A Little Hope for the Holidays

If you need a little Christmas cheer, look no further than Bob Hope starring in the 1951 film The Lemon Drop Kid . This film, not to be confused with the champion thoroughbred race horse also named The Lemon Drop Kid, is another great Hope comedy involving gambling, Santa suites, Christmas, and ends with a smile. The film has been broken into 9 to 10 minute segments, but those who are patient enough can view it here, thanks to YouTube and Google video.

The premise of the movie begins when the Lemon Drop Kid aka Sidney Melbourne (Bob Hope) comes from New York City to work the Florida racetrack. He falls in with the beautifully dumb Stella (Andrea King) and persuades her to change her bet. When the bet looses, The Kid finds out Stella is the girl of gangster Moose Moran (Fred Clark), who wants The Kid to reimburse him for the money his girl lost him at the racetrack. The Kid tries to get the money from girlfriend Brainy Baxter (Marilyn Maxwell) and then from fellow miscreant "Oxford" Charlie (Lloyd Nolan). He spies a man dresses as Santa Claus and decides collection donations as Santa is the perfect scheme. After a night in jail, he realizes he needs a backer for this scheme and puts his so-called charitable intentions towards Nellie Thursday (Jane Darwell), a woman who can't get a home because of her incarcerated husband's reputation. A bunch of fellow small time crooks get involved in The Kid's scheme to collect the money under Nellie's name and use it for himself. Of course, no one knows that The Kid is collecting for himself and this is where things get tricky. The plot ties itself up and then unravels wonderfully with just the hint of suspense that comedy needs to make it truly funny.

A little bit of trivia, this song introduced the Christmas tune "Silver Bells", which is sung by Hope and Maxell. Also, William Frawley appeared as "Gloomy" Willie Dunhill in this version and the 1934 version of The Lemon Drop Kid. The film was even included as an example in an article about the Law and Popular Culture from the University of San Francisco.

For some reviews, you can always check out this one from The New York Times or this one from eltremendo3000.com. More info can be found here thanks to cinema.theiapolis.com. And this film ranked as #12 on Dirty Harry's Place's Top 25 Christmas films. So, there you have it, a little Hope for the holidays.

Behind the Blue Eyes: Remembering Paul Newman

Today is a sad day in the history of motion pictures as we have lost one of the finest actors who ever graced the screen. This morning, Paul Newman died at his Westport, Connecticut home following complications from lung cancer.

Newman is famous for roles such as Eddie Felson in The Hustler, Prof. Michael Armstrong in Hitchcock's Torn Curtain, his Academy Award nonimated performance as Luke Jackson in Cool Hand Luke, Rocky Graziano in Somebody Up There Likes Me and playing opposite Elizabeth Taylor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. His obituary in the New York Times billed Newman as "one of the last of the great 20th-century movie stars" and provides a detailed list of the actors roles, accomplishments, and personal life.

Perhaps the only thing exceeding Newman's reputation in film is his reputation as an activist and philanthropist. Newman was quoted as saying "You can't stop being a citizen just because you have a Screen Actors' Guild card". His "Hole in the Wall Gang Camp" provides services for seriously ill children and he has donated millions of dollars to charitable organizations. I find it hard myself to sit down to a family supper without at least one bottle of "Newman's Own Dressing" sitting beside me on the table. His warm face staring up from the bottle is a reminder of his charitable efforts worldwide.

Newman said of his own legacy: "I would like it if people would think that beyond Newman, there's a spirit that takes action, a heart, and a talent that doesn't come from my blue eyes". Through his actions, Newman proved his heart was as big as his talent and the memories we have of him will forever radiate on the screen. We will miss those blue eyes piercing up at as but we will even more so miss the heart and the talent behind those blue eyes.