Elvis Presley's 4th feature film, King Creole is a 1958 drama directed by Michael Curtiz.
19-year-old Danny Fisher (Presley) flunks out of school and decides to dedicate himself to supporting his sister Mimi and his unemployed father (Dean Jagger), who has never gotten over his wife's death. His father gets a job as a pharmacist and encourages Danny to go to night school, but Danny falls in with some hoodlums led by Shark (Vic Morrow) for easy money and attracts the interest of shady nightclub owner Maxie Fields (Walter Matthau). When Danny performs at Maxie's nightclub, he impresses Maxie's honest rival Charlie LeGrand (Paul Stewart) and starts singing nightly at the latter's club, where he is a success. Unfortunately, Maxie is determined to bring Danny under his thumb and things are complicated by Danny's sympathy for Maxie's moll Ronnie (Carolyn Jones); at the same time, he courts good girl Nellie (Dolores Hart).
Tropes:
- Because You Were Nice to Me: After Danny pulls a robbery with Shark and his gang (see We Need a Distraction below), Shark gives hardly any money to Dummy, one of his Mooks. Disgusted by this, Danny ends up giving Dummy most of his share. Because of this, Dummy writes Danny a note to warn him Maxie is looking for him, and at the climax of the movie, when Maxie tries to shoot Danny, Dummy grapples with him, and while the gunshot ends up killing Ronnie, Dummy ends up killing Maxie.
- Betty and Veronica: Danny's love interests are the honest and conventional Nellie (Betty) and Maxie's cynical and disillusioned moll Ronnie (Veronica).
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: Ronnie is fatally shot by Maxie and dies while Danny cradles her.
- Held Back in School: At the start of the film, Danny is poised to graduate after having had to repeat the school year, only to learn he's getting held back again after he fails to show on graduation day. He then decides to just quit school.
- In Love with the Gangster's Girl: Danny falls in love with Ronnie even though she is Maxie's girl, and she warns him of how dangerous and spiteful Maxie is and how he can ruin their lives. It ends badly, with Ronnie shot dead by Maxie.
- The Lost Lenore: Danny's father is still grieving his deceased wife after three years. It has affected his professional life and the family's finances badly.
- Maybe Ever After: Danny puts his potential relationship with Nellie on hold out of grief at losing Ronnie. He tells her he needs to work through it before he can be with her.
- We Need a Distraction: Shark sets Danny to play the guitar and sing a song at a store, distracting everyone there with his musical talents, while Shark and the other hoodlums steal what they can.
