He began with country singer Eddy Arnold in the late 1940s, and his behavior toward Arnold foreshadowed how he would later approach managing Elvis Presley: Per the Times, he literally moved into Arnolds family home in Nashville. No. For example, in discussing how he didnt ever want to get taken advantage of, hed say, I dont want to end up with cider in my ear. And he had an underling fix up a cookhouse, a so-called carnival kitchen, by throwing an oilcloth over the conference room table in his office on the MGM lot. Parker's business strategy, which consisted of exploiting Elvis's Hollywood presence, was coming to an end in 1966. The Colonel encouraged anything that grabbed headlines and created controversy for his boy. No, no, not at all. Colonel Tom Parker was best known for being the manager of Elvis Presley. They had the bride and groom in one car, and the bridesmaids in the next one. He so identified with that lifestyle that he sought the company of concessionaires, midway operators, and sideshow performers long after his carnival days were over. Sexy and electric in a full-leather ensemble, he growled and ground his way back up to rock stardom. According to Norman Taurog, a film director who worked with Presley, the powers that be at MGM and Colonel Parker always wanted [Presley] in lighter films surrounded by pretty girls so those were the films he made. He had trouble with the consonants R, which sometimes came out as an L (Mr. The Tony winner and comedy legend reflects on a wild, 40-year-plus acting careerall leading to this moment. In other words, his loyal subjects killed the king. Elvis Presley himself struggled with the relationship at times. Though his triumphant 1973 Aloha From Hawaii broadcast kept his myth alive, it wasnt enough for the man himself. Colonel Parker did not technically steal from him, as it was all written in the contracts they signed, but he did exploit him and threatened to bankrupt him if he altered I think initially, Elvis loved this idea. by Aaron Rottenberg | Mon, 05 Sep 2022 at 14:01:56 A gifted youngster died from heart problems linked to long-time drug abuse, and while Elvis' legacy continues to live, a man behind the scenes Colonel Tom Parker played a vital and controversial role in Elvis' life, and in this article, we will explore whether or not he stole money from the King. The colonel even profited from Elvis detractors, selling I Hate Elvis pins alongside I Love Elvis ones. Parker influenced Elvis again from that time on, shooting three films a year (all with Elvis in the main role), so that American theaters often had films starring Presley, to the point that in mid-1961, Elvis abandoned the presentations in favor of acting. Get the latest History stories in your inbox? Times, He was usually in good spirits, talking about the carnival days, the Eddy Arnold days, the Elvis days. Remembered Alan Fortas, a member of Elviss Memphis Mafia entourage: He performed a wedding ceremony on a Ferris wheel. Instead, it was audio taken from live Elvis performances between songs. (& How Much did he earn from The King? He moved to Las Vegas and in 1989 got married a second time, to a woman named Loanne. IMDb reports that the King of Rock n Roll even wanted to fire Parker on multiple occasions. Did the Colonel live out his later years being sickly in casinos, as portrayed in the movies framing device? Lets face it: I cant sing like Fats Domino can. And the bombastic director, as vulgar in his own way as Parker was in his, pays him little respect for his significant business acumen. Baz Luhrmanns movie has drawn Elvis back into the limelight, and along with him, his manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Did Elvis ever really fire Parker on stage, followed by Parker getting back at him by threatening to demand repayment for every tiny expense item over the years? Still, Elvis is right on enough counts literally or spiritually that its worth trying to separate fact from fiction in the movies narrative of Elvis Presley (played by Austin Butler) and his nearly career-long manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). The movie dramatizes the artists rise and fall from a lesser-known perspectivethat of his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). Once a big crowd saw Elvis perform, there was a demand for his record. Some called it his Floating White House. But Parker, who was born in Holland in 1909 as Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk and never became an American citizen, didnt care about that. But the Colonel trusted no one. And maybe its a given that a director who puts hip-hop and hard rock on his period-film soundtracks, as Baz Luhrmann does, might favor effect over total verisimilitude. Did Elvis Really Fire Colonel Parker? This lineage includes countless other rockers, including the Beatles, the Beach Boys and the Rolling Stones, not to mention jazz greats like Benny Goodman and Sophie Tucker and rappers like Eminem and Post Malone. After seeing the final recording, Parker agreed that Binder's proposal was the correct one, but for years he refused to admit it publicly. Parker routinely did this during his days with the carnivals. Elviss first manager, Bob Neal, told me that he had a heck of a time getting stations to play Elviss first single. But this is Lurhmann telling us Elvis didnt steal Black music, as he has been accused of doing, but performed it in homage. But Parker insisted that Presley