I love Elvis Presley as a singer, but his films vary from fairly enjoyable/watchable to downright dreadful. This film is just a typical one. The songs were fantastic, but I felt there wasn't quite enough of them in this one. The racing scenes were boring in my opinion, but I have no interest in sport anyway! And as with a few of his films it really lacked in story. (There was one hilarious gag with the old man as the cleaner, but I won't spoil it. That part did have me laughing actually!)

After watching "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" recently... (incidentally was released in the same year as "Speedway") I began to wonder why do I enjoy musicals like that, but I don't enjoy Elvis films as much?
The answer lies purely on the story and the market. Elvis films were aimed at teenagers of the '50s, but fashion/style and tastes changes so rapidly in the teen market that by the '60s (when most of his films were being made and released) they were already dated. It made Elvis look so old fashioned compared to The Beatles. And they churned them out so quickly that nobody really gave two hoots about the story. And so whatever little story was there was being dragged out for the full 90 minutes, and it just makes the whole film a dull experience.

"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" on the other hand is a timeless classic, which is aimed at kids. Kid's taste in films and comedy will never change, and we've all been kids so that's why we can all relate. One of the scriptwriters for this film was Roald Dahl - one of the greatest storytellers of all time. And there was enough brilliant catchy music and dance sequences to keep an audience entertained for almost 2 and a half hours.

And that is probably the frustrating thing about watching Elvis Presley's films. Even if he didn't manage to make a career out of being the next James Dean and Marlon Brando (as he wanted to), Elvis definitely could have starred in family musicals like "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" or "Mary Poppins", with a decent story, rather than 'chic flicks' that were not even of their time!

_**Elvis as a stock car racer harassed by an IRS agent played by Nancy Sinatra**_

A successful racer is generous with his earnings and naïve about his best friend’s handling of his finances (Bill Bixby) when an IRS agent comes sniffing around (Nancy Sinatra).

“Speedway” (1968) was Elvis’ 27th movie of the 31 in his acting filmography.

How much you appreciate this one will depend on how much you like stock car racing and Nancy Sinatra. Presley looks his best and has his usual charisma; you wouldn’t know he was taking diet pills at the time to keep his weight down or struggling with his desire to put out more serious films. Nancy doesn’t do much for me physically, but I like her mane and she’s likable enough, plus her singing is great. Meanwhile Elvis and Bixby have great chemistry in their shenanigans.

It’s a fun and serviceable Presley entry highlighted by the swinging 60’s vibe and the generous naiveté of the protagonist, yet “Speedway” doesn’t stand out in Elvis’ oeuvre.

The film runs 1 hour, 34 minutes, and was shot at Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Carolina; Riverside International Raceway, California; and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Culver City, California.

GRADE: B-/C+