''Kid Galahad'' is a 1962 American musical film starring Elvis Presley as a

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

. It was released by United Artists in August 1962 and opened at #9 at the American box office. '' Variety'' ranked it #37 on its list of the top-grossing films of 1962. ''Kid Galahad'' was shot on location in Idyllwild, California. Its supporting cast includes Gig Young, Lola Albright and

Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his "granite features and brawny physique," he gained international fame for his starring roles in action, Western, and war ...

. Some critics rate the film as one of Elvis Presley's best performances. The film is a

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...

of the 1937 version (in which United Artists Television through Associated Artists Productions distributed for TV airings at that time) starring

Edward G. Robinson Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893January 26, 1973) was a Romanian-American actor of stage and screen, who was popular during the Hollywood's Golden Age. He appeared in 30 Broadway plays and more than 100 films duri ...

, Bette Davis and

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

and directed by Michael Curtiz, who also directed the 1958 Presley film '' King Creole''.

Plot

Willy Grogan is a small-time boxing promoter and innkeeper based in the Catskills resort region of Cream Valley,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He is a contemptible man who is in debt and pays little attention to the woman who loves him, Dolly, a chain-smoking, love-starved woman residing at the camp. Walter Gulick arrives, a young man recently discharged from the army who loves the peaceful setting almost as much as he loves working on old cars. Walter wishes to find work as a mechanic at a nearby garage. When Willy's younger sister Rose shows up unexpectedly, she becomes interested in Walter. Willy objects because he doesn't want Rose to fall for a "grease monkey" mechanic and two-bit boxer. Dolly is envious of the young couple's romance and resents Willy's interference. Walter, in need of work, accepts a job as a

sparring Sparring is a form of training common to many combat sports. Although the precise form varies, it is essentially relatively ' free-form' fighting, with enough rules, customs, or agreements to minimize injuries. By extension, argumentative debate ...

partner and knocks out one of Willy's top fighters. Willy is persuaded to let Walter, known as Galahad, try his hand in a real bout. Both men are reluctant but need money. Walter begins training under the watchful eye of Lew, Willy's top trainer. After several successes in the ring, Walter is readied for his biggest fight. Gangsters want him to take a dive so that Willy can pay off his debts to them, but Walter throws his muscle behind Willy and emerges victorious. He wins the big fight against Ramon "Sugar Boy" Romero as well as Willy's approval, retiring undefeated to his vintage car and his new love.

Cast

* Elvis Presley as Walter Gulick * Gig Young as Willy Grogan * Lola Albright as Dolly Fletcher * Joan Blackman as Rose Grogan *

as Lew Nyack * David Lewis as Otto Danzig * Robert Emhardt as Maynard *

Roy Roberts Roy Roberts (born Roy Barnes Jones, March 19, 1906 – May 28, 1975) was an American character actor. Over his more than 40-year career, he appeared in more than nine hundred productions on stage and screen. Life and career Born in Tampa ...

as Jerry Bathgate * Liam Redmond as Father Higgins * Judson Pratt as Howard Zimmerman * Ned Glass as Max Lieberman * Ed Asner as Frank Gerson (uncredited) *

Red West Robert Gene "Red" West (March 8, 1936 – July 18, 2017) was an American actor, film stuntman and songwriter. He was known for being a close confidant and bodyguard for rock and roll singer Elvis Presley. Upon his firing, West wrote the contro ...

as Opponent (uncredited) * Del "Sonny" West as Bit Part (uncredited) *

Joe Esposito Joe Esposito may refer to: *Joe Esposito (author) (1938–2016), American author and publisher *Joe Esposito (singer) (born 1948), member of the Brooklyn Dreams *Joe Esposito (politician) (1872–1928), American corrupt politician *Joe Esposito (ba ...

as Bit Part (uncredited) * Michael Dante as Joie Shakes * Richard Devon as Marvin *

