With more and more fans learning about Presley and his legacy, many are developing an intense curiosity about those in the King's inner circle. Presley's first manager was Scotty Moore, the guitarist in his band, who was encouraged by Sun Records owner Sam Phillips to become Presley's manager to protect Elvis from unscrupulous music promoters. [36] If Parker had had any doubts about his return, they were soon gone when he witnessed the turnout along the route. [67] As Parker's management career began to take off, Marie became more of a housewife, although she would occasionally travel with him to various parts of the country. [15], Parker immediately went to work to find a new label for Presley. Parker was a svengali who exerted an extreme amount of control over his charge's career, and took enormous 25 to 50% in commission. What Really Happened To Colonel Tom Parker? [35] All of these stories were fabrications, but it kept his name in view of the public. Parker's cut of Presley's earnings was typically 50%, and by the time Presley died in 1977, Parker had earned an estimated $40 million from his share of Presley's income. The document that was signed on November 21 pertained to the record label transfer. [14] Parker served in the peacetime army as a precondition for taking advantage of that stipulation, but he never subsequently applied to become a citizen. [15] The rank was honorary, since Louisiana had no organized militia, but Parker used the title throughout his life, becoming known simply as "the Colonel" to many acquaintances. Parker suffered a stroke in 1997, dying at a hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada after years of declining health, survived only by his second wife. Presley had a singing style different from the current trend, and Parker was immediately interested in the future of this musical style. . In the end, both Elvis and Colonel Parker shared a tragic journey that mirrored their working relationship. Asked by a journalist what he would do now, Parker responded: "Why, I'll just go right on managing him! [52], In February 1975, during his engagement in Las Vegas, Presley, along with Parker, met with Barbra Streisand and Jon Peters. The complex Elvis/Parker relationship is the glue that holds Elvis together, making it different from yet another musician biopic. [56] At the funeral, he persuaded Presley's father to sign over control of Presley's career in death to him. Tom Hanks was also intrigued by the fact that the wider public knew very little about the Elvis manager, claiming this was another reason he took on the role. With no touring or public appearances to be made, Parker was able to keep costs to a minimum. They struggled to survive during the Great Depression, working short cons and traveling across the country in search of work. In 1935, while travelling with a circus, Parker met and married 27-year-old Marie Francis Mott. [12] He was a successful promoter, but he wanted to move into management.[12]. Later, in 1983, Parker admitted during an interview that after 1966, the income from Presley films and soundtracks was dramatically reduced. Formerly the Editor-in-Chief of JoBlo.com, he has over a decade of writing and reporting about the entertainment industry and has covered everything from Comic Con to CinemaCon to Star Wars Celebration, as well as covering numerous set visits and junkets all over the world. [53] Despite this, however, the deal never materialized. Following his discharge, Parker worked at a number of jobs, including food concessions and gaming carnivals. It was producer Steve Binder who put forward the idea of Presley singing his old hits and even the staged section with his old band, Scotty Moore and D. J. Fontana, the latter inspired by a post-rehearsal informal jam in Presley's dressing room. He was punished with solitary confinement, from which he emerged with a psychosis that led to him spending two months in a mental hospital,[4] and he was discharged from the Army because of his mental condition. [14] With the Society in need of funds, Parker set about using his promotional experience to raise money and awareness for the shelter. "A couple times he set me up in the Elvis Presley suite on top of the Hilton, and I would go play Elvis for a week One night we were at the crap table together and he rubbed my head for luck. Elvis and the Colonel were associated throughout the musician's entire career, including music, movies, and TV specials. [37] He allowed him to perform three live shows in 1961, all charity events, two in Memphis and one in Hawaii. [68] Parker began to distance himself emotionally from her, heartbroken by her slow mental deterioration from the woman he once knew. I said no." Yet, in the end, standing up to the Colonel proved to be an expert . These four shows alone grossed $730,000 ($4,729,029 in 2021 dollars[11]). [60] However, he did occasionally bother them by criticizing some decisions. And there certainly would've been no Elvis without Colonel Tom Parker.' The show, titled "Welcome Home, Elvis", was Presley's first national television appearance since The