Elvis plays a teenager named Danny Fisher, who is forced to drop out of school to help support his ineffective father (Dean Jagger). Drawn to trouble like a magnet, Danny is saved from a jail term by New Orleans saloonkeeper Charlie Le Grand (Paul Stewart), who gives the boy a job as a singer.
It isn’t long, however, before local gang boss Maxie Fields (Walter Matthau), a shadowy figure from Danny's criminal past, puts the muscle on the boy, insisting that Danny sing at his establishment.
This was the King’s favourite role and arguably the pinnacle of his film career at the age of 23.