King Creole - Paramount 1958 |
By: For Elvis Fans Only
Source: EPE
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King Creole |
Elvis
Presley's most critically acclaimed
performance as an actor was in what is
considered (rivaled only by
"Jailhouse
Rock")
the best of all the films he starred in
- "King Creole" (1958). The story was
based upon the Harold Robbins novel "A
Stone For Danny Fisher". Elvis played
the role of Danny. The film was directed
by Michael Curtiz. Danny Fisher (Elvis)
coming up from the ghetto to seek fame
and fortune as a singer in the New
Orleans Jazz clubs. Along the way he
tangles with gangland boss Maxie Fields
(Walter Matthau) and love interest
Ronnie played by Carolyn Jones.
Harold Robbins was a successful author
whose novels sold over 750,000,000
copies worldwide and most of them were
made into movies. Robbins grew up in an
orphanage as well as in several foster
homes. He took his name from one of
those foster families. His early jobs
included a numbers runner and a futures
buyer. He had made and lost a million
dollars by age twenty. He became a
writer after working his way up with
Universal Pictures, starting as a
shipping clerk. He specialized in novels
about celebrity and Hollywood.
"King
Creole" co-starred Carolyn Jones, who is
best known for her work in the TV show
"The Addams Family". However, long
before the TV series, she appeared in a
number of stage productions and in
movies such as "East of Eden", "The
Seven Year Itch", "The Tender Trap" and
"The Man Who Knew Too Much", as well as
"The Bachelor Party", for which she her
1957 Oscar nomination or Best Supporting
Actress. She also won a Golden Globe
award in 1958 as Most Promising Female
Newcomer. Ms. Jones was born in
Amarillo, Texas in 1929. For a time she
was married to producer Aaron Spelling.
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Elvis sings Trouble |
Also
co-starring in "King Creole" was
Walter Matthau, born
Walter Matuschanskayasky in New York
City. Matthau's parents were Russian
Jewish immigrants. He served in the Army
Air Corps during World War II as a radio
cryptographer. After the war he began
his movie career. His many film credits
include: "The Kentuckian", "Lonely Are
The Brave", "Charade", "The Fortune
Cookie", "The Odd Couple", "Cactus
Flower", "Kotch", "The Sunshine Boys",
"The Bad News Bears", "Dennis The
Menace", "Grumpy Old Men", and "Grumpier
Old Men" to name a few. Matthau was
nominated for eight Golden Globe Awards,
winning one in 1976 for Best Actor in
"The Sunshine Boys". He was nominated
for three Academy Awards, winning one in
1967 as Best Supporting Actor in "The
Fortune Cookie".
Co-starring with Elvis for a second time
was Dolores Hart,
daughter of actor Bert Hicks and niece
of singer Mario Lanza. Dolores also
starred with Elvis in his 1957 movie
"Loving You". She would go on the appear
in several other films including "Where
The Boys Are" and "Come Fly With Me".
Ms. Hart left her successful film career
to become a nun in the cloistered
Benedictine Monastery in Bethlehem,
Connecticut, where, today, she a Mother
Superior and still a voting member of
the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences (The Oscars).
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Elvis Presley & Carolyn Jones |
Dean
Jagger played Elvis' father in "King
Creole". He began in vaudeville in the
1920s and went on to appear in films
such as "Brigham Young - Frontiersman",
"The Robe", "Elmer Gantry" and "White
Christmas", to name a few. He won the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
for his role in "Twelve O'clock High".
Actor Vic Morrow played Shark in the
movie with Elvis. Born in New York, he
had dropped out of school to join the
Navy. After serving in the Navy, he went
to school to study pre-law. After a
taste of acting in a school play, Morrow
decided to change majors and went into
acting. After graduation, he signed with
MGM. His movie debut was in "Blackboard
Jungle" as a street punk. He then became
typecast as a heavy, which is what he
also played in "King Creole". In the
1960's he became well known for his role
in the TV series "Combat!", for which he
received an Emmy nomination. He also
took up directing. In 1983 he was killed
in an accident on the set of the film
"Twilight Zone: The Movie". Today, his
daughter, Jennifer Jason Leigh, is a
successful actress.
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Dolores Hart |
Michael Curtiz was born Mano�Kertesz
Kaminer in Budapest, Hungary. He began
his acting and directing career in
Hungary in 1912. He moved to the United
States in 1926, going to work for Warner
Brothers and making such movies as "The
Adventures of Robin Hood", "Angels With
Dirty Faces", "Yankee Doodle Dandy",
"Casablanca", "Mildred Pierce", "Life
With Father", "Jim Thorpe -
All-American", "The Jazz Singer", "
White Christmas", and the original 1937
version of "Kid Galahad". Curtiz was
nominated for four Academy Awards as
Best Director, winning in 1944 for the
film "Casablanca".
Soundtrack
- King
Creole
- As Long As I Have You
- Hard Headed Woman
- Trouble
- Dixieland Rock
- Don't Ask Me Why
- Love Doll
- Crawfish
- Young Dreams
- Steadfast, Loyal And True
- New Orleans
Recorded at Radio Recorders Studios,
7000, Santa Monica Boulevard, Hollywood.
January 1958.
Musicians:
Elvis Presley (vocals), Scotty Moore
(guitar), Bill Black (bass), D.J Fontana
(drums), Kitty White and the Jordanaires
(vocals).
King Creole - Paramount 1958
Directed Michael Curtiz
Writing Credits Harold Robbins (Novel),
Herbert Baker (Screen play)
Producer Hal Wallis
Technical Advisor Colonel Tom Parker
Cast Overview:
Elvis Presley .... Danny Fisher, Carolyn
Jones .... Ronnie, Walter Matthau ....
Maxie Fields, Dolores Hart .... Nellie,
Dean Jagger .... Mr. Fisher, Liliane
Montevecchi .... Forty Nina, Vic Morrow
.... Shark, Paul Stewart .... Charlie
LeGrand, Jan Shepard .... Mimi Fisher,
Brian Hutton .... Sal, Jack Grinnage
.... Dummy, Dick Winslow .... Eddie
Burton, Hazel Boyne .... Woman Who Asks
For Water, Raymond Bailey .... Mr. Evans
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