[26] He had even come up with the idea to market "I Hate Elvis" badges. In 1994, following the marriage of Lisa Marie and Michael Jackson, Parker stated that Presley would not have approved. However, the tide wasn't actually changed until a 1968 TV special, produced by Scott Binder, put Elvis the singer back on top, while simultaneously showing the Colonel how close he was to losing the singer to another producer. [15], In 1948, Parker received the honorary rank of colonel in the Louisiana State Militia from Jimmie Davis, the governor of Louisiana and a former country singer, in return for work Parker did on Davis's election campaign. [33] You tell everybody the Colonel touched your head." [67] According to interviews given by Parker to the Associated Press many years later, he and Marie were married in Tampa, Florida, during the winter of 1932,[67] but the Florida Office of Vital Statistics had no record of such a marriage any time between 1927 and 1946. [37] Parker signed long-term contracts with the film studios,[39] possibly to guarantee work and income for both him and Presley. Presley's career stagnated while artists like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys dominated the charts. Despite Parker's troubling exploitation of Presley, though,. "It wasn't good at all," she said of Parker's control. [53] First Artists, not used to such huge demands, didn't put forward a counter-offer and decided instead to offer the role, along with the original salary offer, to Kris Kristofferson, who accepted. However, the music scene had radically changed. Elvis and the Colonel were associated throughout the musician's entire career, including music, movies, and TV specials. [52] Parker was furious, and he stormed into Presley's dressing room after the show to confront him. The truth about his early years was revealed in 1960 when one of Parker's sisters, Nel Dankers-van Kuijk, living in the Netherlands, recognized him in photographs standing next to Presley. He completed basic training at Fort McPherson in Atlanta, Georgia.[4]. In 1968, he was asked in an interview if it was true that he took fifty percent of everything Elvis earned. At that point, Moore and Black had no contractual ties to either Phillips or Presley. Their's was probably the most unique artist-manager relationship ever in show business, clearly one of the most successful. He died in 1997 at the age of 87. [36] If Parker had had any doubts about his return, they were soon gone when he witnessed the turnout along the route. Following his discharge, Parker worked at a number of jobs, including food concessions and gaming carnivals. According to several people who knew Presley at the time, the talks with Hulett got so far along that it seemed almost inevitable the deal would be done. They struggled to survive during the Great Depression, working short cons and traveling across the country in search of work. Parker made his last public appearances in 1994. In general, fans of the icon think that Colonel Parker never let Elvis fully shine. After his Army hitch, he had him stop making personal appearances, and limited his public exposure to three sappy movies a year. 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. "Last Train to Memphis". The reasons for this are a source of controversy, as it was believed that Parker's status as an illegal immigrant (the theme of the Netflix series Stateless) would prohibit him from traveling as he didn't have a passport, nor could he get one due to his status. [4] It was later revealed that Presley owned 22% of the company, Parker owned 56%, and the final 22% was made up of various business associates. 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. More: Does Elvis Have An After Credits Scene? The killing happened a few streets from where the Van Kuijk family lived, and Parker had been hired to make deliveries from this and other grocery stores in the area. In an interview (via Entertainment Weekly), Hanks broke down why he took the part, "Baz said, 'There would've been no Colonel Tom Parker without Elvis. Parker encountered Presley in 1955, and by 1956 had become his primary representative. [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 1997, Parker suffered from a stroke and died the next day in a hospital in Las Vegas at the age of 87. [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. Parker, who was born in the Netherlands, entered the United States illegally when he was 20 years old. [33] Presley had wanted to join Special Services, allowing him the opportunity to perform while at the same time getting an easier ride than other soldiers. [60] Part of this role resulted in Parker keeping the same fourth-floor suite he occupied when Presley was alive. And when he said that, I said, 'Oh, well, okay, now that's brand new.". The actor has proven time and again that he's up to the challenge of playing a real-world personality and the role of Elvis and the Colonel is no different. [41], On January 2, 1967, Parker re-negotiated his managerial/agent contract with Presley, persuading him to increase Parker's share from 25% to 50% on certain transactions. [33], Presley had been showing signs of rebellion against Parker, and Parker believed that a stint in the Army would cure him of this. The 19 years of silence that his mysterious correspondent mentioned took the story as far back as 1961exactly the year that the Van Kuijk family had made contract with Parker, and Ad van Kuijk. [39] Throughout the 1960s Parker would continually renegotiate Presley's film contracts, often paying little attention to the scripts or the concerns of his client. [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. Following the success of Presley's Las Vegas return, Parker signed a contract with the International Hotel to guarantee Presley would play a month-long engagement for $125,000 a week ($974,043 in 2021 dollars[11]), an unheard-of sum at the time. Stories appeared in the press regularly about Presley, including that he would do a live CCTV broadcast when he returned and that he had signed a deal for a series of annual television spectaculars to be broadcast across the country. 