be paid for his appearance, and when Murrow refused, the show was canceled. Much is necessarily left out, but all of the key moments appear: Elvis discovery at Sun Records in 1954, the titillating cultural explosions of his first live shows, the 68 Comeback Special, his reinvention in Las Vegas in the 1970s and everything in between. Does the phrase Thats All Right, Mama apply to the new Elvis movie as in, thats all correct, maam? That alone would have raised the burgeoning pop stars profile, but Parker didnt stop there: As the CBC describes, he set up a deal with a movie merchandiser to produce dozens of Elvis-themed products, many of which were aimed at teenage girls. Thats really what he was looking for all along. After being discharged from the army, he spent time traveling with circuses as a carnival worker. The Colonel promoted Elviss first big tour with Hank Snow. I would say it was in his spiritual DNA, as he grew up with Black playmates and heard that music all around him. But he was never inept, and he was fiercely loyal in his business dealings and determined to honor his contracts to the letter. Yes, he did. Born on January 8, 1935, Elvis came of age in a heavily segregated region still reeling from the Great Depression. Elvis wasnt ready for hear all that yet. He was 42 years old. Remember, he entered a talent contest as a child singing Old Shep warbling about dead dogs is about as country as it gets. He had an incredible sense of time, an incredible sense of intonation and phrasing. The Elvis Presley story is one of the greatest and most terrible success stories in American entertainment history. Turns out he didnt have an impediment he was just trying to wrap a Dutch tongue around the English language, Southern-style. Elvis unique sound, borne from the talent of his voice and the instrumental skill of his backing band, the Blue Moon Boys, resonated across the United States as he moved from Sun to a new label, RCA Victor, and became a national star. The new film dramatizes the life and legend of Elvis Presley from the perspective of his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Elvis took care of what Elvis did and Colonel took care of what Colonel did. He talked about it all the time, for years.. Listen, this guy was no fool! Is it true that Colonel Parkers reason for being attracted to Elvis was that he thought a white singer who sounded Black was bound to be a star and accomplish what a Black singer could not? Any thoughts on the portrayal early in the film of country star Hank Snow, who first takes Elvis out on the road before becoming disgusted with him, and his son, Jimmie Rodgers Snow, who seems to worship Elvis? In 1955, Parker began advising Elvis Presley, who at that time was signed with a small recording label, Sun Records. This would sand the rough edges off his image and bring him back as the all-American boy fit for family entertainment with Frank Sinatra. In addition to securing Elvis RCA deal, Parker negotiated his feature films, his Vegas residency and his Aloha From Hawaii special. But the snippets on the talking only album had no context and were a jumbled mess. He began negotiating it all with the Pentagon in 1956. Nobody can sing that kind of music like colored people. Parker quickly set to work promoting Presley, arranging tour dates and television appearances (including Presleys famous performances on The Ed Sullivan Show), and by the end of 1956, he and Presley had signed a contract making Parker the musicians sole and exclusive adviser, personal representative and manager.. For the President, Elviss fee would be $25,000. WebWho was Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presleys manager who allegedly stole over half of his millions? In 1963, Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presleys audacious manager who had gotten his start selling candy apples in carnivals, read in the paper that Franklin Delano King, there was a chance meeting at Sun Studios and, in late 1956, at a famous all-Black charity show, where King was the headliner and Elvis, as an invited guest, came out and wiggled his leg, but did not perform. King used to visit some in Las Vegas, but that was in the 70s. Colonel Tom Parker (left) and Elvis Presley are captured in this photo from 1960, as the musician was wrapping up two years in the Army. That led to a colossal shouting match afterwards with Parker and talk of firing and quitting on both their parts, with Colonel ultimately presenting a bill that the Presleys could not pay. Is the portrayal of Elvis relationship with Priscilla, however briefly that is dramatized, basically accurate? The Colonel had a highly developed sense of humor that enthralled members of Elviss entourage as well as actor Hugh OBrian, whose Wyatt Earp tour Parker promoted in 1957. In Genshin Impact, the mind's vaults are revealed, and where can I find darshan representatives? WebWe would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. Alanna Nash has written four books about Elvis, including The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley. They went motorcycle riding together in Nashville. I would agree with that. I will get up and. Parker was an essential and controversial figure in Elvis life, and in this article, we are going to tell you whether he actually stole money from the King or not. Parker always claimed he was from West Virginia, but, three years after Elvis death, it emerged that the man who