Speedway

A successful racer is generous with his earnings and naïve about his best friend's handling of his finances (Bill Bixby) when an IRS agent comes sniffing around (Nancy Sinatra).

"Speedway" (1968) was Elvis' 27th movie of the 31 in his acting filmography.

How much you appreciate this one will depend on how much you like stock car racing and Nancy Sinatra. Presley looks his best and has his usual charisma; you wouldn't know he was taking diet pills at the time to keep his weight down or struggling with his desire to put out more serious films. Nancy doesn't do much for me physically, but I like her mane and she's likable enough, plus her singing is great. Meanwhile Elvis and Bixby have great chemistry in their shenanigans.

It's a fun and serviceable Presley entry highlighted by the swinging 60's vibe and the generous naiveté of the protagonist, yet "Speedway" doesn't stand out in Elvis' oeuvre.

The film runs 1 hour, 34 minutes, and was shot at Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Carolina; Riverside International Raceway, California; and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Culver City, California.

GRADE: B-/C+

Typical Elvis movie of the period. A kind hearted stock day driving Elvis is quick on and off the track. This movie is a must see for any modern day NASCAR fan not so much for the action, but for vintage scenes from Charlotte Motor Speedway (now Lowe's Motor Speedway). Note the lap times compared to today...wow.

The gadgetry in his trailer is classic. Gale Gordon is excellent as a senior IRS investigator. Bill Bixby is hilarious as Elvis' sidekick. Sadly, there really wasn't enough chemistry with Nancy Sinatra.

The film is, of course, safe to view with the whole family with nothing more than some cartoon-like fight scenes. Not Elvis' best effort, but a good, lighthearted enjoyable film.

Steve Grayson (Elvis Presley) is a cocky car racer and Kenny Donford (Bill Bixby) is his manager. One day, they find Susan Jacks (Nancy Sinatra) waiting in his trailer. Steve has tax issues and she turns out to be an IRS agent.

Sinatra is probably the worst actor in the movie. That makes the romance tough to watch. This is bad. They do include cameo of a lot of Nascar legendary drivers. The list of names in the beginning is amazing. There are some good racing footage. Otherwise, this is rather boring. The other issue is the year is 1968. Time is moving on and it looks like it's moving on without Elvis. He hasn't changed. His movies haven't changed. This is strictly the same old Elvis movie.

You might not think of Elvis to be a great actor. but it sure is fun to see him try and sing some great songs along the way.Enjoy this film with Nancy Sinatra and Gale Gordon.Bill Bixby plays scene stealing womanizer, remember the "hulk".You'll see Elvis racing car number 6 in the Charlotte 100 race.Along for the ride are Richard Petty,Buddy Baker Cale Yarborough,Dick Hutcherson and Tiny Lund.Elvis sings the hit song "let yourself go" and Nancy Sinatra sings "You groovy self" Premiered in Charlotte,North Carolina on June 12 1968.Two not known facts about this film are:Sonny & Cher refused roles in this film and Petula Clark turned down role of Susan Jacks.Available from Warner Brothers in 1968.If You enjoyed this one try "Spinout" also by Elvis.

Most of the movies Elvis made for director Norman Taurog of MGM from '65-'68 have little to recommend them and this is a prime example / offender.

Elvis plays a NASCAR driver with unpaid taxes and Nancy Sinatra is his IRS watchdog / love interest. There is a big race coming up. No points for guessing the rest. Yawn. There is a decent song and dance number set in the waiting room at the IRS building (really!!) and some very good racing action. NASCAR stars such as Buddy Baker and Richard Petty did the driving and it looks very real, at least until we see Elvis in close up in front of an obvious rear projection screen. Man, I hate those things.

Elvis and Nancy have about 5% of the on-screen chemistry Elvis and Ann- Margret had in Viva Las Vegas and the songs are about 5% as good. Watch that one instead. It's even about racing, too, but road racing rather than NASCAR, so I guess this one is supposed to be different... Not awful, really, but about as formulaic, derivative and forgettable as Elvis' movie output ever got.