Kid Galahad

Warner Bros. mix of gangster grit and boxing sweat has fight manager Edward G. Robinson battling with nemesis Humphrey Bogart over fighters, egos, and money (the only thing they don't argue about is dames!). Matters are complicated by a fresh, innocent rube, a bellhop with a right hook whom Robinson wins the confidence of. Bette Davis is Eddie's right-hand-gal who falls in love with the polite, shy Wayne Morris against her better judgment, while Jane Bryan as Eddie's kid sis wins the boxer's heart after graduating from convent school. Based on a Saturday Evening Post story, this smoky, super-emotional and physical melodrama allows each of its players to shine (except for Bryan, who isn't in the same league as the others). Michael Curtiz directed with skill and speed, though an early boxing sequence is too fast (with the film mechanically speeded up for no apparent reason); other scenes in the ring also look hokey, although these are the only incidents which do. Curtiz is amazingly adept at handling actors, and Davis is girlish and positively charming making sweet and light conversation with Morris, whose aw-shucks smiles at her tell us everything we need to know. Later remade as one of Elvis Presley's better pictures. A big fat hit. ***1/2 from ****

Director Michael Curtiz was known for manly films like The Adventures Of Robin Hood, Captain Blood, Angles With Dirty Faces but he also directed women's pictures like Mildred Pierce and the musical Yankee Doodle Dandy. This is the first of six films where Curtiz worked with Humphrey Bogart, his most famous is Casablanca.

The powerhouse triumvirate of talent almost overpowers the story. Kid Galahad stars Edward G. Robinson who is wonderful as the headstrong fight promoter, Bette Davis provides romantic chemistry as his compassionate girlfriend and Humphrey Bogart (still early in his career) plays a rival boxing manager that uses gangster tactics to get his own way.

Bette Davis had just returned to Warner Bros. after attempting to walk out on her contract in 1935 when she made Kid Galahad, a hybrid gangster-boxing film in 1937. Although far from the types of vehicles that would make her the studio's top box office star in a few years, it served both her and the studio well. Warner's got her name on the marquee to draw her growing legions of female fans to an otherwise male- oriented film, while she got the chance to appeal to a more masculine audience than usual. The result was a hit for her that would remain a classic boxing flick for decades.

Francis Wallace's novel, which had been serialized in The Saturday Evening Post, was a natural for Warner Bros. with its mix of boxing action and gangland corruption. The studio had the perfect actor for the role of tough fight manager Nick Donati in Edward G. Robinson, who had been a star there since his triumph in Little Caesar (1931). His gangland rival was a good role for supporting gangster star Humphrey Bogart. And the part of the young bellhop who belts his way to victory when the reigning champ puts the moves on Robinson's girlfriend (Davis), would be ideal for showcasing screen newcomer Wayne Morris. Davis was happy to accept the secondhand role, particularly as she was still waiting for the studio to develop a script for her next big vehicle, Jezebel (1938). She was also eager to work with Robinson, but after one day of shooting, he went to production chief Hal Wallis to demand she be replaced. In his opinion, she was little more than an uncontrolled, although gifted amateur. He would repeat that assessment in his memoirs, arguing that she had left the stage for Hollywood before developing control of her craft. Davis never spoke ill of Robinson, though she observed wryly in later years that he had stopped shooting during a death scene to complain to director Michael Curtiz that she and co-star Jane Bryan were drowning out his final speeches with their sobbing. The stars would never work together again.

One lasting relationship that came out of the film was between Davis and Irving Rapper, who would direct her biggest hit, Now, Voyager (1942). Rapper had just been hired as the film's dialogue director when, on his first day, he watched Curtiz staging a fight scene between Davis and Robinson. When Davis failed to respond properly to a shove from Robinson, Curtiz yelled, "That's not the way to fight, you damn bum!" Davis asked him to show her what he wanted, so Curtiz took her place in the scene. Robinson didn't want to throw the director around, afraid the larger man would hurt him, but he got into things when Curtiz started playing the scene as a Davis imitation. When Robinson pushed the director, he banged into a table and bounced back, almost knocking over his leading man. Davis got the point and stepped into the scene. But Robinson forgot to adjust the shove for his much lighter leading lady, and she went flying across the stage, landing in Rapper's lap. "My God, who are you?" she asked. When Rapper introduced himself as the film's new dialogue director, she quipped, "Thank God you caught the ball!" The boxing scenes were as real and brutal as any filmed previously. After the scene in which Morris knocks out a boxer in the ring, Curtiz screamed that it looked fake and demanded a re-take. But they had to wait for the actor to regain consciousness; he really was down for the count. When Kid Galahad came out, the author Wallace was so impressed he sent Morris a telegram, "Thank you for bringing our boy over the border of fiction into reality."

