Waste of time

How sad is this?

Best movie ever!

A Masterpiece!

Elvis Presley is a mechanic turned fighter in "Kid Galahad," a 1962 film with Presley playing the role originally essayed by Wayne Morris in the '30s. He has strong support from Gig Young, Lola Albright, Joan Blackman and Charles Bronson.Elvis plays an ex-GI named Walter Grogan, who is taken on as a fighter by a man (Gig Young) who runs a resort but owes money to mobsters due to gambling debts. What he doesn't count on is the Kid falling for his sister (Joan Blackman, Bette Davis in the original).This is early Elvis, when the production values were high and the songs fresh. Later on, Colonel Parker would tighten up on the budgets, since the cheaper he could get the films made, the more money he made for himself and Elvis. And Elvis' parents had naively signed a contract giving Parker 50%. I think Elvis would have been happier with better movies, such as "King Creole," and less money."Kid Galahad" is quite good, though, with fine music and a relaxed performance by Elvis, who looks great. He doesn't have the jet black hair and while he's not as thin as he would eventually get from using amphetamines, he's still in great shape.It became more and more difficult for Elvis to be Elvis, but here, he's a boyish, mellow guy who seemed to be enjoying what he was doing. Unfortunately, he didn't stay that way.

At the start, Walter is fresh from the army and hitchhiking on the back of a moving van (not something anyone should attempt in real life, but it looks good here). And he's singing! Walter arrives in the small scenic New York community of Cream Valley, where he was born. After his parents died he was raised by an aunt in Kentucky (which explains the accent). In the army he worked in the motor pool, and he loves restoring cars, so he hopes to get a job as a mechanic.Unfortunately, the only job available is sparring partner for one of several boxers training in the community. At least Walter boxed in the army. He isn't that good, until ...Willy runs Grogan's Gaelic Gardens, which is trying to compete with Lieberman's Shangri-La as a tourist attraction. But Willy has a gambling problem, and Otto and his goons constantly remind him he needs to pay up. Dolly, who used to sing at Lieberman's, is Willy's impatient fiancée, and she helps take care of the place. And Rose is Willy's younger sister and business partner. The minute Walter sees Rose, we all know what's going to happen with them. Of course, Willy turns out to be quite overprotective.Walter's boxing talent just may turn out to be the solution for Willy's problems. The usual formula for movies like this applies, though, and it won't be that easy.I haven't seen but a few Elvis Presley movies. But I didn't know what I was missing. Even Elvis admitted (as portrayed on TV by Jonathan Rhys Meyers) that his movies were fluff, but this one was just a little more.Elvis gives us his usual impeccably polite all-American boy, and shows his singing talent in a few scenes (though this is not what I would call a musical). He is also good at looking tough in the boxing ring, and he really seems to be able to take a punch or two or three. But in the scenes where he loses his temper (because women shouldn't be treated that way), it becomes clear Elvis was hired for his popularity, not his acting ability.What makes this film more than ordinary is the talent surrounding the King. Lola Albright as Dolly, Robert Emhardt as Maynard, and David Lewis as Otto in particular. I wasn't that impressed with Gig Young as Willy, but he was easy to like.And I have to single out Charles Bronson as boxing trainer Lew. When he was in pain in one scene, it was truly disturbing. And that's what put this movie over the top and made it more than just the usual.Ed Asner (from the Manhattan district attorney's office) had a bald spot even way back then! I've liked him for years. I didn't see much from him here to be impressed with, though.I did like the music, and the classic cars, which of course were brand new or only a few years old. Walter himself liked the vintage car he restored better than I did.I would call this good, clean family fun, but of course Elvis does get beat up a lot and he does bleed. And there is some violence even outside the boxing ring. But in the early 60s, violence wasn't as big a concern as it is today.If you like Elvis, this is certainly one to watch.

This was an Elvis movie with some drama, some comedy, some music. It was a little more than the formula movies and had some good fights. Mushy Callahan a boxing coach who coached all the big stars into the 60s for fight movies said of all the actors he coached " Elvis was best, quick hands, knew karate and judo...."Great so-stars and scenery. If its not Rocky or even Rocky 5 its an enjoyable escape. The few songs are pleasant including "I Got Lucky" and "A Whistling Tune" Reportedly Charles Bronson was not very friendly to Elvis. Joan Blackman also made "Blue Hawaii" with Elvis. If you want a diversion on a rainy Sunday this is a possibility.

OK. So it's not "Gone with the Wind," but "Kid Galahad" is well written, fun, and lightly sprinkled with some very good songs (catch the twisting "I Got Lucky" and the front porch "This is Living" scenes.) "Kid Galahad" also boasts a strong supporting cast (look for a young Ed Asner in one his first screen roles;) Academy-Award winner Gig Young, Charles Bronson, and Lola Albright, in a surprisingly emotive role, add "punch" to what, on the surface, appears to be just another Presley vehicle. "Kid Galahad" also had the blessing of being completed before they counted the receipts of "Blue Hawaii." When the studio saw how much money they made off of "Blue Hawaii," the dye was cast; Elvis would be stuck doing "14 song travelogues" for another 7 years. "Kid Galahad" catches Elvis in good humor, shape, and voice; he was having fun...You will too.