King Creole (1958)

Set in New Orleans, a high school dropout (Elvis Presley) becomes a popular singer in a Bourbon Street dive. When a mobster (Walter Matthau) decides he wants the kid at his own nightclub, things get ugly. Based on A STONE FOR DANNY FISHER by Harold Robbins and directed by Michael Curtiz. This is considered one of Presley's two best films (the other being Don Siegel's FLAMING STAR). Filmed in B&W, it's a gritty film which eschews sentiment for a fairly realistic portrait of a young kid trying to stay on the straight and narrow path but with temptations at every turn. Curtiz and company (including Michael Gazzo who wrote A HATFUL OF RAIN and co-wrote the screenplay) don't make everything black and white but shades of gray. Even the "good" girl (Dolores Hart) isn't all good and the "bad" girl (Carolyn Jones in the film's most poignant performance) isn't all bad. And they keep the ending pretty grim too. Of course, Elvis sings a batch of songs but the movie's musical highlight is a lovely early morning rendition of Crawfish sung by Presley and Kitty White. With Dean Jagger, Vic Morrow, Paul Stewart, Liliane Montevecchi, Jan Shepard and Ziva Rodann.