Harte Fäuste, heiße Liebe (1962)

Harte Fäuste, heiße Liebe: Directed by Phil Karlson. With Elvis Presley, Gig Young, Lola Albright, Joan Blackman. After completing his military service, Walter Gulick takes a job as a sparring partner at a gym, the owner of which sees potential in Walter as a professional fighter and takes him under his wing.

“Elvis Presley is a mechanic turned fighter in u0026quot;Kid Galahad,u0026quot; a 1962 film with Presley playing the role originally essayed by Wayne Morris in the u0026#39;30s. He has strong support from Gig Young, Lola Albright, Joan Blackman and Charles Bronson.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eElvis 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 doesnu0026#39;t count on is the Kid falling for his sister (Joan Blackman, Bette Davis in the original).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis 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 Elvisu0026#39; parents had naively signed a contract giving Parker 50%. I think Elvis would have been happier with better movies, such as u0026quot;King Creole,u0026quot; and less money.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Kid Galahadu0026quot; is quite good, though, with fine music and a relaxed performance by Elvis, who looks great. He doesnu0026#39;t have the jet black hair and while heu0026#39;s not as thin as he would eventually get from using amphetamines, heu0026#39;s still in great shape.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIt became more and more difficult for Elvis to be Elvis, but here, heu0026#39;s a boyish, mellow guy who seemed to be enjoying what he was doing. Unfortunately, he didnu0026#39;t stay that way.”