The Lemon Drop Kid (Sidney Lanfield, 1951): USA

Reviewed by Byron Potau .  Viewed on DVD.

The Lemon Drop Kid is not the film that comes to mind when people think Christmas movies, but why not.  This Bob Hope classic is a hilarious treat anytime of the year, but why not enjoy the laughs even more during the holidays.

When The Lemon Drop Kid (Bob Hope), notorious for touting false information on horses at the track, brings trouble on himself when he touts false information to a woman placing a bet for gangster Moose Moran (Fred Clark).  When the horse Moose was going to bet on comes in he figures The Kid owes him for what he would have won, $10,000.  The Kid has until Christmas to get Moose’s money and after a few false starts he thinks of a scheme involving hoods dressed up as Santa Clauses around town and asking for donations for a charity that houses old women.

Naturally, the whole show is Hope’s and he carries it through with one hilarious wisecrack after another.  For aficionados of Christmas music, this is also the film that gave us the Christmas classic “Silver Bells.”  Hope not only proves he has impeccable comedic timing, but he also shows he can carry a tune.  This is a very funny film for fans of comedy, of Bob Hope, and of Christmas.  Go out and rent this one and have a few laughs.