The original “Silver Bells” was in a movie

“Silver Bells” made its first appearance in the film “The Lemon Drop Kid” in 1951, sung by Marilyn Maxwell and Bob Hope (yes, Bob Hope). It was first recorded on vinyl in September 1950 by Bing Crosby and Carol Richards, after the film had completed production but before it was released. When the Crosby/Richards duet became a hit Hope and Maxwell were brought back to reshoot the scenes in which the song appeared more elaborately; it’s unclear whether this clip is the first or second cut.

3 Comments

  1. Funny to think that when my class sang this in our grade school Christmas pageant in 1977 or so, the song was just over 25 years old and considered a timeless classic. That would be comparable to performing a song from “Ghost” or “Pretty Woman” today.

  2. Interesting…seemed like my comments never appeared here when I listed my website in the comment form. Let’s try on my next comment…

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