The King completed this final entry in a series of strictly formulaic, virtually cookie-cutter musical movies before shifting gears (a little!) into more varied fare. Here he is cast (as he was several times prior) as a race car driver, this time stock cars. He's highly successful at it, so it comes as a surprise when he realizes he owes the government a large sum of back taxes! It turns out his manager buddy Bixby hasn't exactly been handling his finances with the best of care. On hand to investigate Presley and to facilitate a budget for him to live on is frosty, but attractive, Sinatra. He finds little luck in getting her to release his own purse strings, but does make some degree of headway in the romance department, but not without some misunderstandings. Presley looks great and sports a couple of iconic looking jackets with white racing stripes on them. He's in good voice, too, and manages decent chemistry with his female love interest. Sinatra performs a solo (and is the only artist who ever had his or her solo included on an original Presley soundtrack album), but otherwise just has a little bit to sing in one of his numbers. An actual duet between the two would have been terrific to see and hear. Sinatra's clothes range from far out to strangely dowdy and viewers will marvel at her interestingly highlighted hair. Bixby is quite over the top and has hair problems of his own. It's lightened to a rather icky shade. Gordon, best known for his TV work with Lucille Ball, plays Sinatra's boss and has little to work with, though he does appear in a production number at the IRS office. Other cast members include Schallert as a hard up, widowed friend of Presley's who has five very young daughters and an underused Hagen as a rival racer. Ponce, a supporting player on TV's "Hawaiian Eye," appears as comic relief in the pit crew. A few real-life stock car racers appear very briefly as themselves. There's also an eye-catching diner, run by Ballantine, in which guests are served in converted cars. The typical assembly of butt-swinging, vividly attired dancers is also present. It's the typical undemanding, fluffy, contrived type of film that simultaneously made Elvis and sent his film career into the toilet. Everything is clean, colorful and pretty which, looking back at it from today, is refreshing. It's just a shame that it's also awfully predictable, plodding and pedestrian as well.

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.

Elvis Presley is a race car driver who likes to spend money on strangers with sob stories - he buys, for example, a station wagon for a family with five little girls, and newlyweds receive a new furniture set from Elvis. Bill Bixby plays Elvis' promiscuous friend and roommate. He needs money to keep the supply of booze and women flowing. Due to poor money management, they get in trouble with tax collector Nancy Sinatra...Mr. Presley is a great singer, especially on "Let Yourself Go"; however, you would not know what a great entertainer he was by viewing this terrible movie. The comedy situations are not funny. Ms. Sinatra looks too under-rehearsed in both her scenes and her song. Mr. Bixby seems too manic in this film. The film concludes with a dangerous "Big Race". The only way this film could have been worse would be to have had Elvis take the five little girls in his race car near the end - instead of their father.WARNING: Keep small children and wild animals away from the "Speedway". ** Speedway (1968) Norman Taurog ~ Elvis Presley, Nancy Sinatra, Bill Bixby, Gale Gordon

SPEEDWAY is just another in the long line of '60s Elvis vehicles, and kind of lightweight at that. It takes awhile to go anywhere, but not that you go into these flicks expecting high art or anything. Presley is a kind-hearted race car driver who gets an unwelcome visit from tax investigator Nancy Sinatra, looking to nail him for unpaid dollars he's earned while racing around the track. Gale Gordon (Lucy's Mr. Mooney himself) is on hand as her no-nonsense boss. Elvis was actually pretty good at comedy, and he shares some funny moments with Bill Bixby, who plays his conniving manager/buddy. Two good songs this go-round are "Let Yourself Go" (sung by The King) and Nancy Sinatra's sexy rendition of "Your Groovy Self". ** out of ****