Speedway (1968)

Powerful

Memorable, crazy movie

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Speedway (1968) *** (out of 4) Elvis plays a race car driver with a heart of gold who gives away all of his money to poor people as soon as he wins it. This gets him into trouble with the IRS so they send a woman (Nancy Sinatra) to keep eyes on him but they soon end up falling for one another. I was pleasantly shocked to see how much I enjoyed this thing because there's really nothing overly special about it. What I did like was all the race car stuff and this is coming from someone who hates Nascar and all of that stuff. The races were very well photographed and put you right down into the action. Another added bonus was the relationship between Elvis and a little girl who he helps support. There scenes together were very warm and heartfelt. Sinatra also makes for a good co-star and the two do nice work together and actually make you feel like you're watching a couple. The songs aren't all that memorable and a couple of them get in the way of some pretty good scenes but this is certainly a major step up from some of the other Elvis films I've watched from this period.

The King gets together with fast cars and Nancy Sinatra in this romantic comedy about the exciting worlds of stock car racing and tax evasion. In "Speedway," Elvis plays Steve Grayson, a successful race car driver who's generous to a fault. Bill Bixby plays the girl-chasing manager/best friend who gambles away all their winnings. Nancy plays Susan Jacks, an IRS agent who's assigned to collect the astronomical taxes that have accrued. But the fun never begins."Speedway" came out a year after Nancy's Number One hit "Somethin' Stupid," a duet with her famous dad Frank. But this film's attempt to pair her with Elvis fails miserably. Nancy's parched personality and juiceless acting makes Elvis look like Brando. And there should have been more than enough cinematic proof by this point that stock car racing never looks interesting on the big screen. It's hard to believe that this rather passive Elvis is on the verge of making his celebrated '68 comeback. On a more pleasant note: This was Nancy's swan song to feature film making.

Here, Presley is seen in his usual style 1960's vehicle. With song, love interest and usual music. As with most Presley movies of the 60's, this movie lacks a good script, story plot and unbelievable scenes. Presley must have been tired of doing movies where he sang to everyone whether the situation called for it or not.In Speedway, Presley is a race car driver on a winning streak, when he meets up with Nancy Sinatra everything starts getting into the way including his old buddy, Bill Bixby. If your a Presley fan you won't want to miss this but if your looking for a well made movie this isn't the once. I rate, Speedway a 2.

A classic Elvis movie. Elvis sings a song, Elvis gets in a jam, Elvis sings a song, Elvis wins the girl, Elvis sings a song. Today, people may view these types of film boring, but it is classic Americana. The blue racing jacket, with the white stripes is so 60s. In fact, the jacket is currently displayed in the Hard Rock Cafe in Houston, Texas. It is over the booth that I always sit in when I eat there. A great treat for an Elvis fan. Such notable performers as Bill Bixby, Nancy Sinatra, Gale Gordon, William Schallert, and Carl Ballentine make this film fun for anyone and everyuone who is a fan of classic 60s movies. Add the fact of some Elvis songs, and you can go wrong. I recommend this film to everyone. It is not Elvis' best movie, but certainly in the top ten.