managed The King was actually born Andreas Cornelis Dries van Kuijk in Breda, the Netherlands, in 1909. First of all, when Colonel Parker enlisted in the U.S. Army, he declared himself a Dutch citizen, with parents born in Holland. Its no secret that Colonel Tom Parker was a bottom-line type of guy. Growing up, Elvis desire for something more in life led him to fall in love with all things pop culture. In 1980, a court decision placed Parker and his duties as administrator entirely in the hands of his daughter, with all rights to Elvis' royalties going to Lisa Marie Presley, represented by her mother. Although Parker successfully landed Arnold performances in Las Vegas and acting roles in movies, Arnold evidently found his management style claustrophobic, because he fired him in 1953. Is it true, as portrayed, that Parker was consistently trying to pressure Elvis to tone down his sex appeal? In California, between Barstow and Bakersfield, there were billboards every hundred yards, See the Thing! An early hero in Tupelo was a hillbilly singer named Mississippi Slim. Ad Choices. Was Colonel Parker really interested in stealing Elvis? It was quiet in the car, and then he spoke. Viewers who are more familiar with Elvis Presleys music than his life story might be surprised by the prominence Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks) in Baz Luhrmanns Elvis biopic. Best Known For: Colonel Tom Parker managed Elvis Presleys career, turning the singer into one of the first rock superstars. He liked B.B. Did Colonel Tom Parker Really Kill Elvis Presley? The Marvel star gave his first live interview since his near-death snowplow accident, walking to the stage with the help of a cane and sharing a video message that Paul Rudd sent him while he was in the hospital. On stage in Vegas in August 1974, the musician ranted at his audience: Is the Colonel around anywhere? Is the portrayal of the 68 comeback special accurate, with Parker trying desperately to keep it a Christmas special, and resisting the rock n roll throwback elements that everyone loved, because he was kowtowing to a deeply upset TV network? Astrological Sign: Cancer Nacionalities His accent wasnt so theatrical, and he was way funnier than Baz Luhrmann gives him credit for. Inside their controversial connection, depicted in Baz Luhrmanns new biopic | Variety spoke with her about how much rings true about both of the movies primary subjects, point by point. Elvis had paid $55,000 for the thing, but the Colonel, snowman to the core, apparently had only had one side of the old yacht paintedthe side that faced the dock. The hotel would bring a roulette wheel to his room. It was as if a bomb had blown up that engulfed the entire world., Hamilton adds, Its impossible to imagine a world of popular music in which Elvis doesnt exist. Elvis had given a concert in Canada in 1957 (his only appearance abroad), but this was possible because Parker did not need to bring an American passport there. ), Elvis didnt steal Black music simply by performing it. and B.B. The Colonel did a little quick figuring and then told the man that Elvis would consider it an honor. In remembering his life and times and attempting to parse the man from the myth, audiences come closer to understanding the multivalent meanings of American culture. and The Great Gatsby, Elvis explores the relationship between Elvis the man and Elvis the myth from the viewpoint of the man who sold both. Arizona monument. But Nashs work is considered by many to be the authoritative word on Parker, a former carnie who made his fortune off the King, and whose pros and cons as a very, very controlling manager continue to be debated to this day. Whether it was his legendary 1954 appearance on Louisiana Hayride, his 68 Comeback Special or his 1973 Aloha From Hawaii broadcast, the star always brought the thunder. On February 14, 1964, five days after the Beatles made their debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, Elvis sat at a press conference with the Colonel on the pier at Long Beach, California. From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person whos on TikTok, even if you arent. That year, the small, struggling label sold Presleys contract to RCA Victor for $35,000. The timeline of Parkers life at this point is not entirely clear no doubt due to his own desire to cover up his shabby early days but in their obituary of him, The Daily News of Los Angeles wrote that he even founded his own circus, the Great Parker Pony Circus, and his own circus act, Colonel Tom Parker and His Dancing Chickens, in which chickens danced on a hot plate while music was playing. Colonel Parker is seen as under pressure from secretive governmental forces who want to keep Elvis from corrupting youth and to try to get him to tamp down Presley, they threaten toexpose his past, as a non-American native of Holland, which hes desperate to hide. Would Elvis have gone to Black Pentecostal tent meetings as a kid, as seen in the film? Parker was able to persuade Elvis to enter the United States Army's service in January 1958, arguing that demonstrating himself as an ordinary man would be detrimental to Elvis' public image and his music. Shes not going to steal it, Colonel, Loanne laughed. No, Elvis didnt steal Black music, but he certainly appropriated and profited from it within an unjust, discriminatory system. Shes played Jack Nicholsons daughter, Gwyneth Paltrows sister, and Nicolas Cages