When the Lemon Drop Kid accidentally cheats gangster Moose Moran 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.
A New York City bookie is $10,000 in debt to a racketeer and has until Christmas to pay it back. To raise the money, he devises a scheme to sell lemon drops as a cure for the common cold. His plan involves a series of increasingly elaborate deceptions, using a Christmas-themed backdrop and the gullibility of the public.
The Lemon Drop Kid is generally considered a lighthearted and somewhat formulaic Bob Hope comedy, typical of his output in the era. While it didn't achieve landmark status, it provided reliable entertainment with its star's signature wisecracking humor and a festive, albeit thin, plot.
Google audience: Audience reception data for "The Lemon Drop Kid" is not readily available through typical Google user review aggregations.
The film's song 'Silver Bells' was originally written for this movie but was ultimately cut and later used in the film 'The First Traveling Saleslady'.
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