The Lemon Drop Kid
Encyclopedia
The Lemon Drop Kid is a 1951 comedy film based on the short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...

 of the same name by Damon Runyon
Damon Runyon
Alfred Damon Runyon was an American newspaperman and writer.He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To New Yorkers of his generation, a "Damon Runyon character" evoked a distinctive social type from the...

, starring Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...

 and Marilyn Maxwell
Marilyn Maxwell
Marilyn Maxwell , born Marvel Marilyn Maxwell, was an American actress and entertainer.Noted for her blonde hair and sexually alluring persona, she appeared in several films and radio programs, and entertained the troops during World War II and the Korean War on USO tours with Bob Hope.-Career:She...

, and directed by Sidney Lanfield
Sidney Lanfield
Sidney Lanfield was a film director known for directing comedy films and later television programs.The one-time musician's first directing job was for the Fox Film Corporation in 1930; he went on to direct a number of films for 20th Century Fox...

.

The song "Silver Bells," sung by Hope and Maxwell, was introduced in the film. Lanfield is credited as the director, but Frank Tashlin
Frank Tashlin
Frank Tashlin, born Francis Fredrick von Taschlein, also known as Tish Tash or Frank Tash was an American animator, screenwriter, and film director.-Animator:...

 reportedly was hired, uncredited, to finish the film.

The story was also made as a movie in 1934 starring Lee Tracy
Lee Tracy
William Lee Tracy was an American actor.- Early life :Tracy was born in Atlanta, Georgia.After graduating from Western Military Academy in 1918 he studied electrical engineering at Union College, and then served as a 2nd lieutenant in World War I. In the early 1920s he decided to work as an actor...

, with a bit part for actress Ann Sheridan
Ann Sheridan
-Life and career:Born Clara Lou Sheridan in Denton, Texas on February 21, 1915, she was a student at the University of North Texas when her sister sent a photograph of her to Paramount Pictures. She subsequently entered and won a beauty contest, with part of her prize being a bit part in a...

. On October 19, 2010, the film was released on DVD through Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label...

 under license from the film's current distributor, FremantleMedia North America.

Plot

The Lemon Drop Kid (Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...

), a New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 swindler, is illegally touting horses at a Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 racetrack. After several successful hustles, the Kid comes across a beautiful, but gullible, woman intending to bet a lot of money. The Kid convinces her to switch her bet, employing a prefabricated con. Unfortunately for the Kid, the woman "belongs" to notorious gangster Moose Moran (Fred Clark
Fred Clark
Frederick Leonard Clark was an American film character actor.-Career:Born in Lincoln, California, Clark made his film debut in 1947 in The Unsuspected. His 20-year film career included almost 70 films, and numerous television appearances...

), as does the money. The Kid's choice finishes dead last and a furious Moran demands the Kid provide him with $10,000 (the amount he stood to win with his original bet) by Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...

, or the Kid "won't make it to New Year's."

The Kid decides to return to New York to try to come up with the money. He first tries his on-again, off-again girlfriend Brainy Baxter (Marilyn Maxwell
Marilyn Maxwell
Marilyn Maxwell , born Marvel Marilyn Maxwell, was an American actress and entertainer.Noted for her blonde hair and sexually alluring persona, she appeared in several films and radio programs, and entertained the troops during World War II and the Korean War on USO tours with Bob Hope.-Career:She...

). However, when talk of long-term commitment arises, the Kid quickly makes an escape. He next visits local crime boss "Oxford" Charley (Lloyd Nolan
Lloyd Nolan
Lloyd Benedict Nolan was an American film and television actor.-Biography:Nolan was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Margaret and James Nolan, who was a shoe manufacturer...

), with whom he has had past dealings. This falls through as Charley is in serious tax trouble and does not particularly care for the Kid anyway. As he leaves Charley's establishment and is about to give up hope, the Kid notices a cornerside Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...

 and his kettle.

Thinking quickly, the Kid fashions himself a Santa suit and begins collecting donations. This fails as he is recognized by a passing policeman, who remembers his previous underhanded activity well. The Kid lands in court, where he is convicted of panhandling and sentenced to ten days in jail (as he cannot pay his fine). However, while in court, the Kid learns where his scheme went wrong. After a short stay, Brainy arrives to bail him out. He then sets about restarting his Santa operation, this time with legitimate backing. To this end, he needs a charity to represent and a city license. The kid receives key inspiration when he remembers that Nellie Thursday (Jane Darwell), a kindly neighborhood resident, has been denied entry to a retirement home because of her jailed husband's criminal past as a safecracker.

