Lemon Drop Kid, The (1951) – Nostalgia Central

Bob Hope stars as Sidney Milburn, the titular con artist in this (extremely loose) adaptation of Damon Runyon’s short story. His main gig is as a racetrack “tout” – imparting racing tips to gamblers, who, if they win big, are apt to demonstrate their gratitude with a tip.

He gives bad advice to an expensively dressed dame (Andrea King) at a Florida track, not realising she is the mistress of mob boss Moose Moran (Fred Clark).

A furious Moose reckons the bad advice cost him 10 grand and gives the Kid until Christmas Eve to raise the money. If the Kid fails, he will have an appointment with Moose’s murderous henchman, Sam the Surgeon (Harry Bellaver).

Heading to a snowy New York, the Kid puts the bite on his perennial fiancée, a singer-dancer known as “Brainey” (Marilyn Maxwell), for 10 bucks. Now he only has $9,990 more to raise.

When he runs into sweet old Nellie Thursday (Jane Darwell) – a down-on-her-luck granny hawking newspapers to get by until her safe-cracking husband is released from prison – the Kid hits on a scheme to convert a deserted Long Island casino (owned by Moose) into a phoney old-ladies’ home (named after Nellie) so he can obtain a city license to legally collect donations using street-corner Santas (utilising all his underworld buddies).

He neglects, however, to tell his buddies or Brainey or Nellie that “Nellie Thursday’s Home for Old Dolls” won’t receive any of the moolah collected. That will go straight to Moose to save the Kid’s skin.

The 11 Santas in the film are played by a rogue’s gallery of familiar Hollywood faces, including William Frawley, Sid Melton, Jay C. Flippen and Swedish wrestler Tor Johnson (of Plan 9 From Outer Space infamy).

Although Sidney Lanfield is credited as the director, Frank Tashlin actually directed about one-third of the film, uncredited.

Sidney Milburn (The Lemon Drop Kid)
Bob Hope
‘Brainey’ Baxter
Marilyn Maxwell
Oxford Charlie
Lloyd Nolan
Nellie Thursday
Jane Darwell
Stella
Andrea King
Moose Moran
Fred Clark
Straight Flush Tony
Jay C. Flippen
Gloomy Willie
William Frawley
Sam the Surgeon
Harry Bellaver
Little Louie
Sid Melton
Singing Solly
Ben Welden
Mrs Feeney (Bird Lady)
Ida Moore
Henry Regan
Francis Pierlot
Goomba
Charles Cooley
Street-Corner Santa
Salvatore De Lorenzo
Policeman
Harry Shannon
Honest Harry
Bernard Szold
Super Swedish Angel
Tor Johnson
No Thumbs Charlie
Tom Dugan

Director
Sidney Lanfield