Cinema: New Picture, Apr. 2, 1951

The Lemon Drop Kid (Paramount) undertakes some drastic tailoring to fit a Damon Runyon fable to the measure of Bob Hope. The result is distinctly secondhand Runyon, but it is first-rate Hope.

As a racetrack tout known as the Lemon Drop Kid, Hope finds himself in a nasty jam when he gives a sour tip to a racketeer (Fred Clark). To square the bum steer, the gangster demands 1) $10,000 or 2) Hope's life, payable by Christmas. Hope hatches a scheme to raise the money by drafting Broadway mugs and con men into Santa Claus suits, sets them to taking up a...

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