The Lemon Drop Kid *** (1951, Bob Hope, Marilyn Maxwell, Lloyd Nolan, Jane Darwell, William Frawley) – Classic Movie Review 8705

Director Sidney Lanfield’s pleasing 1951 black and white comedy stars Bob Hope as New York City swindler Sidney Milburn, aka The Lemon Drop Kid, a race-track tout who owes big bucks to a gangster crook called Oxford Charlie (Lloyd Nolan) and must come up with the bundle or suffer the consequences.

Hope is perfectly cast as Damon Runyon’s cowardly, boastful, fast-talking hero in this very funny Paramount Pictures remake of a 1934 film of the same title, with Lee Tracy.

It co-stars Marilyn Maxwell as ‘Brainey’ Baxter and Jane Darwell as Nellie Thursday. A great gallery of support actors backs the star to satisfying effect and a handful of songs for Hope to sing rounds out the vintage fun. The songs written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans are Silver Bells, It Doesn’t Cost a Dime To Dream and They Obviously Want Me To Sing.

Also in the cast are Andrea King, Fred Clark, Jay C Flippen, William Frawley, Harry Bellaver, Tor Johnson, Sid Melton, Ben Welden, Ida Moore, Francis Perlot, George Cooley, Harry Shannon and Tom Dugan.

The Lemon Drop Kid is directed by Sidney Lanfield, runs 91 minutes, is made by Hope Enterprises, and Paramount Pictures, is released by Paramount Pictures, is written by Edmund L Hartmann, Frank Tashlin, Robert O’Brien, Edmund Beloin (story) and Irving Elinson (additional dialogue), based on Damon Runyon’s story, shot in black and white by Daniel L Fapp, produced by Robert L Welch, scored by Victor Young and designed by Hal Pereira.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8705

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