ELVIS MONTH Day 4 King Creole (1958)

Year: 1958

Age: 23

Movie: 4th

Beautiful opening scene with the wet streets of New Orleans and songs about gumbo, which apparently is good enough to be in songs. Must find out what gumbo is…did find out what gumbo is and it looks pretty good. click on the above link for a recipe.

Edith Head doing the costumes, I always look forward to that. Col Tom Parker is, again, the technical advisor…and the director is Michael Curtiz, the director of Casablanca.

First song the fantastic and little heard, Crawfish. Danny Fisher (Elvis) accompanied by the beautiful voice of Kitty White. Elvis is leaning on the balcony (at 1018 Royal Street 2nd floor apartment) singing with Kitty who is in the street.

Danny works at Max’s (Bad guy) {Walter Matthau) and Ronnie (Max’s gal)(and Morticia in another life time) {Carolyn Jones) is there. This is where some creepy dudes demand he sings, and he sings his school song… Steadfast, Loyal and True.

I feel a fight coming on, que the dramatic music, and a few broken bottles and he saves the day and the girl without throwing one punch…see it can be done. However, Danny gets into a fight at school and then gets expelled. Then the story begins… he joins the local gang lead by Shark (Vic Morrow), because he needs money to support his Father and Sister. The guys are your standard, cookie cutter, Hollywood thugs. In order to divert attention Danny sings in a store so the gang can steal things, old trick but it works.

Lover Doll

And so we meet up with Delores Hart again (Loving You) as Nellie. She works at the store looking all sweet and innocent.

Walter Matthau as the abusive Max walks into his joint, hmm he looks real mean too. Ronnie mentions the bus boy, Danny, can sing, so we get the song Trouble, which he also sings in the 68 Comeback Special. Sings it real mean too.

Trouble

The dresses that Nellie wears are just beautiful. And Danny is trying very hard to get one of those dresses off her…when he gets a room for a party and she follows him to the party (which, of course, does not exist) poor sweet, innocent Nellie.

Danny gets a job at Big Bad Max’s rival club. Which causes even more tension between the owners. He launches into the song Dixieland Rock, including a little wiggle action. It’s quite funny how the audience really “dig” that tune. Overly enthusiastic extras.

Dixieland Rock.

Then Young Dreams

The expressions when he sings Young Dreams are borderline hilarious…but I think it’s just really cute. He looks a little uncomfortable with an extended close up.

After the meeting with Max we head off to the King Creole night club and at the entrance of the club is the promotional pictures of Danny tacked to the wall, looks like they just got a few of Elvis’s studio pictures and whacked them on the wall. Some very well known pictures too. Then Danny performs New Orleans.

New Orleans

Unfortunately we only hear a few seconds of Hard Headed Woman, which is a great fasted paced rockin song. The video below is an edit of different shots from King Creole.

And then the fantastic title song King Creole (Leiber and Stoller). I’m not sure that that guitar really makes that sound but it is a damn good song.

I always feel like there is disaster waiting around the corner with this movie. It’s filmed dark, it feels dark and the story line is dark, but the music is just great.

Oh Ronnies floral dress is gorgeous.

Don’t Ask Me Why

So anyway, Danny beats up Max and then there is a weird knife fight (haven’t perfected the fighting thing yet). Danny has no where to go, all of New Orleans is after him…can’t see many more songs happening after this. He wakes up in a house on the river. Wow, what a great setting. It just looks so peaceful. A beautiful breeze on the water and no Max. Yay. I keep watching his cheeks during this scene with Ronnie on the wharf, have a look for yourself.