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Honest Joe Meets King Creole

In January 1958, Elvis Presley traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana, to film the movie King Creole. King Creole is a 1958 American musical drama starring Elvis Presley. It follows a nineteen-year-old Danny Fisher (Presley) who gets mixed up with gangsters, two women, and the King Creole nightclub. The epic was Presley's last black and white film. 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. 

My dad, Honest Joe, grew up on the streets of the Big Easy. Honest Joe and a few of his friends, tough-looking neighborhood boys, were hired by the film crew to convince the locals to remove anything on Bourbon street that didn't fit the noir theme of the movie. The teens worked earnestly to remove window air conditioners, garbage cans, flower pots, and street signs. Locals that didn't cooperate often found that their stuff would be missing the following morning. The boys did such a good job; the film crew allowed them to hang out, watch the filming, run errands, and act as extras in the movie.

The film was released on July 2, 1958, by Paramount Pictures to critical and commercial success. Many critics were unanimous in praising Presley's performance. The soundtrack song "Hard Headed Woman" reached number one on the Billboard singles chart and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. 

My dad was a fan of Elvis Presley and had an extensive collection of his record albums. Daddy was so proud that he helped "The King.' He mentioned it to me often.
--- Sugie

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Hello World

In my family, everyone has a nickname. My nickname is Sugie. It's an endearment and a form of the word sugar, because I was such a sweet baby. I was born in New Orleans in 1964. I lived on Rampart Street with my father, Honest Joe, and my mother, Beanie.  I must have been a beautiful baby because my Godmother, that I called Nanny, said I looked just like a Chatty Cathy doll. As the oldest, I had an entire 16 months of total adoration from my parents until my brother showed up and ruined my one baby show. My parents called my brother little man. I couldn't say little man, so I changed his name to Manny, and five decades later, the name still sticks. Manny and I overcame our differences and happily basked in the glow of our parent's love until 16 months later when my little sister Tweety showed up. Tweety became the baby, and I was suddenly the Big Sister who had to help take care of the baby. I wanted to be the baby, not take care of the baby. My life was ruined. --- Sug