"KING CREOLE"
King Creole is shot in black and white. Elvis' character Danny Fisher, is a singer with a knack for getting into trouble. After being thrown out of high school, Danny gets in with a bad bunch of guys and agrees to help them rob a five and dime store by singing in order to create a diversion. It is during this robbery that he meets Nellie (Dolores Hart). Danny tries the whole film to get away from his mistakes but it's not easy to escape a dark past.
Caine's article, "Calculated Violence and Viciousness": The British Critical Reaction to Elvis Presley's King Creole, discusses the levels of violence and illegal activity that occur in King Creole. It was speculated that rock 'n' roll, and therefore, Elvis, would encourage the youth of Britain to engage in delinquent behaviour.
"The critical elite believed that teenage thugs might imitate Elvis Presley in King Creole via knife fights, robberies, and underage sexual encounters."
English: Elvis Presley meeting Richard Nixon. On D...
Shotgun house in Tupelo, Mississippi; birthplace o...
English: Screenshot of Elvis Presley and Dolores H...Caine; 39
In this excerpt from King Creole, we see Elvis strolling through a busy department store crooning soft smooth tunes to the surrounding ladies on his acoustic guitar. It is only when he reaches the milk bar, and meets Nellie, that we realise that he is part of a thieving scheme. King Creole raised major concerns in Britain about the impact of rock 'n' roll influencing levels of juvenile delinquency.
"The period saw a substantial increase in juvenile crime..." Caine; 36
Elvis does not steal anything in this excerpt, or in the rest of the film for that matter, but he is still part of a delusion that allows the thieving to take place, and is therefore accountable. It could be argued that Elvis did not steal so therefore he could not be accused...