Kid Galahad was a hit with critics and audiences alike, with many of them praising Robinson and Davis for their professionalism and singling out Morris as a bright new talent. Ultimately, the studio would fail to come up with suitable follow-ups for the young actor, who would fade into supporting roles his best being in Stanley Kubrick's Paths Of Glory.

Many critics also hailed the film as the best boxing picture to date. Please notice the fine character work of actors: Harry Carey as the trainer, Jane Bryan as Robinson's sister, William Haade as the Champ and Joe Cunningham as the reporter.

Finally when The Mirisch Bros. bought the story as a vehicle for Elvis Presley (with Gig Young and Lola Albright in the other leads), Warner's re-titled Kid Galahad for television prints as The Battling Bellhop to avoid confusion with the Elvis re-make which was now a comedy-musical-boxing-drama.

This was certainly not the most original movie made by Warner Brothers, but it was an excellent showcase for the talents of Edward G. Robinson and cast. It's a perfect example of the type of film this company made so well in the 1930s--a simple and predictable story combined with excellent dialog and acting and breezy direction. While this story will not change the world, it is well worth the watching. By the way, this story has been remade several times---such as THE WAGONS ROLL AT MIDNIGHT (with Humphrey Bogart taking on the Edward G. Robineson part and Eddie Albert playing a lion tamer instead of a boxer) and KID GALAHAD (with Elvis). None of these films are quite as satisfying as this film. So my advice is, if you only want to see one, watch this one.

This 1937 boxing film from "Warner Bros," is a well-crafted classic with some good boxing scenes and typically great performances from Edward G. Robinson and Bette Davis. Humphrey Bogart is given the thankless role of that of another gangster but he still adds something to "Kid Galahad." Robinson is a boxing promoter who needs a winner in his stable of prizefighters after he fires his latest protégé. A young bellhop shows some potential and Robinson trains him as the next heavyweight champion, potentially. The path to success is not easy as Robinson tries to avoid the wrath of Bogart and his mob of fellow hoodlums. What also doesn't help, is Robinson having a jealous streak regarding Davis and his being overly protective of his younger sister. Bette Davis is largely written out of the film after 53 minutes but she still makes a valuable contribution. The plot is quite straightforward and the pace is very snappy. The dialogue is pretty good for a film of this kind. It helps if you are a fan of the boxing sport because you will enjoy this film even more. Michael Curtiz displays his brilliance with the direction and keeps any unnecessary subplots out of the narrative. "Kid Galahad" was remade with Humphrey Bogart in "The Wagons Roll at Night," which is vastly inferior. This 1937 film is a classic.

Kid Galahad (1937)

*** (out of 4)

Edward G. Robinson plays fight promoter Nick Donati who thinks he has found a fighter (Wayne Morris) he can take to the Championship. The only trouble is Nick's hot tempered anger, which gets him in trouble with his girlfriend (Bette Davis) and a gangster (Humphrey Bogart) who he double crosses. Not to mention his anger when the fighter begins to date his sister (Jane Bryan). This drama from Warner plays a little too long but there's no denying the extreme fun it contains due to the three legends appearing together as well as the strong supporting cast. The story is pretty predictable if you've seen any of the 30's boxing pictures but then again the genre had pretty much wore itself out in terms of plot details by the end of the silent era. With that said, the story here of a hot tempered manager makes for some nice drama but the story isn't what's going to bring people to this movie. Seeing Robinson, Davis and Bogart together is where the fun is at and the reason why people will be drawn to this film. It's rather strange that the Elvis remake was more popular than this one for sometime but I'm going to guess that was due to this one not being available for so many decades. Robinson turns in a good performance but it's certainly not among his best. Bogart is a lot of fun in his supporting role as the tough gangster. Davis nearly steals the film and delivers a very good performance as the woman always having to keep Robinson's temperature down. The real surprise comes from Bryan and Morris who are perfect together and steal the show in the end. Film buffs might not find too many original ideas here but that doesn't really matter due to the wonderful cast being held together by the strong direction of Curtiz.