beauzee the pearl was never fully finished and the polish wears off quickly...but here we have a very credible remake of a 1937 boxing flick, livened up by some really terrific songs.there's a lot of the expected Elvis: moody, two fisted stranger, with a good heart...a lot of talent...and interest in pretty ladies. yes, there's the older lady, Beverly Garland, girlfriend of struggling manager Gig Young, and there's the early 20ish JOan Blackman, who is immediately enchanted by the 27 year old "killer". we even get an incredibly embarrassing singing-in-the-car sequence...notice Charles Bronson in the backseat...obviously in pain, as Elvis croons "Riding the RAinbow".what really sends this movie above the mediocre mark is that we have just six songs, spaced out nicely...and a very strong performance from Elvis. Even when he yells out, "I'm a grease monkey who doesn't slide so easily" he is locked in and convincing. He also adds some needed nuance...he finds he can fight as good as he can change spark plus n' sing...and he hates it.a nice companion to FOLLOW THAT DREAM...which was a real comedy with music; here we have a real light drama with music. one of about 7 Elvis pictures which sustains nicely past the millennium.

blanche-2 Elvis Presley is a mechanic turned fighter in "Kid Galahad," a 1962 film with Presley playing the role originally essayed by Wayne Morris in the '30s. He has strong support from Gig Young, Lola Albright, Joan Blackman and Charles Bronson.Elvis plays an ex-GI named Walter Grogan, who is taken on as a fighter by a man (Gig Young) who runs a resort but owes money to mobsters due to gambling debts. What he doesn't count on is the Kid falling for his sister (Joan Blackman, Bette Davis in the original).This is early Elvis, when the production values were high and the songs fresh. Later on, Colonel Parker would tighten up on the budgets, since the cheaper he could get the films made, the more money he made for himself and Elvis. And Elvis' parents had naively signed a contract giving Parker 50%. I think Elvis would have been happier with better movies, such as "King Creole," and less money."Kid Galahad" is quite good, though, with fine music and a relaxed performance by Elvis, who looks great. He doesn't have the jet black hair and while he's not as thin as he would eventually get from using amphetamines, he's still in great shape.It became more and more difficult for Elvis to be Elvis, but here, he's a boyish, mellow guy who seemed to be enjoying what he was doing. Unfortunately, he didn't stay that way.

JoeKarlosi Pretty ordinary Elvis vehicle patterned after the 1937 film of the same name. Presley is a drifter just out of the army who takes on a job as a sparring partner working for a gambling louse (Gig Young) who's in hock over his head. Naturally, Elvis becomes a boxing sensation when he knocks out his partner and Young spots a chance to settle some outstanding debts by highlighting him as the new champ. Charles Bronson (did this man ever look young?) is on hand as the trainer who's loyal to Elvis. Of course, the King sings too - but there were no outstanding songs for me this time around. ** out of ****

yderringer 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!!