AllMovie

Although often understandably classified as a "holiday movie," The Lemon Drop Kid is actually an enjoyable little flick for any time of the year. Mixing with Bob Hope with Damon Runyan is a tricky combination, but it works well here. Certainly, in some ways Hope is a good fit for Runyan, as he's both appealing and underhanded, with a layer of selfishness, cowardice and egotism on top of the goodness beneath. But Hope's rapid-fire joke style is not a natural fit with the characteristic Runyan dialogue style. The two aren't totally reconciled in Kid, but the friction they sometimes create actually works to the film's advantage, painting Hope as something of an outsider -- a take that's not inaccurate when discussing the character's inner life. It also helps that the writers have supplied Hope with some good gags this time, and he delivers them in very fine form. Having lovely Marilyn Maxwell and dependable comics Fred Clark and William Frawley along is also a bonus, as are Lloyd Nolan and Jane Darwell. And then there's the immortal "Silver Bells," a timeless paean to big city Christmases, which certainly adds to the fun -- especially in Frawley's amusing take on it. While not one of Hope's absolutely best pictures, Kid is still very good entertainment.