A Stone for Danny Fisher

Product Information

Jagger, Dan (2002). Elvis Presley: Silver Screen Icon: A Collection of Movie Posters. The Overmountain Press. ISBN 978-1-57072-232-5. Wallis, Hal B.; Higham, Charles (1980). Starmaker: The Autobiography of Hal Wallis. Macmillan Pub. Co. ISBN 978-0-02-623170-1. Although liberally seasoned with explicit violence, A Stone for Danny Fisher stops the sex scenes just short of the graphic. In doing so in this book Robbins shows himself to be a remarkably astute judge of the threshold of reader arousal. This technique also suits the material well because Danny lives so naturally in a world of eroticism (and violence). The image of the girl next door purposely walking around naked in her bedroom to tease him is an emblem for the life he leads when he grows up — the pleasures of life are always just within sight — daring him to risk the disappointment of actually reaching for them.

The novel was adapted (albeit loosely) by screenwriters Herbert Baker and Michael V. Gazzo as the 1958 movie King Creole for Elvis Presley, co-starring Walter Matthau and Carolyn Jones and directed by Michael Curtiz. Before filming began, Curtiz was convinced that Presley would be a "conceited boy", but after a few weeks of working together, he described Presley as a "lovely boy" who would go on to be a "wonderful actor". [9] Presley, after seeing an early copy of the finished film, thanked Curtiz for giving him the opportunity to show his potential as an actor; he would later cite Danny Fisher as his favorite role of his acting career. Fourteen days after the completion of King Creole, Presley was officially inducted into the U.S. Army. [5] Reception [ edit ] Advertisement in Modern Screen (Aug 1958)Presley later indicated that of all the characters he portrayed throughout his acting career, the role of Danny Fisher in King Creole was his favorite. To make the film, Presley was granted a 60-day deferment from January to March 1958 for beginning his military service. Location shooting in New Orleans was delayed several times by crowds of fans attracted by the stars, particularly Presley. Danny Fisher's musings in the Epilogue were at times philosophical, but some felt cringeworthy corny; and,

After leaving the club, Danny meets up with the Shark gang for his share of the nightly take. He then makes his way to the five and dime at closing time to see Nellie. Danny invites Nellie to a fictitious party in a hotel room. Finding nobody else there, Nellie starts crying in fear and leaves after admitting that she still wants to see Danny again, but not under those conditions. When Danny leaves the school grounds, three young men lure him into an alley. Their leader, Shark, wants revenge for Danny hitting his brother, the student who teased him. Danny defends himself so well that it impresses Shark, who invites Danny to join his gang. Shark then has Danny help the gang shoplift at a five-and-dime by singing " Lover Doll" to distract the customers and staff. A Stone For Danny Fisher is a serious early novel by Harold Robbins that looks at the effect of the Great Depression on a lower-middle class Jewish family. Written in 1952, it is set in the period up to 1944. King Creole is a 1958 American musical drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and based on the 1952 novel A Stone for Danny Fisher by Harold Robbins. Produced by Hal B. Wallis, the film stars Elvis Presley, Carolyn Jones, Walter Matthau, Dolores Hart, Dean Jagger, and Vic Morrow, and follows a nineteen-year-old (Presley) who gets mixed up with crooks and involved with two women.Landers, Steve (2000). The Life Of Elvis Aaron Presley Elvis Facts For Elvis Fans. Lulu Press. ISBN 978-1-4357-3905-5.

The Spectator, however, criticized the relationship of Presley's character with his love interests:

His 1952 novel, A Stone for Danny Fisher, was adapted into a 1958 motion picture King Creole, which starred Elvis Presley. Maybe 'King Creole' is a touch overlong, and the female characters are not as interestingly written as the male ones, somewhat lazy and it's the performances that stop them from being completely vapid. Otherwise there is very little to dislike. Have commented a couple of times on the writing and stories not being strong suits in Elvis' films, but 'King Creole' is a pleasant exception. The writing is surprisingly gritty and suspenseful, with few soap-operatic or corn elements, and the story is darker and meatier than the usual story for an Elvis film, thus one of the most absorbing. My dad told me that this was the first novel that my mom read shortly after they were married 59 years ago (she wasn't an avid reader up to that point.) I could see how it appealed to her, especially the ending. Later on, a trained nurse who is looking at blood samples on glass plates in a medical surrounding will be pushed aside by a condescending, emotionally distant male doctor, who must know better. Nonetheless, the world, which is not run well at all in this story, is controlled by these barely subsisting men. Violence, brutality, Organized Crime.... sex, and death....surrounded Danny, the main character. Elvis brought some light to this brutal story with his on screen performance....riveting for it's time.

The film was released on VHS by Paramount Pictures in 1986. [32] In 2000, it was re-released on DVD with remastered sound and image, featuring the original theatrical trailer. [33] On April 21, 2020, it was released on Blu-ray for the first time as part of the Paramount Presents label. Zolov, Eric (1999). Refried Elvis: The Rise of the Mexican Counterculture. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-21514-6.According to IMDB, "Kid Creole" was Elvis' favorite film and after seeing it I could understand why. Instead of his typical, formulaic story with little depth, this one had something more....a better story, better supporting actors and a better opportunity for Elvis to show that he could act. It's really a shame, as after watching a few of his better films, such as this one, "Charro!" and "Love Me Tender", you really think he might have been a much more respected film star had he refused subpar scripts....a major problem with too many of his 1960s era movies. It is so interesting to note that in 1951, the year this book was published, the fact of the genocide overseas during the war was not even mentioned because not enough awareness existed. I have to believe that in certain circles nobody even considered it for a minute as they were struggling for the next meal, and they were so uneducated that they could not figure a real way up and out.