Set in Israel in the 1950s, Nili, is the new girl at school. She meets a trio of friends: Benzi, Momo and Yudale. 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 the memorable scene with an older olah named Stella enticing the three boys into having sex with her, earning the nickname "Stella HaMegameret" after she screams "I'm a-cumming! I'm a-cumming!" during sex because of her poor Hebrew.
Release and reception
Budget
The picture was produced at a budget of 3 million Israeli pound, of which a million was paid in royalties to the musicians whose songs were used in the soundtrack. Producer Menahem Golan claimed that the music rights cost more than that of producing the film itself.
Box office
It became an immediate commercial success; by December 1978, Lemon Popsicle sold 1,268,000 tickets in its native country and grossed 12.5 million lira. 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. 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, losing to Ingmar Bergman's Autumn Sonata. The film was also selected as the Israeli entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 51st Academy Awards, 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 , Hot Bubblegum , Private Popsicle , Baby Love , Up Your Anchor , Young Love and Summertime Blues . A reboot film, The Party Goes On, followed in 2001. There's also a spin off movie, Private Manoeuvres, featuring Zachi Noy.
Hot Bubblegum
Hot Bubblegum 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.
