. Dolly Dollar plays another of Benji's large breasted blond German cousins, only the glass wearing dozy cousin is after Benji. After Yudale loosenes her up by getting her drunk, she spots Benji's father sleeping. Mistaking him for his son Benji, she enters his bed and makes up with him before getting caught by his wife. Bea FiedlerBea Fiedler
Bea Fiedler "the bee" is a German topless model who entered a paternity suit against Prince Albert of Monaco in 1987...
also returns as a nerdy looking dental assistant
Dental assistant
Dental assistants assist the dental operator provide more efficient dental treatment, by preparing the patient for treatment, sterilizing instruments, passing instruments during the procedure, holding a suction device, exposing dental radiographs, taking impressions, and fabricating provisional...
who, when the dentist is not present, is rumored to mount on the dental chair any client who winks at her. As usual, Momo proves the rumors right, but Yudale gets caught in the act by the dentist, who punishes him by a rushed dental treatment.
Fifth sequel
Conflict plagued the fifth sequel Harimu Ogen (Up Your Anchor) resulting in lead actor Jonathan SagallJonathan Sagall
Jonathan Sagall is an Israeli actor, film director, TV director and screenwriter.-Biography:Sagall was born in Toronto, Canada. Several members of his family were survivors of the Holocaust, who then emigrated to Israel after World War II, then to Canada. Sagall immigrated to Israel from Canada...
not participating in the project and later attempting to sue for the unauthorised use of earlier footage of him within the film. After Yudale is caught trying to have sex by his date's father (a returning Joseph Shiloach), he tries to get away by getting a work on a cruise ship
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
. Benji joins him in order to get close to one of the female passengers he met on shore. Alas, Shiloach's character happens to be the worker in charge of both of them. Main segments included a Countess passenger (Bea Fiedler
Bea Fiedler
Bea Fiedler "the bee" is a German topless model who entered a paternity suit against Prince Albert of Monaco in 1987...
) having sex with the comically grateful character of Shiloach. She does so in order to allow her Count husband to plant stolen jewels in his shoes (and thus smuggle them without risking the couple themselves). Later on in a shore leave
Shore leave
Shore leave is the leave that professional sailors get to spend on dry land. It is culturally infamous for its excess. Sailors without family obligations and with basic lodging needs provided aboard ship may spend their wages for the journey in a brief period of extravagance ashore and return to...
in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, Yudale learns some local fortune tellers are also hookers if being told the right secret phrase. His own fortune teller ignores his phrase though. But after he reaches under her cloak for her large breasts, she suddenly gives him a handjob
Handjob
Handjob is a slang or informal word referring to an act of manual stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner, whether female or male, usually to the point of orgasm and ejaculation. The act is similar to male masturbation, though the latter is performed by a male on himself...
, then lies down topless and signals for him. When he approaches her, she gives him another handjob but this time taking off her hood to reveal a disfigured face. Before he reacts, she already pulls him down and climbs on top of him. However, her fire breathing
Fire breathing
Fire breathing is the act of creating a fireball by breathing a fine mist of fuel over an open flame. Proper technique and the correct fuel create the illusion of danger to enhance the novelty of fire breathing, while reducing the risk to health and safety...
husband then comes in and chases Yudale out with fire breaths. The movie ends in a clash between the Count, Shiloach's character and Venice's police, followed up with Benji finally catching up with his love interest and sharing a romantic moment.
Sixth sequel
The sixth sequel, Ahava Tzeira (Young Love), was produced by Germany and seemed a rather effortless affair to cash in on the three character's likeability. The plot reunited the original cast. When they need money to pay for a car they crashed in a tree, they take up jobs in a beach hotel. Sibylle Rauch made her comeback to the series as a hotel guest who invited the hotel worker Yudale to her room to have sex. Alas, her husband soon enters the room to have sex with her himself, forcing Yudale to hide under their bed and pretend to be their dog. Eventually the husband catches him and chases him out.Seventh sequel
The seventh sequel and final part featuring the original trio was Summertime BluesSummertime Blues
"Summertime Blues" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American rockabilly artist Eddie Cochran. It was written in the late 1950s by Cochran and his manager Jerry Capehart. Originally a single B-side, it was released in August 1958 and peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 on...
, largely unseen outside of Germany. In keeping in line with the popular TV edited versions of the earlier films, this had hardly any raunchy content at all but returned the well known versions of songs from the sixties, woefully lacking since the fifth movie, most likely due to budget. The trio open up a club. Sibylle Rauch returns as their worker (she gets the job after deciding to be interviewed in the nude), who also later dates Benji (which signals the only time in the series they paired up).
Eighth sequel - the new generation
In 2001, a new sequel was made which was called Eskimo Limon - The Party Goes on and was done in an attempt to update the series by using young actors. The movie, directed by Tzvi Shissel, was a commercial success, but not in the magnitude of the first movie in the series. This movie introduced the first topless performances by actresses Miri BohadanaMiri Bohadana
Miri Bohadana is an Israeli actress, model and presenter.-Career:Bohadana was born in Beer Sheva Israel on October 12, 1977 to Moroccan Jewish parents and raised in the town of Sderot. She took part in the "Miss Beer Sheva" contest at age 15. Two years later, in 1995, Bohadana was chosen first...
(as a girl who is tempted by Momo to cheat on her boyfriend with him) and Orit Fux (in the character of the large breasted singing teacher in the protagonists' school - in a somewhat new version of the piano tutor in the third movie in the series, Shifshuf Naim - to whom Momo reaches in the pretext of a personal examination for the school's band, and manages to make her ignore his age and sleep with him on the piano's keys, for the amazement of the other examinees in the hall, who hear her moans from beyond the door).