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. [49] Seeing the chance to publicize Presley's charitable nature once again, Parker eagerly agreed. Colonel Tom Parker, as played by Tom Hanks in Elvis, was the controversial manager of singer Elvis Presley (played by Austin Butler) with a mysterious past who had a key role in both The King's . [68] Parker began to distance himself emotionally from her, heartbroken by her slow mental deterioration from the woman he once knew. You read that right, $146.6 million dollars. This proved very lucrative, especially when the single for Presley's first film, Love Me Tender, sold over one million copies in advance sales. What it means in the movie: The Colonel, standing in the shadows, stalks the hillbilly newcomer Elvis Presley at the Louisiana Hayride and realizes, "He was my destiny." What happened in real life: On Jan. 15, 1955, Colonel Parker traveled to Shreveport, Louisiana, to watch Elvis on the Hayride . For the entirety of Presley's nearly 25-year career as "The King," his manager, "Colonel" Tom Parker, was the man who made all the career decisions. [53] Parker, who had always dealt with Presley's film contracts and viewed the offer as a starting bid to earning more money, instead asked for a salary $1 million ($5,035,869 in 2021 dollars[11]), 50% of the profits, plus another $100,000 ($503,587 in 2021 dollars[11]) for expenses, and spoke of needing to arrange details of a soundtrack deal. [10] Parker later said that at times they had had to live on as little as $1 a week (US$20 in 2021 dollars). [26] By the summer Presley had become one of the most famous new faces of the year, causing excitement among the new teenage audience and outrage among some older audiences and religious groups. What happened to Colonel Tom Parker? Despite the shady financial dealings Parker maintained with Presley, his net worth when he died was much less than that of Elvis, who died with a . Later in 1975, the government of Saudi Arabia offered Parker $5 million for Presley to perform there. Parker made several attempts to have it stopped, but failed to do so. However, that was not the case since Elvis was still under contract to Bob Neal. By 1984, with his gambling debts reportedly rising again, he was evicted. [72] Priscilla Presley attended the funeral to represent the Elvis Presley Estate and gave a eulogy that, to many in the room, summed up Parker: "Elvis and the Colonel made history together, and the world is richer, better and far more interesting because of their collaboration. [53] Hulett's company had managed tours for Presley, and he had worked with artists such as Led Zeppelin. I said no." Yet, in the end, standing up to the Colonel proved to be an expert . After Elvis' death in 1977, the Elvis Presley manager continued on as if The King were still alive. Tom Parker wasn't a household name before Elvis, but it's clear that after the biopic, it soon will be. Parker's main role during these tours was to plan the logistics and make sure tickets were sold. He claimed Parker negotiated side deals with RCA that defrauded Presley of $2.8 million. God, yes! Most notably, in Colonel Tom Parker, the mysterious manager portrayed by Tom Hanks in Elvis. [7] As a boy, he worked as a barker at carnivals in his hometown, learning many of the skills that he would require later while working in the entertainment industry. But, after he gave a detailed invoice to Elvis, the star realized he couldn't pay Parker, so they continued collaborating. 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. ", "Photos: Elvis Presley and Colonel Tom Parker", https://www.elvis.com.au/presley/a-new-light-on-colonel-tom-parker.shtml, "A Larger-Than-Life Look at a Larger-Than-Life Star", "Meet the Fifth (Jewish) Beatle Manager Brian Epstein", "The All American Boy: Enter Elvis and the rock-a-billies", Tom Parker collection and interviews with co workers, ED Bonja Interview Elvis Photographer - the Elvis Information Network exclusive. For Presley's return in March 1960, Parker had arranged for a train to take him from Washington, D.C., to Memphis, with stops along the way for fans to see their idol in person. [33] He had arranged for Presley to record five singles before his induction,[35] guaranteeing RCA Victor enough material to release over a two-year period. [41], To make up for lack of earnings, Parker arranged for Presley's gold Cadillac to go on tour. [15] Presley had been at Sun Records since the beginning of his career, but Sam Phillips, the owner of Presley's current label, was aware that to have any kind of a successful future Presley would need the backing of a much larger label. [1][4], At age 15, Van Kuijk moved to Rotterdam, gaining employment on boats in the port town. 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