Kid Galahad

It's always hilarious today to see films where people like Lucille Ball and Bette Davis, whose voices are so familiar to audiences, are dubbed when singing. Bette's night club number in a rich contralto is a jarring moment in this movie.

"Kid Galahad" is a 1937 film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring part of the excellent Warners roster: Edward G. Robinson, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Jane Bryan, and Wayne Morris. Morris is a hunky bellboy, nicknamed "Kid Galahad," made into a champion boxer by manager Nick Donati (Robinson); he falls for Robinson's pretty sister Marie(Bryan). Meanwhile, Robinson's girlfriend Louise (Davis) has fallen for Morris herself.

Predictable drama, but the cast is terrific and the film moves very quickly. Everyone is terrific. Bogart was not yet a star, and is effective as Robinson's nemesis, Turkey.

Obviously Warners loved this story - it was remade as The Wagons Roll at Night and later as a vehicle for Elvis.

Boxing stories have always been great film fodder. There isn't anything exceptional about "Kid Galahad" except its cast, and you're sure not going to see the likes of them again.

Edward G Robinson in any movie is a must see for the man loved what he did and he did it for us. Here is another fine flick for him to ply his wares and woo us over into the land of entertainment. Who doesn't like a rag to riches story which is really about the common man and his dreams. Some no-body guy wants to save enough money to buy a farm and in America there are many ways to do this. This movie shares one of them. Heart-strings will be pulled upon as there is not one but two love stories going on here, a real good bad guy, good guy and a hero. Special mention to Humphrey Bogart who doesn't disappoint. Watch the close-ups on his face during the fight matches. When things go well, Bogie gives his best facial and if they go less than well he gives his worse facial expressions. Of course what could be more rousing than a good fight to end the story with? Also notice the stands in the fight scenes. Long has every fight movie had to shoot the upper seats in darkness while some used cardboard cut-outs to fill in those seats. After all, how many extras do you want on payroll? In this movie they even turn on the lights so we can see everything real or not. Imagine going to see this decades ago, 25 cents, popcorn, cold drink and either with your girlfriend or some buddies. Great night out and it still holds! This is entertainment with...

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.

A commiseration party after a loss, leads to conflict where a bellhop gets quite cross, goes toe to toe with Turkey's lad, then gets the name Galahad, it's not too long before he has a brand new boss; who then puts him through the ring to fight and maul, this pugilist is handsome and he's tall, a trip to the countryside, he finds a girl to make a bride, but there's one whose eyes with tears cascade and fall; then a chance to fight to become champion, the crowds are buzzing this will be a great dingdong, but the tactics just confuse, you're set up to fail and lose, has the promise and potential, all gone wrong.