Ed Sullivan Show in January 1957. Paul Shirey is a senior news writer for Screen Rant. [53] Promoters in South America also made offers, as much as $2.5 million, and all of them were turned down by Parker; "Well, whenever I need $2.5 million I'll call you," he once said to them. [60], The disputes with the Presley estate did not terminate Parker's association with Presley. [60] In 1993, interest in Presley's enduring legend, interest that is sometimes notable for its obsessiveness, provoked Parker to remark: "I don't think I exploited Elvis as much as he's being exploited today. Inc, to control Presley merchandise and keep a steady income supporting his estate. p. 258. He had booked Presley into a four-week Las Vegas engagement, misjudging the reaction of the slightly older, more reserved audiences that Las Vegas attracted. Parker was also afraid that any attempt to block Presley from being drafted would result in a more detailed look into his own service record. [72], His funeral was held at the Hilton Hotel and was attended by a handful of friends and former associates, including Eddy Arnold and Sam Phillips. [4][5] Parker's final years were spent living in Las Vegas, in increasingly poor health before his death in 1997. A carnival worker by background, Parker moved into music promotion in 1938, working with one of the first popular crooners, Gene Austin, and then country music singers Eddy Arnold, Hank Snow, and Tommy Sands in his early career. While the . [56], In September 1978, shortly after the first anniversary of Presley's death, Parker arranged a fan festival, Always Elvis, where he, Vernon, and Presley's ex-wife Priscilla, dedicated a bronze statue of him in the lobby of the Las Vegas Hilton. Stories of managerial terrorism abound in music history. Parker encountered Presley in 1955, and by 1956 had become his primary representative. Parker made his last public appearances in 1994. Despite the court controversy, Parker continued to appear at Elvis-themed events, from anniversaries to special events, etc. [4], In 1935, Parker married 27-year-old Marie Francis Mott. First, Baz Luhrmann joined a list of directors including Joe Wright, Frank Darabont, and Lawrence Kasdan as someone who had two Best Picture nominations but didn't get a Best Director nomination either time. [4] A year later at 18, with enough money to sustain him for a short period, he entered America illegally by jumping ship from his employer's vessel. [23] Later, when Hank Snow asked Parker about the status of their contract with Presley, Parker told him: "You don't have any contract with Elvis Presley. [39], For the remainder of the 1960s, Presley made films that relied heavily on exotic locations and mundane songs, and he was tied into contracts that he could not escape. [26] Parker, with his 25% share of profits, found ways to make money from his artist that other managers before him had never thought of. In May 1973, in an attempt to deal with Presley's growing dependence on prescription drugs, Presley's father, Vernon, and Parker attempted to cut off his supply. The talks had included details about European tours, and buying out Presley's contract would not have been a problem for Hulett and his company. Presley's acting career was originally intended to be a serious one, but after seeing a chance to cross-promote singles and albums with the films, Parker persuaded Presley to sing in his films. [4], "Colonel Tom Parker rubbed my head in Vegas", Eddie Murphy stated in 1989. [52], Although many around Presley were worried about his worsening drug dependency, Parker appeared to ignore the problem. He attended Elvis funeral dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and baseball cap, avoiding any display of emotion. Nash portrays the Colonel as a psychopathic murderer born June 26, 1909 in Breda, Holland, whose real name is Andreas "Andre" Cornelis van Kuijk. Elvis had gone to the home of an employee he liked, whose wife was dying from cancer, and Hilton terminated the employee because of a rule banning any contact between employees and hotel talent . However, as he always does, Hanks shone as Tom Parker in Elvis, and the Colonel proved to the world that he could play a complex villain. With this the fake Americanisation of Dries van Kuijk was complete. Having previously sold the rights to Presley's early recordings to RCA Records, he struggled to secure a steady income, and his financial situation worsened after he sustained significant gambling losses. Frequently photographed with Presley, Parker became a celebrity in his . The Elvis Presley manager did a lot of controversial things during his time in show business, and the Baz Luhrmann movie reveals just how much of a monster he really was. [60] On the surface, however, relations between the two were as good as ever, with Parker helping the Hilton to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Presley's death. In January 1979, it was discovered that Presley had lost out on royalties for songs on which he had been listed as an author or composer because Parker had unwisely advised him not to sign up