The Lemon Drop Kid
Bob Hope plays a small-time con artist with a fondness for lemon candy  in this film based on a Damon Runyon story. When the Lemon Drop Kid accidentally  cheats gangster Moose Moran (Fred Clark) out of his track winnings, the Kid  promises to repay Moose the money by Christmas. Creating a fake charity for  "Apple Annie" Nellie Thursday, the Kid tricks his gang into donning Santa suits  and "collecting dough for old dolls" like Nellie who have nowhere to live. Radio  personality Marilyn Maxwell assists as the Kid's girlfriend, while William  Frawley and Jay C. Flippen play the lovable, gruff crooks that fall for the  Kid's Santa scam.Hope is great as the fast-talking sharpster, and the comical gangsters are well  worth the price of admission. Music by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston (including  the classic Christmas song "Silver Bells") makesThe Lemon Drop Kidthat  much sweeter.--Mark Savary