Un direct au coeur

Presley's first movies were arguably the best he made.Some of them were eminently watchable:"love me tender" "jailhouse rock" "king creole" "flaming star" -probably his very best- and at a pinch "Wild in the country".In almost all these movies ,there's a mother's loss (or absence).This permanent feature comes back in "Kid Galahad":the hero lost his parents when he was an infant.Besides ,as it is a remake ,we have at least a script ,which will cruelly lack in films to come.

"Kid Galahad" is never exciting though.The songs always come at the most awkward moment ,and as only Elvis sings -his female partners contenting themselves with looking languorously at the star-,one can hardly call that (and all Presley's subsequent flicks)musicals.And the songs are not particularly memorable;only the peppy "I got lucky" and the romantic " Home is where the heart is" stand out.Whereas songs make sense in "jailhouse rock" or " king creole" ,where Elvis portrays singers ,they do not fit in a boxer's tale .Watchable because of the lovely pictures and the good -but wasted-supporting cast including Gig Young,Charles Bronson,Lola Allbright.Love interest consists of an affair between Elvis and Young's kid sister .Willy (what a naughty boy!) does not want Rose to marry Walter!

This is about one of the coolest and mellowest movies Elvis Presley ever made. The music that Elvis performs is as mellow as the background music in the movie. It's packed with love, romance, and action. 3 important elements that makes a real good Elvis movie. I'm watching it right now and I just saw the part where Elvis polishes of the two hooldlums that busted Charles Bronson's hands. Now Galahad (Elvis) is up for the big fight of the season against Sugar Boy Romero. Who do you think shall win? I can only hope Elvis Galahad does.

As a big fan of Elvis Presley, Gig Young, and Charles Bronson, as well as the sport of boxing, I enjoyed this movie for those reasons alone. Elvis gives a decent performance, but is stereotyped by the script as a goofy, goo-natured, lug-head, who has a natural gift of a cast-iron chin and one-punch knockout power. Half the movie Elvis looks in a daze with his mouth open catching flies!

Charles Bronson has a surprise role as a trainer. Not once does his show off his impressive muscular build and even gets both his hands broken by gangsters. A truly different role for him. He too is stereotyped as the ex-boxer walking on his heels.

Gig Young gives his usual out-standing performance, but there is nothing to like at all about his character; he's a liar, a user, aback-stabber, and an over-all jerk.

The fight scenes are poorly done and considering they were advised by former World Light-welterweight boxing great Mushy Callahan, a big disappointment.

However, if you like Elvis, this will be an enjoyable film.

Kid Galahad (1962)

For me, most of Elvis's later movies are awful. They all follow the same formula that has The King torn between two (or more!) girls, some kind of job that's always a plot device (race car driver, scuba diver), and a handful of forgettable songs. This is one of those movies. That's said, although it does follow the formula and it's got too many subplots it's lifted out of the doldrums by a solid supporting cast and a decent final boxing match.

Presley sleep walks his way through this movie, barley bothering to mime his own songs.

The sexy Lola Albright, an actress who deserved a better career than she had gives a good performance. Joan Blackman (Blue Hawaii) is good too, but like Albright she never reached the heights her talent deserved.

Bronson (4th billed behind Elvis, Gig Young, Lola Albright and Joan Blackman) is totally believable as the veteran fight trainer, no matter how many times I seen this, I still hate what happens to his character before the final fight. It's it's too bad he never costarred with Elvis again, but rumour has it they hated each other.

All in all, a fun way to spend 90 minutes, as long as you don't mind a lead who sleepwalks and badly mimes the songs.

OK. So it's not "Gone with the Wind," but "Kid Galahad" is well written, fun, and lightly sprinkled with some very good songs (catch the twisting "I Got Lucky" and the front porch "This is Living" scenes.) "Kid Galahad" also boasts a strong supporting cast (look for a young Ed Asner in one his first screen roles;) Academy-Award winner Gig Young, Charles Bronson, and Lola Albright, in a surprisingly emotive role, add "punch" to what, on the surface, appears to be just another Presley vehicle. "Kid Galahad" also had the blessing of being completed before they counted the receipts of "Blue Hawaii." When the studio saw how much money they made off of "Blue Hawaii," the dye was cast; Elvis would be stuck doing "14 song travelogues" for another 7 years. "Kid Galahad" catches Elvis in good humor, shape, and voice; he was having fun...You will too.