estranged wife. The television performance was an immediate hit: it not only recieved praise from music critics, but it also reaped Elvis's international recognition, even attracting new followers. In reality, Parker lacked that document because he had never resolved his illegal immigrant status; this prompted the manager to fear of traveling outside the United States and being deported. Parker argued that Elvis' participation in several films was a guarantee of income for many years until the public began to reacted negatively. Rock and roll was rhythm and blues repackaged for white audiences., Rock and roll was indisputably pioneered by Black artists such as Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Bo Diddley. Half Man, Half Animal! He took that really seriously. When Elvis's income began to dwindle in 1966, Parker suggested a major publicity stunt to reclaim his client's attention: a marriage to Priscilla Beaulieu, Elvis Presley's partner for nearly ten years, taking as an example the enormous publicity generated by Frank Sinatra's marriage to actress Mia Farrow. He looked like a prince from another planet, narroweyed, with high Indian cheekbones and a smooth brown skin untouched by his 37 years, reported the New York Times Chris Chase in June 1972. The concerts started off well. As someone who knew Colonel Parker and had three, tense, three-hour meetings with him over a two-year span in the 90s, I admit there were times I felt a chill of evil from him that scared the hell out of me and made me fear for my personal safety, especially during a ride through the Vegas desert. Parkers personal credo was dont try to explain it; just sell it. He may not have understoodor even likedrock and roll, but he knew how to promote a product and negotiate with force. The other remained in its dilapidated state. Reportedly, Elvis would ask his friends to Tell Parker, hes fired. And Parker would simply respond, Tell Elvis to tell me personally.. In the scenes in which he promotes Hank Snow, Parker talks about staging a carny wedding at an upcoming stop. Davis went to have a look and went back to tell Colonel Parker all about him and how he wiggled and girls went wild. A deeper look into Parkers biography reveals more of his genius and his exploitation of Presley. Did Parker talk of things in carnival or carnie or conman terms as much as he does in this movie? He sat there so engrossed that he never moved, though God knows how many times hed seen it. Elvis, in his artistry, grandeur and contradictions, was a living embodiment of the American dream. Its Black music in the sense that it was invented by Black artists, but as Lewis argues, that doesnt mean only Black people can play music with origins in Black culture. We should care about Elvisthe man and the mythbecause he was Elvis Presley, a true American original. And while The event would be a return to big live performances, using an old television set to record a special. Did Parker Steal From Elvis? Jeremy Renner Broke Out Some High Kicks on. Though the movies made Elvis rich, he became dissatisfied with how they limited his creativity to milquetoast plots and soundtrack albums. Elvis Presley was many things. Parker briefly managed another country star, Hank Snow, before meeting Presley in 1955. The Colonel abused Elvis in addition to abusing him. He was the ultimate consumer. Only 19 when he started recording music with Sun Records in 1954, the culture-savvy teenager was, at the beginning of his career, very much like his future fans. The prince in question was Elvis Presley, performing live on June 9, the opening of his three-day, four-show engagement at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Heres what you need to know about the true history behind Elvisa story inseparable from mythahead of its release in theaters tomorrow, June 24. He consistently credited the artistry of his Black predecessors and peers, so its disingenuous to label him a thief. In fact, Colonel didnt even have to go down to the casino. He also grew estranged from his family: The South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes that his mother did not hear from him between 1933 and her death in 1958, while The Smithsonian describes his sister Nel Dankers-van Kuijk discovering that he was Elvis Presleys manager after seeing them together in a magazine in 1960. Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic. He might have gone to Black churches with his friend, Sam Bell, in Tupelo, as a kid. [He] was not a warm and fuzzy guy, says Nash. The following exchange between the colonel and a White House staffer, recounted in the rock magazine Creem in 1972, aptly summarizes Parkers approach to business: President Nixon requests Mr. Presley to perform. Like a lot of young, very talented musicians, hes just kind of going with his gut. Yes. It was more American, more rural. Dune: Part Two: An Exclusive First Look at the Sagas Epic Conclusion, Why Tucker Carlsons Exit From Fox News Looks Like an Execution, Prince Harry and Prince William Reportedly Still Havent Talked After Spare, The 25 Best Shows on Netflix to Watch Right Now, From the Archive: Seduced and Abandoned (2014), 2023 Cond Nast. Whatever served Elvis interests served Parkers, too: He contractually took a 25 percent cut on all of his clients earnings (50 percent for licensing and merchandise). Parker remained Elvis manager until Presleys death in 1977. He is seen attending so many performances