Of lemon drops and candycanes...

"The Lemon Drop Kid" may not be an all-time Christmas movie classic, but it does have its charms, as evidenced by the positive reception it received yesterday during our CineVerse meeting. In summary, here's what our group concluded about this antique chestnut:

WHAT DID YOU FIND INTERESTING OR DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS FILM THAT PERHAPS YOU DIDN’T EXPECT?

• The Damon Runyon cosmology of quirky streetwise characters and situations; Runyon typically wrote about New York City mobsters, shysters, gamblers and caricatured underworld personalities who often employed a distinctive dialect and vernacular style and who possessed quirky names like “Good Time Charley” or “The Lemon Drop Kid.” Runyon’s stories and characters were popular during the golden age of Hollywood and radio (the 1930s and 1940s).
• Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell have good chemistry as an onscreen couple, perhaps because they also carried on a secret personal affair offscreen).
• This is the film that introduced the song “Silver Bells,” although it was recorded by Bing Crosby and others around the same time; what’s interesting is that the song describes an urban rather than a rural setting, as many holiday tunes do, and it fits perfectly within the downtown stroll montage sequence within the film.
• Like many other supposed “Christmas” films, this is not thoroughly a Christmastime movie; it’s set during the holiday season, but it doesn’t necessarily celebrate the spirit and joys of Christmas (besides the “Silver Bells” sequence) as, say, “A Christmas Story” or “Miracle on 34^th Street” does. Like “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Christmas happens to figure into the plot, but it’s not an necessarily an essential part of the plot.

WHAT QUALITIES DOES A GOOD CHRISTMAS-TIME MOVIE HAVE TO POSSESS FOR IT TO BE MOST ENJOYABLE TO YOU?

•  Some prefer a holiday film that is primarily lighthearted and comical, such as “A Christmas Story,” as well as romantic comedies like “Shop Around the Corner.”
• Others favor emotional and sentimental stories that tug at the heartstrings, like “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
• Many opt for musicals, including “Holiday Inn,” “White Christmas,” and “Meet Me in St. Louis.”
• Then there are those that lean more toward adaptations of classic stories or more religious films, including “Scrooge” and “The Nativity Story”
• Yet others rank higher those satirical and over-the-top romps that poke fun at traditions and tropes, such as “Bad Santa” or “Christmas Vacation.”