cult film freak: CHARLES BRONSON TRAINING ELVIS PRESLEY IN 'KID GALAHAD'

Written by James M. Tate / 7/15/2021 / No comments / boxing , charles bronson , elvis presley , gig young , joan blackman , lola albright , melodrama , michael dante , music , phil karlson , richard devon , sixties

CHARLES BRONSON TRAINING ELVIS PRESLEY IN 'KID GALAHAD'

7/15/2021 | No comment

Charles Bronson & Elvis Presley Year: 1961 Rates: ***1/2

If there's one Elvis Presley vehicle where the songs would be best left out altogether it's KID GALAHAD since his performance, as sparing partner turned titular phenom boxer, is over-par, especially surrounded by Gig Young as a rural boxing-camp owner/mob-bullied manager and trainer Charles Bronson: it's better than just a mainstream remake or another commercial attempt to manufacture hit Elvis tunes...

One he croons about how lovely moonlight walks are in the daylight, and our token ingenue in Gig's younger sister Joan Blackman is outshined by Lola Albright as his put-upon girlfriend with an actual character-arc, desperately wanting her man to take their relationship seriously (if mentioned at all) while Joan and Elvis hook-up too quickly to matter. But in the male ego department it's said Bronson avoided Elvis on-set despite their on-screen chemistry; not only is The King's acting surprisingly natural here but the usually iron-clad Bronson plays gentle and vulnerable, eventually maimed by mobster Richard Devon between capably shot bouts by Phil Karlson despite Elvis having requested CASABLANCA director Michael Curtiz (some of us believe 99 RIVER STREET was better than the Bogart classic): So for Bronson and Presley this was not the start of a beautiful friendship, which is sad since they fit so nicely together.

Charles Bronson and Elvis Presley in KID GALAHAD

Charles Bronson and Elvis Presley in KID GALAHAD with Gig Young

Lola Albright and Joan Blackman in KID GALAHAD

Charles Bronson and Elvis Presley in KID GALAHAD

Charles Bronson and Joan Blackman in KID GALAHAD

Lola Albright and Gig Young in KID GALAHAD

Villain Richard Devon and Gig Young in KID GALAHAD

Richard Devon (Charles Bronson's Machine Gun Kelly foe) and Gig Young in KID GALAHAD

Charles Bronson in KID GALAHAD

Bronson and Presley in KID GALAHAD with Robert Emhardt (later in The Stone Killer)

Japanese poster of Kid Galahad featuring Lola Albright on right

Michael Dante (the boxer Kid originally spared with/defeated) and Elvis Presley in KID GALAHAD

Charles Bronson training Elvis Presley as KID GALAHAD

Gig Young dukes it up in KID GALAHAD starring Elvis Presley

Lola Albright and Gig Young in KID GALAHAD starring Elvis Presley

Foreign poster reads like Charles Bronson stars in Kid Galahad

Lola Albright and Gig Young in KID GALAHAD

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Tags : boxing , charles bronson , elvis presley , gig young , joan blackman , lola albright , melodrama , michael dante , music , phil karlson , richard devon , sixties

James M. Tate

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