Kid Galahad

Kid Galahad
Elvis Presley tries on boxing gloves for Kid Galahad, one of his post-Army pictures that still has some fresh air and innocence in it. First spotted crooning from the back of a pickup truck, Elvis plays an ex-G.I. newly returned to his foresty birthplace, where shifty Gig Young runs a boxing camp. Naturally the kid turns out to have talent with the gloves, and a gamblers/mobsters/boxing formula soon kicks in. Meanwhile, Elvis turns his attention to Joan Blackman (from Blue Hawaii) and Young resists making an honest woman of girlfriend Lola Albright. Charles Bronson, who didn't get on well with Elvis, has a hefty role as an incorruptible trainer. The songs squeezed in around this are humdrum, and even the best ones can't accurately be described as rock & roll. Director Phil Karlson, a dab hand at action films (The Phenix City Story), gets some savagery into the fight scenes, and the early location work has a nice breezy feel. As for Presley himself, the early signs of stupor are beginning to be apparent; after the enjoyable opening reel he lacks the old spirit, looking understandably unengaged by the material or his co-stars. --Robert Horton
Customer Review: Elvis vs Bronson
Years ago, I read that according to Elvis' pals the Memphis mafia, Presley and co-star Charles Bronson did not get along well on the set of this film. I won't mention the specifics out of respect for both legendary performers, but basically, it seemed to be a personality clash between the young, fun loving Elvis and the older, more serious and taciturn Bronson. Watching the film, you feel like there is an almost brotherly bond between Presley as the title charactor, and tough guy Bronson as his tough but sensitive trainer. The sources I read stated that this is made possible mainly by Bronson's stalwart professionalism. Of course, it's a two-way process, and Elvis' performance in this semi-serious drama shows he was a better actor then most folks gave him credit for
Customer Review: Kid Galahad - Elvis
Okay! It's a cheesy Elvis film but I saw it in the movie theater as a child and always loved it when it was rerun on TV. It contains one of my all-time favorite songs "Home Is Where The Heart Is". I bought the 45 sized 33&1/3 rpm soundtrack soon after seeing it in the movies and wore the grooves off it. So, it is an inexpensive blast from the past. Rudy Lobo