The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) :
Brief Review -
Chameleon Bob Hope in a Christmas con comedy with iconic "Silver Bells". The 1934 version of The Lemon Drop Kid did not come to notice-I don't know why-but this Bob Hope version did bring the story to everyone's attention. The iconic "Silver Bells" was first introduced here, and it is such a visually and audibly attractive song. That walk Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell took in the market while singing the song kind of reminded me of Fred Astaire's walk in "Easter Parade" (1949). A Christmas film in black and white may not be a good idea, but I can't really help but accept the contemporary technology while watching the movie in 2023. Bob Hope was such a chameleon that he transformed from one act to another so easily. He kept changing colours according to his surroundings, and that's why this film became so entertaining. From a horserace scam to a Christmas con, and then that entire segment in a lady's appearance-he was flawless. The film is about a swindler who owes ten grand to Big Daddy and has nowhere to go. He has to return the money within 15 days, which ends exactly on Christmas Eve. When he finds no legal way to earn that much money, he decides to con people's faith in Santa Claus and fool them into dropping the money for the old dolls' house. However, he is outsmarted by a bigger con who takes over his business, and now our fella has to earn money as well as earn the respect of every old dog and his own girl. The screenplay sets things up very nicely, and you won't feel bored even for a moment. The idea is to keep you laughing, and believe me, Bob was very good at such jobs. His romance with Marilyn Maxwell is cute and funny. Those tight kisses in that statue scene, oh my my. So hot. Sidney Lanfield does the trick of using festival vibes and setting the mood right with all-happy things at the end. Coincidentally, I watched it just when Christmas was around the corner, and I just felt it really close.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
