Kid Galahad (1962)
After completing his military service, Walter Gulick takes a job as a sparring partner at a gym, the owner of which sees potential in Walter as a professional fighter—and takes him under his wing.
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This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.
To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.
Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Released in 1962, "Kid Galahad" stars Elvis as an ex-GI who returns to his rustic home town in upstate New York looking for employment as a mechanic. He's roped into becoming a boxer by a dubious manager-turned-innkeeper (Gig Young) while catching the eye of his kid sister (Joan Blackman). With the mentorship of his trainer (Charles Bronson), he quickly becomes the top-drawing champion "Kid Galahad." Then the mob tries to muscle in on the action. Lola Albright plays the innkeeper's significant other and assistant.I prefer the more serious Elvis flicks (1964's "Roustabout") to the silly farces (1966's "Spinout") and "Kid Galahad" falls into the former bracket. While boxing is a big part of the plot, don't expect the urban-situated "Rocky" films or "Southpaw" (2015). What sets "Kid Galahad" apart is the setting – the awesome lodge in the mountains. In the story it's supposed to be either the Catskills or Adirondack Mountains, but it's obvious that it was shot out west. Regardless, the locations are exemplary. Beyond that, the story is dramatic and compelling.The movie runs 95 minutes and was shot in Idyllwild, California, with studio work done in Culver City.GRADE: B
. . . Dale Evans be RAGING BULLS, too? KID GALAHAD asks the question, "What if Justin Bieber were a better singer, and a top-notch prize-fighter, to boot?" Elvis Presley never would have appeared politically correct enough to make the Final Four in national AMER1CAN IDOL voting. However, Mr. Presley had a gentleman in his corner known as "Col. Tom Parker," who ran his own beta version of "Reality TV," starring Elvis in his own "Bum of the Month Club." That is, about once a month, Elvis would show up on the Big Screen, pretending to be a broke scrapper who runs afoul of anyone with Money (and sometimes their law enforcement henchmen), charms the nearest Rich Girl with his singing, and waltzes off into the sunset with his new Sugar Mommy (in usually VERY abrupt endings!). KID GALAHAD fits Col. Parker's formula to a Model T. My copy of this movie says that it's a remake of a 1937 flick starring Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson. I would guess that this story in the original version had a lot less crooning, and a lot more BELIEVABLE scrapping.
The old Warner Brothers classic boxing story Kid Galahad was dusted off and rewritten to suit the Sixties and the talents of Elvis Presley. The man that's named Kid Galahad for the ring not only throws a mean punch, but he sings pretty good too.Elvis is a soldier fresh out of the army and broke and arrives at Gig Young's training camp looking for any kind of work. The only work that Young has available is for a sparring partner and Elvis does more than spar. He flattens a heavyweight contender and Young's found himself a new prospect.He needs one because he's into the bookies big time. And a couple of syndicate torpedoes working for gangster David Lewis have taken up residence at the camp. All this is dismaying girlfriend Lola Albright and sister Joan Blackman who Elvis takes a fancy to.As is usual with Elvis films, manager Colonel Tom Parker got the best talent he could to support the King. Besides those names Robert Emhardt plays the camp cook and up and coming movie legend Charles Bronson plays Elvis's trainer. And you'll see a lot of familiar Hollywood faces as you do in all his films.Not only the cast, but director Phil Karlson one of the best directors of noir ever, took charge. The scenes with the gangsters show Karlson's steady hand.Oddly enough Elvis had no real hit songs come out of Kid Galahad, but makes up for it with one of his best acting jobs on screen. For fans of the King.
As long as Elvis Presley is in the cast, I'll always give it a 10!! I'm 58 and my generation look at Elvis as a watershed event in American Show Business (cap. by author). Those who didn't GET the 50's and the 60's deserve a lot of sympathy for the wonderful things that came to pass!!!! Although, seeing films from my decadent youth only makes me wistful for those times. I know E. looked like he knew enough about boxing to pull it off and he was in pretty good shape for the role of Galahad. He had been out of the Army for about two years and he hadn't gotten to the bad things in his lifestyle that made him leave at 42. But 1962 was a very good year. And I really like "Clambake" too!!