King Creole

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King Creole

promotional poster for King Creole
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Michael D. Moore (2nd unit)
Produced by Hal B. Wallis
Written by Harold Robbins (novel)
Herbert Baker & Michael V. Gazzo (screenwriters)
Starring Elvis Presley
Carolyn Jones
Walter Matthau
Music by Walter Scharf
Cinematography Russell Harlan
Editing by Warren Low
Distributed by Paramount
Release date(s) July 2, 1958
Running time 116 min.
Language English
IMDb profile

King Creole is a 1958 Elvis Presley film and soundtrack based on the 1952 Harold Robbins novel, A Stone for Danny Fisher. It tells the story of a young, tough musician making his way in New Orleans.

It was adapted for the screen by Herbert Baker and directed by Michael Curtiz, famous for Casablanca. It was the fourth of Presley's films. Most critics call King Creole his best film and best performance.

Because the more serious and gritty film strayed from the pretty scenery/pretty girls plotless formula that the legions of Presley fans wanted, it was less than a smash at the box office.

The film also featured some of Presley's hardest rocking film song performances, including the title song, and "Hard-Headed Woman" written by Claude Demetrius. The song "Trouble", a performance that alluded to Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley, was written by songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Presley used "Trouble" in his tremendously successful December 3, 1968 television comeback special. "Hard Headed Woman" was the soundtrack's biggest hit, going to No. 1 on Billboard magazine pop chart.

"Trouble" was also recorded by Glenn Danzig, frontman for the Misfits, Samhain and Danzig, and appears on the album Thrall: Demonsweatlive and as a demo recording on the Final Descent re-release.

This film inspired the name for the band Kid Creole and the Coconuts.

Contents

[edit] Primary cast

King Creole
King Creole cover
Studio album by Elvis Presley
Released August 1958
Recorded Radio Recorders, Hollywood, January 15-16, 23, 1958; Paramount Soundstage, Hollywood, February 11, 1958
Genre Rock
Length 33:53
Label RCA
Producer(s) Walter Scharf, Phil Khagan
Professional reviews
Elvis Presley chronology
Elvis' Christmas Album
(1957)		 King Creole
(1958)		 For LP Fans Only
(1959)


[edit] Soundtrack album

The soundtrack was recorded at Radio Recorders studios and Paramount Studios Scoring Stage in Hollywood, California during January and February of 1958. The album was released to coincide with the film.

[edit] Personnel and recording data

[edit] Personnel on all recordings:

  • Elvis Presley - vocals, guitar
  • Scotty Moore - guitar
  • Bill Black - bass
  • D.J. Fontana - drums
  • Dudley Brooks - piano

[edit] Recording dates and additional personnel:

  • Tracks 2-8 and 11 recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, on January 15 and 16, 1958.
    • Ray Siegel - bass, tuba
    • Neal Matthews - bass, guitar
    • Gordon Stoker - bongos
    • Hoyt Hawkins - cymbals
    • Mahlon Clark - clarinet
    • John Ed Buckner - trumpet
    • Justin Gordon - sax
    • Elmer Schneider - trombone
    • The Jordanaires - vocals (overdubbed onto "Lover Doll" on June 19)
    • Kitty White - vocals (on "Crawfish" only)
  • Tracks 1 and 9 recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, on January 23, 1958.
    • Ray Siegel - bass, tuba
    • Neal Matthews - bass, guitar
    • Gordon Stoker - bongos
    • Hoyt Hawkins - cymbals
    • Mahlon Clark - clarinet
    • John Ed Buckner - trumpet
    • Justin Gordon - sax
    • Warren Smith - trombone
    • The Jordanaires - vocals
    • Bernie Mattinson - drums
  • Track 10 recorded at the Paramount Soundstage in Hollywood on February 11, 1958.
    • Elvis Presley - vocals, guitar
    • Scotty Moore, Tiny Timbrell - guitar
    • Bill Black - bass
    • D.J. Fontana - drums
    • Dudley Brooks - piano
    • Bernie Mattinson - drums
    • The Jordanaires - vocals (overdubbed onto "Steadfast, Loyal And True" on June 19)

[edit] Track listing

Side 1:

  1. "King Creole" - (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller)
  2. "As Long As I Have You" - (Fred Wise, Ben Weisman)
  3. "Hard Headed Woman" - (Claude Demetrius)
  4. "Trouble" - (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller)
  5. "Dixieland Rock" - (Claude Demetrius, Fred Wise)

Side 2:

  1. "Don't Ask Me Why" - (Fred Wise, Ben Weisman)
  2. "Lover Doll" - (Wayne Silver, Abner Silver)
  3. "Crawfish" - (Fred Wise, Ben Weisman)
  4. "Young Dreams" - (Aaron Schroeder, Martin Kalmanoff)
  5. "Steadfast, Loyal And True" - (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller)
  6. "New Orleans" - (Sid Tepper, Roy C. Bennett)

[edit] 1997 track listing

The album was re-released in 1997 with remastered sound and an expanded tracklist.

  1. "King Creole" - (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller)
  2. "As Long As I Have You" - (Fred Wise, Ben Weisman)
  3. "Hard Headed Woman" - (Claude Demetrius)
  4. "Trouble" - (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller)
  5. "Dixieland Rock" - (Claude Demetrius, Fred Wise)
  6. "Don't Ask Me Why" - (Fred Wise, Ben Weisman)
  7. "Lover Doll" - (Wayne Silver, Abner Silver)
  8. "Crawfish" - (Fred Wise, Ben Weisman)
  9. "Young Dreams" - (Aaron Schroeder, Martin Kalmanoff)
  10. "Steadfast, Loyal And True" - (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller)
  11. "New Orleans" - (Sid Tepper, Roy C. Bennett)
  12. "King Creole" - (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller)
  13. "As Long As I Have You" - (Fred Wise, Ben Weisman)
  14. "Danny" (Benjamin Weisman,Fred Wise)
  15. "Lover Doll" - (Wayne Silver, Abner Silver)
  16. "Steadfast, Loyal And True" - (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller)
  17. "As Long As I Have You" - (Fred Wise, Ben Weisman)
  18. "King Creole" - (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller)

[edit] References

  • Jorgenson, Ernst (1998). Elvis Presley: A Life In Music - The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-18572-3

[edit] See also

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