Kid Galahad

Kid Galahad is a 1962 American musical film starring Elvis Presley as a boxer. It was released by United Artists. The film opened at #9 at the box office when released in the United States in August 1962. Variety ranked it #37 on the list of the top-grossing films of 1962.

Kid Galahad was shot on location in Idyllwild, California. Its supporting cast included Gig Young, Lola Albright and Charles Bronson. Some critics rate it as one of Elvis Presley's best performances.

The film is a remake of the 1937 original version starring Edward G. Robinson, Bette Davis, and Humphrey Bogart and directed by Michael Curtiz, who also directed the Presley 1958 film King Creole.

Plot

Willy Grogan is a small-time boxing promoter based in the Catskills resort region of Cream Valley, New York. He owns the Grogan's Gaelic Gardens inn. He is a contemptible man and is in debt and pays little attention to the woman who loves him, Dolly, a chain-smoking, love-starved woman residing at the camp. Into their midst comes Walter Gulick, a young man recently discharged from the Army who loves the peaceful setting almost as much as he loves working on old cars. Walter's simple goal is to go into business as a mechanic at a nearby garage.

Kid Galahad (1937 film)

Kid Galahad is a 1937 boxing film starring Edward G. Robinson, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart and, in the title role, rising newcomer Wayne Morris. It was scripted by Seton I. Miller and directed by Michael Curtiz.

It was remade in 1941, this time in a circus setting, as The Wagons Roll at Night, also with Bogart, and in 1962 as an Elvis Presley musical. The original version was re-titled The Battling Bellhop for television distribution in order to avoid confusion with the Presley remake.

Plot

In Florida, boxing promoter Nick Donati (Edward G. Robinson) gets doublecrossed by his boxer, who throws a fight for a $25,000 bribe from gangster Turkey Morgan (Humphrey Bogart). Nick and his girlfriend "Fluff" (Bette Davis) decide to throw a wild, days-long party with the money they have left, before looking for a new boxing prospect. Nick orders naive young farmer turned hotel bellhop Ward Guisenberry (Wayne Morris) to mix some drinks, but he does not know how, as he does not drink. Fluff kindly helps him out. When Morgan, underling Buzz Barret (Ben Welden), and Chuck McGraw (William Haade), his fighter and new heavyweight champion, arrive uninvited, Ward does not like it when the somewhat drunk McGraw pushes Fluff, so he punches him, knocking him to the ground. Nick is impressed, and persuades him to try boxing.

The Furze

The Furze are a British indie band from Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. The members of the band have been recording together for more than ten years, and the same line-up have previously performed under the name Kid Galahad. The band’s current name is a reference to Furze Platt, the suburb of Maidenhead where all the members hail from. Their music style has been compared to that of Beck and Jane's Addiction. The band have supported a number of prominent bands and artists at concerts around the world, including Marillion, Kaiser Chiefs, Supergrass, Oasis, Kings of Leon and Elliott Smith. The band have bemoaned the lack of live music venues and outlets for local talent in the Maidenhead area, and as a result have invested in Denmark Studios in the town.

Kid Galahad

The four band members met in 1997, whilst they all attended Furze Platt School in Maidenhead. The band honed their skills in live performances and homemade recordings. One of their early demos was given to long-time friend and DJ, James Lavelle, who championed the band, along with the independent Ignition record label, whom the band signed to in 2000. Their recordings for the label were produced by Jim Abbiss (who had previously worked with The Music, DJ Shadow and UNKLE amongst others), and the band’s first studio release was the Stealin’ Beats EP in May 2001. As well as Abbiss’ work on the title track, this EP also contained two live tracks and an original demo recorded in lead singer Ash’s back garden. This EP was made "single of the week" by NME magazine and BBC Radio 1.