Talhado Para Campeão

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.

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 ****

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.

I'm kind of disappointed that I didn't send in my comments after I saw this film. This was an extremely enjoyable film. As a fan of Edward G. Robinson, I can say with great enthusiasm that he doesn't disappoint. Bette Davis is up to her smart-as-a-whip self which makes it even more entertaining. Humphrey Bogart puts on a role of a scheming man that makes him look better than he already is.

Near the end, the film started to derail a bit and got a bit pointless, but it was all in good taste. It was also well-directed with Michael Curtiz at the helm. I couldn't imagine anyone else directing this. Boxing fans and movie buffs, see this film immediately. This is one film you will not want to miss.

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.