Lemon
Popsicle
The film that started the cult series: a bittersweet coming-of-age story set around friendship, first love, heartbreak and the glow of late-1950s Tel Aviv.
The film that started the Popsicle story
Before Lemon Popsicle, Boaz Davidson and Eli Tavor had already found major box office success in Israel with popular Bourekas films, but the critical response to those films was often harsh and politically loaded.
In the mid-1970s, Davidson and Tavor wanted to move away from the ethnic debates dominating Israeli cinema and create something more personal: a film built around teenage longing, humiliation, excitement and heartbreak.
The emotional foundation came from a real memory Davidson pitched to Tavor: a boy falls in love with a girl who belongs to someone else, briefly believes she has chosen him, then loses her the moment the other boy returns.
From memory to film
Filming began in summer 1977, with Davidson recreating the Tel Aviv of his youth through cafés, jukebox music, beach culture, strict parents and the awkward curiosity of teenage boys.
The production paid close attention to period detail, from imported American rock ’n’ roll records and hairstyles to advertising posters, clothing and local hangouts. Rather than presenting nostalgia as idealised fantasy, the film embraced embarrassment, rejection and emotional insecurity alongside comedy and sexual exploration.
One of the film’s most infamous sequences — involving Stella and the boys’ disastrous sexual encounter — was inspired directly by a real-life story from screenwriter Eli Tavor’s youth in Tel Aviv.
The original Hebrew title, Eskimo Limon, came from the ice cream sellers who walked the Tel Aviv beaches carrying cold boxes while shouting to passing crowds. What began as a deeply local coming-of-age film would eventually become one of the most internationally successful films in Israeli cinema history.
Three friends, one summer, and a first heartbreak
Lemon Popsicle follows Benji, Bobby and Huey, three teenagers growing up in late-1950s Tel Aviv, spending their days chasing girls, hanging around the Montana diner and testing the limits of friendship.
Benji is the sensitive one of the group. When he sees Nikki for the first time, he falls for her almost instantly. But Nikki is drawn towards Bobby, the more confident and reckless friend, leaving Benji to watch from the sidelines.
What begins as a nostalgic teen comedy slowly turns into a more bittersweet story about loyalty, jealousy, betrayal and responsibility. Beneath the humour and rock ’n’ roll soundtrack is a film about the painful moment when teenage fantasy meets real consequence.
The faces of Lemon Popsicle
The cast helped define the Lemon Popsicle series, with many of the key performers becoming closely associated with the films across later sequels.
Yiftach Katzur
Benji / Bentzi View profile
Jonathan Sagall
Bobby / Momo View profile
Zachi Noy
Huey / Yudale View profile
Anat Atzmon
Nikki / Nili View profile
Dvora Kedar
Sonya View profile
Menashe Warshavsky
Romek View profile
Avi Hadash
Victor / Froike View profile
Rachel Stiener
Martha / Bracha View profileView full supporting cast
Archive note
Was a real life prostitue found on the streets and persuded to act in the film
From personal memories to an international phenomenon
Filmed during the summer of 1977, Lemon Popsicle began as a deeply personal project for director Boaz Davidson, inspired by his own teenage years growing up in Tel Aviv.
Working with producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, Davidson recreated the music, locations and awkward emotions of youth in a film that travelled far beyond Israel.
Eli Tavor
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Menahem Golan
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Yoram Globus
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Adam Greenberg
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Alain Jakubowicz
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Editing
Alain JakubowiczFilm Editor
Wardrobe
Tammy MorWardrobe Designer
The gamble behind the music
The soundtrack of Lemon Popsicle became one of the defining ingredients of the series, helping transform teenage nostalgia into an international phenomenon.
While the film is remembered for its coming-of-age humour and youthful nostalgia, the soundtrack almost became a financial disaster for the production.
During production, the film used temporary local music while the original 1950s recordings were still being cleared for the final release. Boaz Davidson was determined that the finished film should feature authentic American rock ’n’ roll recordings rather than cheaper imitation cover versions.
The problem was cost. Licensing the huge package of master recordings reportedly came to almost one million Israeli Liras - an enormous figure considering the film itself was produced for roughly three million IL.
The London gamble
Paying those fees upfront would have placed Noah Films under serious financial strain. Instead, producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus travelled to London to negotiate directly with international music distributors and record labels.
Rather than a traditional licensing arrangement, the producers secured a royalty-based agreement: the labels would receive a percentage of the film’s future earnings alongside the rights to manufacture and distribute the official soundtrack albums.
The gamble paid off dramatically. As Lemon Popsicle exploded internationally, the soundtrack itself became part of the phenomenon, eventually released as a successful double-LP compilation in multiple territories.
The result is a soundtrack that feels inseparable from the film’s identity. The music does not simply accompany the scenes - it shapes the emotional memory of the entire series.
From Israeli hit to European phenomenon
Released in February 1978, Lemon Popsicle quickly became one of the biggest box office successes in Israeli cinema history before unexpectedly exploding across Europe and beyond.
Upon release, the film reportedly drew around 1.3 million admissions in Israel, meaning almost half the country went to see it in cinemas.
Following its domestic success, the film travelled to the MIFED International Film Market in Italy, where distributors rushed to secure international rights as word of the film spread through the market.
“It was the first time I attended MIFED. I’m screening my film and after 30 minutes people start walking out. I then realized they all ran to stand in line to buy the film for distribution.”— Yoram Globus
Lemon Popsicle later became the first Israeli film in five years to screen in competition at the Berlinale, where audiences voted it the fourth most popular film of the festival.
German producer Sam Waynberg secured the rights for Germany, where the film was released as Eis am Stiel. In German cinemas it reportedly outperformed major contemporary releases including Grease and Saturday Night Fever, transforming the film into a cultural phenomenon across Europe.
A Golden Globe nomination followed in 1979, while the film was also commercially distributed throughout Japan, England, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Brazil, Korea, Thailand and many more territories.
Released in Israel, screened at MIFED and the Berlinale, nominated for a Golden Globe in 1979, and distributed across Europe, Japan, Brazil, Korea, Thailand and beyond.