Made at a time before Presley's film budgets became smaller and the ideas ran dry, this reasonably pleasant movie makes for an hour and a half of light entertainment. He plays a penniless ex G.I. who returns to the place of his birth (a woodsy region called Cream Valley!) in search of a job. He approaches Young, who runs an inn with girlfriend Albright, and inadvertently becomes a stand-in boxer for a group of pugilists that trains on-site. Soon, it's discovered that Presley, while he can't defend himself very well, packs a nasty right hook that's an instant knockout for whoever is on the receiving end! Young uses Presley to help win back some much needed cash since he is under the thumb of gangster Lewis and a couple of his henchmen. When Young's kid sister Blackman arrives, Presley falls for her, further complicating things. Bronson (who is perhaps one of the last people one would expect to find in a Presley musical) plays a lame, weathered boxing trainer. The film is a remake of a rougher 1937 version and the insertion of several songs really do nothing to enhance the tale. If anything, they sap the dramatic tension out of the story and come off as mostly corny. Presley is a tad fleshy here and hadn't yet turned his hair jet black. He gives an okay performance with a few good scenes and sings pleasantly, if a bit ordinarily. One unlikely number has him joining ten other singing boxers on the porch who effortlessly fall into harmony and seem unnecessarily happy living in a place that has only one or two women around. Young gives an amiable performance, but was already showing touches of his alcohol abuse, both in his appearance and speech. Albright is solid as his ignored "fiancee", though she does occasionally take some rather odd pauses in her dialogue. Blackman (who, at 25 years younger than Young, was certainly his KID sister!) is attractive, but has little to do but admire Presley's face and voice. More interesting work is turned in by Bronson. It's interesting to see him interacting with Presley and demonstrating extreme loyalty to him. Fans of "General Hospital" will be happy to spot Lewis in a small role that preceded his lengthy run as Edward Quartermaine. Other familiar TV faces such as Remsen, Glass and Asner are sprinkled into the cast. Dante, as the resident boxing champ prior to Presley, gives an unusual spin on the type by constantly touching Presley and making goo-goo eyes at him at every opportunity. The film benefits the most from a large amount of location filming amidst autumnal wooded foliage and mountain scenery. Rear projection is kept to a minimum here, which would not be the case in Presley movies for long. The songs are inoffensive, but also unmemorable. The worst is probably the one designed with him singing along to an antique car radio while Young and Bronson sit in the back-seat looking either embarrassed or embarrassing. Those who are used to benign plots and vanilla story-telling in The King's films will be surprised at the amount of violence towards the end, though regular action fans will likely not find it to be tough enough. Unfortunately, this remake lacks the downbeat effect of the original and opts for a happy ending. Still, it's worth seeing for it's varied cast and the youthful magnetism of its star.
Review of Kid Galahad
