The story begins where Danny Fisher, the hero, lives with his father and sister, Mimi, in New Orleans. It wasn't really a very happy household as Mrs. Fisher had just died and since then Mr. Fisher had been ambling around aimlessly from one job to another. He had one great ambition tho' and that was for his son, Danny, to graduate from High School. The year before Danny had failed to do this mainly because he had not time to study as he spent practically all of his leisure time as odd-job boy in a cheap night club, so that his family would have enough to live on.

Graduation day draws nearer. Unfortunately, while he is cleaning up at the night club which is called "The Blue Shade" he attempts to stop a fight between a drunken patron and a girl called Ronnie. Ronnie, who has had too much to drink insists that she drives Danny back to school and won't let him go until he has kissed her at the school gates. Danny is already late for the graduation class and the fact that Danny hits one of the boys who makes a wisecrack about his "girl- friend" doesn't help matters. Therefore Danny Fisher has lost all chances of graduation.

That night Danny is tracked down by a gang of hoodlums who are led by Shark. Shark is the elder brother of the boy who Danny punched in class that afternoon and he is eager for revenge. A fight ensues and ends in a decisive victory for Danny. Because he has proved himself so tough they invite him to join the gang and they ask him if he would be interested in doing a shop-lifting "job" with them. What they want him to do is to divert attention from them by going through the store singing and playing his guitar while the other boys steal the goods. Danny agrees. When he gets to the store he meets Nellie, who is a pretty little assistant and he is attracted to her. He realises that Nellie is fully aware of their plan but she doesn't give them away, and Danny makes a date with her. After this Danny makes it quite clear that he is through with them and when they get round to sharing out the loot Danny earns the gratitude and devotion of a dumb boy by insisting that this lad gets his full share of the loot instead of the miserly sum the others had intended to give him.

Later, when Danny is at "The Blue Shade" he sees Ronnie with her protector who is the owner of the club, Maxie Fields. Knowing that Maxie is viciously jealous Ronnie pretends that Danny only spoke to her because she has heard him sing and admires his voice. Maxie then orders Danny to sing just to prove that Ronnie isn't lying. Danny obliges but isn't aware that in the audience is Charlie LeGrand the owner of the rival night club, "The King Creole." He is very impressed with Danny's singing and offers him a job as singer at his club, which Danny accepts.

He is so successful at his job that all the patrons from "The Blue Shade" are attracted to "The King Creole" and therefore Maxie loses most of his customers. So that Danny will lose his job, Maxie orders Shark, who now works for him, to "arrange" some kind of crime for Danny. As Danny's father, who is now working at a pharmacy, is always in trouble with his boss, Shark suggests to Danny that they beat up this man. Danny agrees. Unfortunately a mistake is made and it's Danny's father who is accidentally beaten-up, and is seriously hurt. Maxie gets the best medical skill and Mr. Fisher recovers, but this means that Danny is in debt to Maxie who says that if he doesn't come and work for him at "The Blue Shade" he will destroy "The King Creole." Danny is forced to accept the contract given him by Maxie.

Mr. Fisher does all he can to persuade Maxie to release Danny but then Maxie tells him that his son was among his attackers. Danny gets to hear about this and is furious. Maxie and Danny are then involved in a fight in which Danny comes out on top. He then tells Ronnie to escape whilst she has the chance.

After recovering Maxie orders his gang to go after Danny and they follow Danny and Ronnie who have gone into hiding in a little shack which belongs to Ronnie, outside the town. Maxie shoots and Ronnie is killed. Danny is only saved by the dumb boy who he befriended who manages to pull Maxie from behind and push him into the water. Maxie is drowned.

Danny returns to the "King Creole" where he finds Nellie patiently waiting for him. Danny's happiness is completed by a reconciliation with his father.

(Movie overview by Elvis Monthly - Issue 72, January 1966)