''Lemon Popsicle'' ( he, אסקימו לימון, Eskimo Limon) is a 1978

teen Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film co-written and directed by

Boaz Davidson Boaz Davidson ( he, בועז דוידזון, ; born 8 November 1943) is an Israeli film director, film producer, producer and screenwriter. He was born in Tel Aviv, Israel and studied film in London at London Film School. Biography Davidson was ...

. The success of the film led to a series of sequels. The

cult film A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage ...

follows a group of three teenage boys in late-1950s

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

Plot

In 1950s Israel, Nili (Niki in the English-language release) is the new girl at school. She meets a trio of friends: Benzi (Benji in the English release), Momo (Bobby in the English release) and Yudale (Huey in the English release). Benzi, the typical "

nice guy "Nice guy" is an informal term, commonly used with either a literal or a sarcastic meaning, for a man. In the literal sense, the term describes a man who is agreeable, gentle, compassionate, sensitive and vulnerable. The term is used both po ...

" of the group, immediately falls in love with Nili. However, Nili prefers the more aggressive and experienced Momo. Learning that Nili is a virgin, Momo brags to his friends that he will seduce, then dump her, much to Benzi's dismay. However, Benzi is too dependent on his friends and too reluctant to ruin their friendship to warn Nili of Momo's intentions, and must watch as Momo and Nili begin dating. Momo finally takes Nili's virginity, leaving her pregnant. Benzi rushes in to emotionally console Nili and helps her to get an abortion, hoping that she will grow to love him for his support, only to be crushed when Nili and Momo reconcile and resume dating. The film contains a scene with an older olah named Stella, enticing the three boys into having sex with her, earning the nickname "Stella HaMegameret" ("A-cumming Stella") after she screams "I'm a-cumming! I'm a-cumming!" (instead of "cumming") during sex because of her poor

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

Cast

* as Bentzi *

Jonathan Sagall Jonathan Sagall ( he, יהונתן סגל; born April 23, 1959) is a Canadian-born Israeli actor, director, producer and screenwriter.Zachi Noy Zachi Noy ( he, צחי נוי; born 8 July 1953) is an Israeli actor. Early life Noy was born in 1953 in Haifa, Israel. At a young age, Noy did stage work for the local Israeli theater "HaSadna" in Haifa. Later, he spent his military service in ...

as Yudale *

Anat Atzmon Anat Atzmon ( he, ענת עצמון, born 27 November 1958) is an Israeli actress and singer. Biography Atzmon was born and raised in Tel Aviv. She is the daughter of the theater actor Shmulik Atzmon. In her childhood her father exposed her to ...

as Nili * as Stella * Rachel Steiner as Martha * Dvora Kedar as Sonja * Menashe Warshavsky as Romek * Denise Bouzaglo as Ricki

Release and reception

Budget

The picture was produced at a budget of IL3 million, of which a million was paid in royalties to the musicians (mostly American) whose songs were used in the soundtrack (such as

Bill Haley William John Clifton Haley (; July 6, 1925 – February 9, 1981) was an American rock and roll musician. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-sel ...

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", "Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American Singing, singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to hi ...

the Chordettes The Chordettes were an American female vocal quartet, specializing in traditional pop music. They are best known for their 1950s hit songs " Mr. Sandman" and "Lollipop". Career The group organized in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, in 1946. The origin ...

and

Bobby Vinton Stanley Robert "Bobby" Vinton (born April 16, 1935) is a American former singer and occasional actor, who also hosted his own self-titled TV show in the late 1970s. As a teen idol, he became known as "The Polish Prince", as his music paid trib ...

). Producer

Menahem Golan Menahem Golan ( he, מנחם גולן; May 31, 1929 – August 8, 2014, originally Menachem Globus) was an Israeli film producer, screenwriter, and director. He was best known for co-owning The Cannon Group with his cousin Yoram Globus. Cannon sp ...

claimed that the music rights cost more than the production of the film itself.

Box office

''Lemon Popsicle'' became an immediate commercial success; by December 1978, the film had sold 1,268,000 tickets in its native country and grossed IL12.5 million. It was circulated in 700 prints in Europe, where it earned $650,000 during the same period. In total, it sold 1,350,000 tickets in the state, becoming the highest-grossing Israeli picture in history.Almog, O'z. ''Peridah mi-Śeruliḳ: shinui ʻarakhim ba-eliṭah ha-Yiśreʼelit''. Zemorah-Bitan (2004). . p. 1156 In West Germany, it reached the 11th place at the 1978 box office, with 2.7 million tickets sold. ''Lemon Popsicle'' also gained considerable popularity in the rest of Europe and in Japan. It was nominated for the

Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film is a Golden Globe Award presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Until 1986, it was known as the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film, meaning that any non-American film coul ...

in the

36th Golden Globe Awards The 36th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television for 1978, were held on January 27, 1979. Winners and nominees Film Television Best Series - Drama ''60 Minutes'' *''Battlestar Galactica'' *''Family'' *''Holocaust'' *' ...