Mushy Callahan Mushy may refer to: *Tony Buckley (born 1980), Irish rugby union player nicknamed "Mushy" * Mushy Callahan (1904–1986), ring name of American light welterweight champion boxer Vincent Morris Scheer *Mushtaq Ahmed (cricketer), Pakistani cricketer ...

as Romero Fight Referee * Orlando de la Fuentes as Ramon "Sugarboy" Romero *

George J. Lewis George J. Lewis (December 10, 1903December 8, 1995) was a Mexican-born actor who appeared in many films and eventually TV series from the 1920s through the 1960s, usually specializing in westerns. He is probably best known for playing Don Aleja ...

as Romero's trainer * Harold 'Tommy' Hart as Referee * John Gonsalves (Gonzalves) as Presley's stunt double * Ralph Moody as Peter J. Prohosko, owner of Prohosko's autu garage * Chester Morris as man in the crowd * De la Fuente was the reigning welterweight champion at the time.

Production

Former

light welterweight Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional boxing In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, ...

world champion

trained Presley for his role. Callahan, who also appears in the film as a referee, had a long career as a professional boxing referee after retiring from the ring as a fighter. According to Callahan, he threw all of the punches in the close-up scenes in which Presley is struck in the face. He taught Presley how to move his head backward as the punches were being delivered so that each blow either missed him or barely touched him. Callahan considered Presley to be an excellent athlete.Victor, p.284 Shooting began in early November 1961 at Hidden Lodge, Idyllwild, California before a storm forced a move to Hollywood.

Soundtrack

Reception

Bosley Crowther of '' The New York Times'' suggested that Presley was miscast as a boxer, writing that he was "certainly no model for a statue of Hercules, and his skill at projecting an illusion of ferocity is of very low degree." However, Crowther found the film to be "moderately genial entertainment. It's not explosive, but it has the cheerful top of a lightly romantic contrivance that ranges between comedy and spoof. For this we can thank the other actors who played their roles ardently and Phil Karlson, who has directed at a brisk and deceptive pace." ''

Harrison's Reports ''Harrison's Reports'' was a New York City-based motion picture trade journal published weekly from 1919 to 1962. The typical issue was four letter-size pages sent to subscribers under a second-class mail permit. Its founder, editor and publisher ...

'' graded the film as "Good": "Presley is surrounded by some very nice people. In lending him support, they give strength to a run-of-the-mill story that plays itself out with a simplicity of appeal and bountiful residue of entertainment. The film manages to give a pleasing account of itself." A less positive notice in '' Variety'' read: "The story may be old, the direction not especially perceptive, the performances in several cases pretty poor, but United Artists' 'Kid Galahad' is apt to be a moneymaker in spite of all this." John L. Scott in the '' Los Angeles Times'' called the story "old hat" but thought that it "should more than satisfy the horde of Presley fans." '' The Monthly Film Bulletin'' wrote: "If the wit and intelligence lavished on the excellent dialogue had also been used to give a shred of ingenuity to the plot or a momentary sparkle to the lyrics, this would have been a much more amusing comedy ... Elvis Presley repeats the amiable oaf performance he gave recently in '' Follow That Dream'', but it is nowhere near as funny, partly because his farcical opportunities are fewer, but mainly because it is hard to laugh continually at someone whose face is seen a couple of times bruised and bleeding in the ring." ''Kid Galahad'' holds a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on six reviews.

References

External links

*
Behind the Scenes look at Kid Galahad
at Elvis Presley News.com
Review
by Graeme Clark at The Spinning Image
Review
by Dan Mancini at DVD Verdict, June 23, 2006
Review
by DSH at The DVD Journal
Region 2 Review
by Anthony Nield at DVD Times, 11-09-2003

by Nigel Patterson at Elvis Information Network, October 21, 2003 {{Authority control 1962 films 1960s English-language films 1962 musical films 1960s sports films American musical films American boxing films Films set in New York (state) Films directed by Phil Karlson Musical film remakes 1960s American films English-language musical films