Kid Galahad Reviews

The makers of KID GALAHAD adapted the 1937 original starring Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart, added several songs for Elvis Presley to sing, and came in with a running length six minutes shorter than that of the first film. Obviously, the story--which had already been recirculated, with a circus background, in THE WAGONS ROLL AT NIGHT--was truncated, but this remains a passable remake. Ex-GI Walter Gulick (Presley) is a sparring partner at a training camp operated by Willy Grogan (Gig Young) and Dolly Fletcher (Lola Albright). Willy detects talent in Walter and convinces him to turn pro--over the objections of Dolly, who dubs Walter "Kid Galahad" after he saves her from the clutches of some gangsters. The Kid wins some fights, falls in love with Rose (Joan Blackman), Dolly's sister, and wants to quit the game after his next bout. But Willy owes money to crook Otto Danzig (David Lewis) and decides that the only way to repay the debt is to set the Kid up against a much more experienced opponent, prompting Dolly to walk out on her partner. To ensure the Kid's loss, Danzig tries to bribe the Kid's trainer (Charles Bronson), who gets his hands broken as a punishment when he refuses. The Kid wins, however, Willy is forgiven, and the Kid gets to retire with his girl. Elvis isn't called upon to play anything but the nice, soft-spoken lad he really was in those days, and Bronson is excellent as his trainer, underplaying his role in the style that became his trademark. Elvis sings a number of songs, including "King of the Whole Wide World," "This Is Living," "I Got Lucky," "A Whistling Tune," "Home Is Where the Heart Is," "Riding the Rainbow," and "Love Is for Lovers."