Elvis travels to the Catskills and becomes a hit boxer
An ex-GI (Presley) returns to his rustic home town in upstate New York looking for employment as a mechanic. He's roped into becoming a boxer by a dubious manager-turned-innkeeper (Gig Young) while catching the eye of the man's kid sister (Joan Blackman). With the mentorship of his trainer (Charles Bronson), he quickly becomes the top-drawing champion dubbed Kid Galahad. Then the Mob tries to muscle in on the action. Lola Albright plays the innkeeper's significant other and assistant.
"Kid Galahad" (1962) was Elvis' 10th film of the 31 he did in his acting oeuvre. I prefer the more serious Elvis flicks, like "Roustabout" (1964's ), to the silly farces, like "Spinout" (1966), and "Kid Galahad" falls into the former bracket.
While boxing is a big part of the plot, don't expect the urban-situated "Rocky" films or "Southpaw" (2015). What sets "Kid Galahad" apart is the setting -- the awesome lodge in the mountains. In the story it's supposed to the Catskills (or maybe the Adirondacks), but it's obvious that the film was shot out West. Regardless, the locations are exemplary. Beyond that, the story is dramatic and compelling, not to mention there's a refreshing sense of warmth between the main characters.
The movie runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot in Idyllwild, California, with studio work done in Culver City.
GRADE: B
