☆ ☆ ☆ ½
Kid Galahad (1937) – M. Curtiz
Only after the fact did I realise this was
directed by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca, 1942) with a screenplay by Seton I.
Miller (responsible, with Curtiz, for a number of Errol Flynn hits, including
Robin Hood, 1938). They are already
working with stars here: Edward G.
Robinson is a stubborn (but childish) fight promoter and Bette Davis is his
gal. They are at odds with Humphrey Bogart’s
bad gangster who is also in the fight promotion racket. When Robinson’s fighter double-crosses him
(taking a dive for Bogie), he recruits a farm-boy turned bellhop with a wicked
right hook (Wayne Morris) to be his next shot at the championship. When Kid Galahad (Morris) falls in love with
Robinson’s sister (Jane Bryan), Robinson loses his cool and Davis is
heartbroken (since she fell for the Kid as well). Having two lesser players feature in the love
story does detract from things but I was surprised at how well the story (soapy
and clichéd as it may be) flowed.
Perhaps it has just been too long since I returned to the golden age of Hollywood?
All the players here have done better work in better films but I enjoyed this anyway. Strange to see boxing in a film that isn’t
noir, though.
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