Organizing other small-time New York swindlers and Brainy, who is both surprised and charmed at the Kid's apparent goodwill, the Kid converts an abandoned casino (ironically belonging to Moose Moran) into the "Nellie Thursday Home For Old Dolls". A small group of elderly women and makeshift amenities complete the project. The Kid is able to receive the all-important city license. Now free to collect, the Kid and his compatriots dress as Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...

 and position themselves throughout Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

. The others are unaware that the Kid plans to keep the money for himself to pay off Moran. The scheme is a huge success, netting $2,000 in only a few days. An overjoyed Brainy decides to leave her job as a dancer and look after the "home" full-time until after Christmas. Coincidentally, her employer is none other than "Oxford" Charley, whom Brainy cheerfully informs of the effort.

Seeing a potential gold mine, Charley decides to muscle in on the operation. Reasoning that the Nellie Thursday home is "wherever Nellie Thursday is", Charley and his crew kidnap the home's inhabitants (including Nellie and Brainy) and move them to Charley's mansion in Nyack
Nyack
Nyack may refer to:*Nyack, New York, a village*Nyack College, located in the village*USS Nyack, the name of two U.S. Navy vessels...

. The Kid learns of this when he returns to the home after a late night to find the home deserted and money (which he had hidden in a hollowed-out statue) gone. Clued in by oversized Oxford footprints in the snow, the Kid and his friends pay Charley a visit. Here, Charley reveals the true nature of the Kid's scheme through a phone conversation with Moose Moran. The Kid's accomplices are angry and move to confront him, but the Kid manages to slip away. However, Brainy tracks him down outside and voices her disgust at his actions.

After a few days of stewing in self-pity (and realizing it is Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...

), the Kid is surprised to meet Nellie, who has escaped Charley's compound. He decides to recover the money, sneaking into Charley's home in the guise of an elderly woman. He finds that Charley and his crew are again moving the women, this time to a more secure location. Using the heightened activity to his advantage, the Kid enters Charley's office and confronts him. After a brief struggle, the Kid overpowers Charley and makes off with the money, narrowly avoiding the thugs Charley has sent after him. The ensuing chaos allows Brainy and the others to safely escape.

Later that night, the Kid returns to the original Nellie Thursday home to meet with Moose Moran (who has returned home for the holidays). The deal appears to be in jeopardy as Moran arrives with Charley. Charley demands that the Kid reimburse him, which would leave too little for Moran. However, the Kid turns the tables by hitting a switch, revealing hidden casino tables. All are occupied, mainly by the escaped old dolls. The Kid and his still-loyal friends hold off the gangsters as the police initiate a raid. Moran and Charley are arrested while the judge who sentenced the Kid earlier warns that he will be "keeping an eye on him". The Kid assures him that will not be necessary and his attention will lie on the home, which is going to become a reality. The night's main event begins as Nellie's husband Henry, free on parole, joyously reunites with his wife.

Cast

  • Bob Hope
    Bob Hope
    Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...

     as Sidney Melbourne (The Lemon Drop Kid)
  • Marilyn Maxwell
    Marilyn Maxwell
    Marilyn Maxwell , born Marvel Marilyn Maxwell, was an American actress and entertainer.Noted for her blonde hair and sexually alluring persona, she appeared in several films and radio programs, and entertained the troops during World War II and the Korean War on USO tours with Bob Hope.-Career:She...

     as 'Brainy' Baxter
  • Lloyd Nolan
    Lloyd Nolan
    Lloyd Benedict Nolan was an American film and television actor.-Biography:Nolan was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Margaret and James Nolan, who was a shoe manufacturer...

     as Oxford Charley
  • Jane Darwell as Nellie Thursday
  • Andrea King
    Andrea King
    Andrea King was an American film and stage actress. She was sometimes billed as Georgette McKee.-Early life:Andrea King was born Georgette André Barry in Paris, France...

     as Stella
  • Fred Clark
    Fred Clark
    Frederick Leonard Clark was an American film character actor.-Career:Born in Lincoln, California, Clark made his film debut in 1947 in The Unsuspected. His 20-year film career included almost 70 films, and numerous television appearances...

     as Moose Moran
  • William Frawley
    William Frawley
    William Clement "Bill" Frawley was an American stage entertainer, screen and television actor. Although Frawley acted in over 100 films, he achieved his greatest fame playing landlord Fred Mertz for the situation comedy I Love Lucy.-Early life:William was born to Michael A. Frawley and Mary E....

     as Gloomy
  • Jay C. Flippen
    Jay C. Flippen
    Jay C. Flippen is an American character actor who often played police officers or weary criminals in many films of the 1940s/'50s....

    as Straight Flush

Production

Hope and Maxwell were rumored to have conducted a long-term affair and she was nicknamed "Mrs. Bob Hope" for many years.
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