A tutto gas

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.

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+

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.

SPEEDWAY is just another in the long line of '60s Elvis vehicles, and kind of lightweight at that. It takes awhile to go anywhere, but not that you go into these flicks expecting high art or anything. Presley is a kind-hearted race car driver who gets an unwelcome visit from tax investigator Nancy Sinatra, looking to nail him for unpaid dollars he's earned while racing around the track. Gale Gordon (Lucy's Mr. Mooney himself) is on hand as her no-nonsense boss. Elvis was actually pretty good at comedy, and he shares some funny moments with Bill Bixby, who plays his conniving manager/buddy. Two good songs this go-round are "Let Yourself Go" (sung by The King) and Nancy Sinatra's sexy rendition of "Your Groovy Self". ** out of ****

Anytime I watch a tv show or film from this era I wonder who wrote that generic 'rock' music that the 'kids' are dancing to. You know, the kind of 'rock' music that you'd hear on 'My Three Sons' or 'Petticoat Junction' or 'The Beverly Hillbillies'. It's sort of a weird blend of Easy Listening and vomit. Anyway, not the worst Elvis vehicle, not 'Viva Las Vegas', either. Nancy Sinatra looks beautiful.