Arguably, the film career of Marlon Brando, another of Elvis' heroes, catapulted after he played opposite Vivien Leigh in the New Orleans-set film adaptation of Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire" (via Britannica). Although the film is considered one of cinema history's most vivid depictions of life in the "Big Easy," it was actually filmed mostly on a lot in Burbank, California (via New Orleans Historical Society).
New Orleans wasn't exactly what screenwriters and agents had in mind for James Dean when they penned an adaptation of a 1952 best-selling novel about a Brooklyn teenager who boxes to support his family when his father is unable to do so. The lead would need to be hotheaded and unable to heed his ailing father's advice (via AV Club). When Dean died tragically in 1955, the film was rewritten, set in New Orleans, and the lead role would be a singer making it big, as opposed to a boxer. Elvis Presley seemed like a good fit.
Director Michael Curtiz was 69 years old at the time young Presley was cast in the newly titled "King Creole" and laughed at the idea (via 64 Parishes). However, he told his producers the fact that Elvis had little to no acting experience actually helped him to portray his character quite well. Paramount Pictures allocated $350,000 to shoot on location in the French Quarter. Alongside co-stars Carolyn Jones (who would star as Morticia in TV's "The Addams Family") and Walter Matthau, Elvis showed up for work on time, polite, sharp, and knowing his lines. Elvis considered "King Creole" to be his acting masterpiece, and critics agreed.
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