bigverybadtom
Too old for the Rankin Bass movies? Dissatisfied with "It's A Wonderful Life"? (I was.) Other Christmas movies either too juvenile, or unsuited for the family? Well, even though Bob Hope was in a lot of bad movies, this is not one of them.It's based on a Damon Runyon story about a man who distracts a mobster's girlfriend, causing her to lose a $10,000 racetrack bet. The mobster learns of this and threatens the man to get him his money back by Christmas, or face his brutality (which is strongly hinted at).The man tries to ring a bell to collect money to rescue himself, but falls afoul of the law for not having a charity license. Not taking chances the next time, he arranges for a mobster's closed-up gambling joint to be secretly opened, the money ostensibly going to charity. Complications set in when a different mobster gets wind of it and wants the funds for himself. The the man is really in a bind. What to do?Trivia: This was the movie where the Christmas song "Silver Bells" was first performed. Ironic that the film has fallen into obscurity.
marxi
********************Mild Spoilers Ahead********************************This is a sassy comedy for Bob Hope who is a two timing con artist that somehow is likable. Bob Hope manages to pull it all together and hold the weak plot together for a few laughs. He's the whole show in this one.The Lemon Drop Kid (Bob Hope) double crosses the wrong guy in this movie and he has to run for his life. It becomes apparent that the Lemon Drop Kid would sell out his mother to save his own neck. He even cooks up a scam to get money by dressing up as Santa Claus and ringing a bell at Christmas time. Then he enlists a bunch of cronies to work for him in the Santa Claus bell ringer scam and cheats a bunch of old ladies out of their money. What a heel!It's a fairly good movie and it does move along nicely, but some of the top billed actors are too corny in their roles for my tastes, namely Marilyn Maxwell, Jane Darwell and William Frawley. They just aren't pulling it off in this one like Bob does. Even Bob goes over the top at times which causes the move to fall sporadically flat . I thought the bit with Bob Hope and the mechanical mannequin in the store window was different and unusual. Bob walking in the wind and cold and stealing the dog's knitted sweater was also memorable. He also made me laugh when he dressed up as an old lady to sneak into the Home for Old Dolls(women).This one is kind of fun, but it's no classic. My Favorite Brunette and The Son of Paleface are the two comedies of Bob's that I would recommend before this one. Worth watching, though, if you are a big fan of Bob Hopes and just want to see something with him in it. I suggest you stay away from The Road To Bali which is the worst Bob Hope Comedy I've seen so far...but I haven't all of them. I give The Lemon Drop Kid 75/100. It's average comedy with some sparks of hilarity thrown in here and there.
telegonus
This is a terrific Christmas movie for adults, since it revolves around money and debt. Bob Hope is a racetrack tout who, for too many reasons worth going into here, winds up owing a gangster ten large during the Yuletide season, and comes up with an ingenious way to raise the cash. Hope fits in reasonably well with the general scheme (so to speak) of this Damon Runyon story, and Marilyn Maxwell is gorgeous. In able support are William Frawley, Sid Melton, Ben Welden and a gaggle of other big city types without whom this kind of movie can't work. Thanks in large part to them, it does. Only Lloyd Nolan, as Oxford Charlie, seems wrong for this one. His movie persona was too inflexible for Runyon antics. Maybe Brod Crawford wasn't available. But this is a minor quibble. The movie is a delight.
teepee-9
Though this movie is a favorite of my Mother's, it inevitably is one of mine. Bob Hope is "ON" in this Season's Greeting which, by the way, introduced the world to the song "Silver Bells". A MUST-HAVE in your home library.
AD