, losing to

Ingmar Bergman Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film director, screenwriter, Film producer, producer and playwright. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time, his films are known ...

's ''

Autumn Sonata ''Autumn Sonata'' ( sv, Höstsonaten, link=no) is a 1978 drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, and starring Ingrid Bergman (in her final film role), Liv Ullmann and Lena Nyman. Its plot follows a celebrated classical pianist and h ...

''. The film was also selected as the Israeli entry for the

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

at the

51st Academy Awards The 51st Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1978 and took place on April 9, 1979, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 7:00 p.m. ...

, but was not accepted as a nominee.

Sequels

The series became a success in Germany under the name ''Eis am Stiel''. Most of the films were also dubbed into English and were released in both the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. Since the release of ''Lemon Popsicle'', seven official sequels have been made. These were '' Going Steady'' (Yotzim Kavua) (1979), '' Hot Bubblegum'' (Shifshuf Naim) (1981), ''Private Popsicle'' (Sapiches) (1982), ''Baby Love'' (Roman Za'ir) (1984), ''Up Your Anchor'' (Harimu Ogen) (1985), ''Young Love'' (Ahava Tzeira) (1987) and ''Summertime Blues'' (Blues La-Kayitz) (1988). A spin-off film, ''Private Manoeuvres'' (Sababa), starring

Zachi Noy Zachi Noy ( he, צחי נוי; born 8 July 1953) is an Israeli actor. Early life Noy was born in 1953 in Haifa, Israel. At a young age, Noy did stage work for the local Israeli theater "HaSadna" in Haifa. Later, he spent his military service in ...

as Yudale, appeared in 1983, and a reboot film, ''The Party Goes On'' (Hahagiga Nimshehet), which featured Noy as a restaurant owner, was released in 2001.

Hot Bubblegum

''Hot Bubblegum'' (Hebrew: ''Shifshuf Naim'') is the third film in the ''Lemon Popsicle'' series, set in Tel Aviv and released in 1981.

Synopsis

Three high school seniors preparing for final exams in the early 1960s have the normal teenage concerns about girls, sex and relationships. They try to find out if going steady with one girlfriend is better or if changing girlfriends all the time makes for too many complications. By the end of summer, all things get better.

Cast

* Yftach Katzur as Benzi *

as Yudale *

Jonathan Sagall Jonathan Sagall ( he, יהונתן סגל; born April 23, 1959) is a Canadian-born Israeli actor, director, producer and screenwriter.Dvora Kedar as Sonja * Orna Dagan as Nikki * Rachel Steiner as Martha * Ariella Rabinovich as Doris *

Sibylle Rauch Sibylle Rauch (born 14 June 1960) is a German former film actress, nude model and pornographic actress. Life and career She was born Erika Roswitha Rauch in Munich, Germany. She was the Playmate of June 1979 in the German edition of ''Playboy'' ...

as Frieda *

Christiane Schmidtmer Christiane Schmidtmer (24 December 1939 – 13 March 2003) was a German actress, fashion model, nude model, and memoirist. Biography Early life Christiane Schmidtmer was born in Mannheim, Germany, to Gertrud and Jakob Schmidtmer on Christmas E ...

as Fritzi

Remake

In 1982, Davidson wrote and directed an American remake, ''

The Last American Virgin ''The Last American Virgin'' is a 1982 American sex comedy film written and directed by Boaz Davidson. It is a remake of Davidson's 1978 Israeli film '' Eskimo Limon (Lemon Popsicle)''. After the success of the original film and its sequels in I ...

'', starring

Lawrence Monoson Lawrence Monoson (born August 11, 1964) is a retired American film and television actor. Career Monoson's first film was the 1982 comedy ''The Last American Virgin'', in which he starred as Gary. Other well-known film roles include the 1984 horr ...

and

Diane Franklin Diane Franklin is an American actress, producer, and model. Education Franklin attended New York University for one year in 1981–1982 before dropping out to become a professional actress. She continued her education thirty years later when ...

.New York Times
/ref>

References

External links

Plot

Cast

Release and reception

Budget

Box office

Sequels

Hot Bubblegum

Synopsis

Cast

Remake

See also

References

External links