Viva Knievel!

A mountain of self-love, revealing stunt biker Knievel as a saintly combination of Batman and Billy Graham. Anyone who saw the Ray Charles vehicle Ballad in Blue knows the format: sole object is to show the star (playing Himself) in the best light, preferably with some orphans or cripples around to be nice to. Knievel comes out of it badly, since he also has thespian cripple Hutton to cope with, plus Gene Kelly - 'an embittered ex-champ whose wife died in childbirth on the day of his big accident ten years before' - who, with his croaking voice and shambling appearance, is in line for a 'Most Pitiful Come-down' Oscar. Gordon Douglas, handling the action sequences adequately and gritting his teeth at the rest of the drug-busting plot nonsense, deserves sympathy as well.