to ASCAP or its younger competitor, BMI. Here's why Colonel Tom Parker is so controversial. In 1967, Parker pushed Elvis to marry Priscilla Beaulieu, hoping that it would help change the tide of his career. [15], In early 1955, Parker became aware of a young singer, Elvis Presley. [18] When the contract expired, the Memphis radio personality Bob Neal stepped in and made a deal with Phillips to become Presley's manager. [4], Parker had worked as a "consultant" for Hilton Hotels since Presley's death,[60] with some believing he was working to pay off debts owed to the casino from his gambling during Presley's performances there. [65] However, there is no definite proof that anything other than romance led to their marriage. [31] Parker made sure that the contract allowed Presley the freedom to make at least one film a year with another studio, and also managed to set up an office, with staff, at Paramount. However, that was not the case since Elvis was still under contract to Bob Neal. PIONEERING EARLY MANAGEMENT [49] Seeing the chance to publicize Presley's charitable nature once again, Parker eagerly agreed. [4] It is believed that Parker lost at least $1 million a year from gambling. After that, his crippling gambling habit caught up with him, and Parker died nearly penniless. Parker encouraged Presley to make film musicals which became the focus of his career during his commercial decline in the 1960s until his 1968 comeback and return to touring. [5] During a second, more detailed investigation, Tual discovered that all earnings were paid directly to the Trust instead of Parker. More than 40 years after his death, Elvis Presley remains one of the most famous and most easily recognized people in history. This proved very lucrative, especially when the single for Presley's first film, Love Me Tender, sold over one million copies in advance sales. He negotiated Presley's lucrative merchandising deals, TV appearances, and acting roles in films. [57], Parker set out to protect his future income. Austin Butler won the Golden Globe for Best Actor, beating out favorite Brendan Fraser (The Whale), and he picked up a nomination for the same award at the Oscars. [32], In 1957, Parker finally managed to give Tommy Sands his big break by arranging for him to audition for and star in The Singin' Idol, a drama for NBC that was loosely based on the life and career of Presley. I had a different layer of expectations," the actor said. Parker sent Elvis all over the United States, but he would never let him out of North America, leaving Canada as the only other nation to host The King in his long career. A gambling, circus- and cigar-loving illegal immigrant: that's who created the buzz behind the King of Rock 'n' Roll, Elvis Presley.Colonel Tom Parker was the one person you'd see at . Known for his keen promotion and merchandising savvy, Parker, or "the Snowman," would help to make Elvis a household name, putting the singer on everything from lunch boxes to board games to trading cards and beyond. [4] Priscilla and the Trust were prepared to let Parker continue to handle Presley's business affairs, and petitioned the court to that end. The Masked Lookalike Explained. He influenced Presley's personal life, including Presley's decisions to accept military service in 1958 and to marry Priscilla Beaulieu in 1967. [54], In July 1976, three of Presley's personal bodyguards and members of the "Memphis Mafia", Robert Gene "Red" West, his cousin Sonny West and David Hebler, were fired by Vernon Presley and decided to write a tell-all book about their life in his inner circle, Elvis: What Happened? He received more than half of the income from Elvis's early success, which at the time was an unprecedented figure. Parker became known as a shrewd, showy, and manipulative businessman who was able to work out lucrative deals at minimal overhead while making sure his pockets were lined healthily along the way. He had expressed interest in making films when he first met Parker, and now Parker was working to make that happen. Parker decided that Las Vegas was the perfect place to do it,[41] and on May 1, 1967, the couple were married in a ceremony that lasted only eight minutes and had a handful of guests. Dutch-born US musical entrepreneur (19091997). [15], Parker and Neal worked together to promote Presley, using their own Hank Snow Tour to book him and tour him. [8] This may have motivated Parker to avoid seeking a passport, as the Netherlands has an active extradition treaty with the United States, and he may have wanted to avoid criminal arrest by Dutch authorities. Gaining or losing weight, taking on accents, and experimenting in a variety of genres that pushed his limits as an actor, Hanks has built a career out of challenging roles. Coupled with the fact that the character of Tom Hanks' Tom Parker isn't his usual role, and Hanks was eager to play the part. [65] Unbeknown to Parker at the time, she had a second son from her first marriage, but had given him up for adoption at birth due to his disability (a club foot).
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