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

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.

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" 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.

Cast

* as Bentzi * Jonathan Sagall as Momo * Zachi Noy as Yudale * Anat Atzmon as Nili * as Stella * Rachel Steiner as Martha *

Dvora Kedar Devora Halter Keidar (8 June 1924 – 17 May 2023) was an Israeli actress. Dvora Kedar was born in Lithuania. She began her acting career in Habima, Israel's National Theatre. In 1964, she appeared in her first movie, ''Ulai terdu sham.'' In ...

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, Paul Anka,

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 and Bobby Vinton). 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 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''. The film was also selected as the Israeli entry for the Best Foreign Language Film 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 and United Kingdom. Since the release of ''Lemon Popsicle'', seven official sequels have been made. These were ''

Going Steady Going steady is a romantic relationship in which both partners commit to date only each other. Growing in prevalence in the United States after World War II, going steady became the mainstream dating pattern in high schools and colleges in the 1950 ...

'' (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 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 * Zachi Noy as Yudale * Jonathan Sagall as Momo *

as Sonja * Orna Dagan as Nikki * Rachel Steiner as Martha * Ariella Rabinovich as Doris * Sibylle Rauch as Frieda * Christiane Schmidtmer as Fritzi

Remake

In 1982, Davidson wrote and directed an American remake, '' The Last American Virgin'', starring Lawrence Monoson and Diane Franklin.New York Times
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References

External links

Plot

Cast

Release and reception

Budget

Box office

Sequels

Hot Bubblegum

Synopsis

Cast

Remake

See also

References

External links