The Lemon Drop Kid (1951)

A con man (Bob Hope) offers a tip on a horse to the girlfriend (Andrea King) of a mobster (Fred Clark). When the horse loses, the mobster is out $10,000 and gives the con man till Christmas to pay him back or he'll have him rubbed out. Based on the short story by Damon Runyon (previously filmed in 1934) and directed by Sidney Lanfield (YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH). Not great but still one of Bob Hope's better comedies. The laughs are genuine and frequent and Hope does what he does best. His primping in front of a mirror in anticipation of visiting his girlfriend (Marilyn Maxwell) is a testament to his comic prowess. The film is also perfect holiday fodder as it takes place during the Christmas season and the Christmas perennial Silver Bells was first introduced in this movie. With Lloyd Nolan, Jane Darwell, Jay C. Flippen, Tor Johnson and William Frawley (who also appeared in the 1934 version).