by R&B singers, whether its Arthur Big Boy Crudup as a kid or Big Mama Thornton, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, B.B. But that was very much the way he liked it. And its true that Parker never seems to have taken any blame. Was there a late 50s concert riot in which Elvis deliberately disobeyed Parkers orders not to move around or wiggle on stage? No, Elvis Didn't Fire Colonel Tom Parker From the Stage at Las Vegas In the later years of his life Elvis performed several Las Vegas residency shows after the Colonel It was a seismic change. He started out as a carnival promoter and many felt that he handled Elvis career the way one would manage a circus attraction. Its both sanitized and expanded. But Parker, even later in life, was unrepentant: In The Daily News of Los Angeles obituary, hes quoted as saying, I sleep very good at night. When he was discharged, the papers stated he was He only resumed his career after the end of his service in 1960. Parker was ticked that there was initially no Christmas music, though, and (TV producer) Steve Binder and Elvis threw him Blue Christmas as a bone. liked him.. When [Presleys family and associates have] done all they can with him, then they start picking on me I dont think I exploited Elvis as much as hes being exploited today.. These were the conditions that made Elvis, whose actions were largely driven by his fear of losing everything and ending up back where hed began. The 68 Comeback Special changed everything. Stowing away on a cruise liner to the States in 1929, the Colonel lived for decades in fear of being discovered as an illegal alien. Elvis would invite B.B. I lived it for a long time.. Why AI Has Some Viewers Asking Which Film Actors Are Real. He never left the carnivals, really. The movie condenses Elvis life into a 159-minute biopic. He wanted Elvis to go not to Special Services, where the army was happy to put him, but to serve his time as any other soldier. Plesley), and with J, which he could pronounce as a Y (you yust missed him), as evident in the phone call he had with Canadian DJ Red Robinson. I know that.. Still, the odds were heavily in favor that hed be a country singer and his stint on the Louisiana Hayride seemed to point him in that direction. Cookie Policy For what its worth, the film has it right when Elvis gets suggestive with a plaster Nipper, the RCA dog, in concert. Charlie Lamb, who was present that day, told me that Parker got up from the lunch table and got in his car that minute and drove to find him. Parker arranged for Elvis to perform a series of concerts in Las Vegas, but these failed in a city with a large following that was certainly wealthy but middle-aged and little interested in rock and roll, before which Parker approached Paramount Pictures for Elvis to participate in a total of seven films (considering that in those years, one of Presley's main interests was acting). According to biographer Alanna Nash, Parker was diagnosed as a psychopath and discharged. Parker had no passport and couldnt go and didnt trust any other promoter to take him. It was all to make him into a beloved pop idol, not a dangerous, lugubrious rock n roller. Luhrmanns Parker is an uncaring man, though the character protests that hes not. He saw the Potomac as just another snow job, as he called his art of the con. Of course, I had no idea what he was saying, much less remembered it. Grant Wong is an American history Ph.D. student of 20th century pop culture and consumerism at the University of South Carolina. Eddy Arnold, whom Parker had built into a household name, had fired him as his manager over failing to honor their exclusive contract, though Parker continued to book him. But in Luhrmanns treatment, hes Satan in a snowman sweater. As journalist Alanna Nash writes in The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley, No artist had ever exploded on the scene with the volcanic impact of Elvis Presley in 1956, and no manager before Tom Parker had ever been so brilliantly, or blatantly, capitalistic.. I mean, music, movies, stylehe was a sponge. Hanks, on the other hand, never disappears into the role of Parker. The colonel later leveraged a position working at an animal shelter to break into the music industry, managing crooner Gene Austin and country stars Eddy Arnold, Hank Snow and Tommy Sands before turning his attention to Elvis as the artist began making waves in the country music scene. The film is really a story about the biz, and the show, Luhrmann tells GQ. The only time Parker got critical is when the shows began to falter with drugs or erratic behavior on stage. Is it fantasy that he was constantly seeing or meeting up with all these important artists? To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Police Order Presley Clean Up His Pan-Pac Show. Hollywood publicist Gene Schwam recently revealed to Variety the story behind the headline: told that the second show wasnt moving tickets, Schwam, taking a suggestion from Parker, called the police and said hed heard that Elvis was getting too risqu for the kids. Then he told the press what the police said. Hes always Tom Hanks, cladded up in a fat suit, prosthetic jowls, and an exaggerated nose drooping from a boiled egg of a face and pate, sometimes resembling his pal LBJ. He also paid a visit to Little Richards home in California in the late 50s. And before he was a truck driver, he grew up in abject poverty in Tupelo, Mississippi.