He realized that by keeping RCA Victor, and more importantly the public, hungry for more Presley material, he would be able to negotiate a better contract when Presley returned from active service. 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. Played by Tom Hanks in the new biopic Elvis, directed by Baz Luhrmann, Colonel Tom Parker remains, 25 years after his death, and nearly half a century after the death of his only client, the most memorable and divisive manager in the history of show business.It was the Colonel who propelled his "boy", as he would refer to him, from being a local celebrity in Memphis to being the most . 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. [15] Both Mercury Records and Columbia Records showed interest, although their initial offers were nowhere near the $40,000 requirement. "[56] Almost immediately, before even visiting Graceland, Parker traveled to New York City to meet with merchandising associates and executives with RCA Records, instructing them to prepare for a huge demand in Presley products. After Elvis' death in 1977, the Elvis Presley manager continued on as if The King were still alive. 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. Imagine owing anyone $146.6 million dollars. [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. 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 net worth of $5 million - around $20 million when adjusted for inflation. Both Priscilla and Jerry said he was a lovely man". Finally, Tom Hanks wasn't nominated for Best Supporting Actor. [41] With Priscilla's father dropping heavy hints, and fear that their relationship might become public beforehand, Parker persuaded Presley that he should make an "honest woman" of her in the very near future. [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. [37] Parker signed long-term contracts with the film studios,[39] possibly to guarantee work and income for both him and Presley. [33] Snow eventually led Parker to Elvis Presley. He would sniff out talent and attempt to milk them for all they were worth, including Elvis, whom he initially saw as an act that wouldn't last more than a few years. The other five nominations were for technical (Editing, Sound, Cinematography) and design (Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling). As a reward, Davis gave him the honorary rank of "colonel" in the Louisiana State Militia.[2][3]. Paul Shirey is a senior news writer for Screen Rant. After the Sinatra special, Parker decided that Presley's future lay in Hollywood. [10] Parker later said that at times they had had to live on as little as $1 a week (US$20 in 2021 dollars). He was a heavier-set man with balding hair and frequently wore a fedora and a suit of some type, sometimes made of gaudy designs to help promote something. [13] Instead, Parker decided to stay in Temple Terrace, Florida, with his family, perhaps to avoid having to submit paperwork that could expose his illegal status. Inc, to control Presley merchandise and keep a steady income supporting his estate. [4] He enlisted in the United States Army a few months later, taking the name "Tom Parker" from the same name of the officer who interviewed him, to disguise the fact he was an illegal alien. What Elvis Gets RightAnd WrongAbout the Real Colonel Tom Parker His accent wasn't so theatrical, and he was way funnier than Baz Luhrmann gives him credit for. He then did the unthinkable, convincing Elvis' father, Vernon, to sign over control of Elvis' movie and singing "career" to him. [54] Vernon also threatened to find a new manager if Parker wouldn't continue to tour Presley. 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. 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. The Tom Hanks Tom Parker portrayal was a shocking one. Parker served two years in the 64th Coast Artillery (United States), at Fort Shafter, in Hawaii, and shortly afterwards re-enlisted at Fort Barrancas, Florida. [53] Several members of Presley's band later stated that Parker had no idea just how bad the situation was getting. I had a different layer of expectations," the actor said. Related: The Darkest Moments In Oscars History. [52] After nearly two weeks of trading insults back and forth, Parker and Presley decided to continue to work together. [1][4], At age 15, Van Kuijk moved to Rotterdam, gaining employment on boats in the port town. [48] (During Presley's career, except for a few concerts in Canada in 1957, he never performed outside the United States.) Tom Hanks' portrayal of Elvis' manager Colonel Tom Parker in the 2022 biopic created controversy - here's the true story behind Hanks' Tom Parker. [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. So clearly the rock star never worked up the will to actually go through with the firing. Elvis Presley expressed his desire to go overseas frequently, but he was kept at bay with easy and fast money arranged by The Colonel on projects in the U.S. By the time they reached the final years of Elvis' career, the two were so intertwined and invested that it made more sense to stay in business than to walk away. [15] RCA Victor, Hank Snow's current label, also showed an interest, but they were put off by the cost of the contract. Also to die at a similar age of either heart or lung problems were Elvis' mother Gladys and three of her brothers. Here's why Colonel Tom Parker is so controversial. Parker realized early on the bigger potential of Austin Butler's Elvis and transitioned to managing him full-time. Later, Davis says "He remembered me, and he said 'I told you you were going to be a star.' The contract, dated July 12, 1954, eight days after their first recording session, was signed by Presley and his parents. Parker privately acknowledged his brother and even introduced him to Presley. [53], From 1974 onward, Presley's weight gain and prescription drug abuse became too much to be controlled. His death certificate lists his birth name as Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk, his country of birth as the Netherlands, and his citizenship as American. After Elvis' death, Parker continued to manage the Elvis Presley Enterprises, and also worked with Presley's daughter Lisa Marie and his wife Priscilla. Stories of managerial terrorism abound in music history. However, Parker claimed that his issue with overseas performances was over security issues, as well as poor venues not suitable for the star's stature. Parker hoped that marriage would not only boost Presley's career but also possibly tame him. [15], In early 1955, Parker became aware of a young singer, Elvis Presley. You're going to be a star.'"[71]. 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. Parker, who was born in the Netherlands, entered the United States illegally when he was 20 years old. ", "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. Frequently photographed with Presley, Parker became a celebrity in his . [4][5] Tual, once appointed as Lisa Marie's guardian ad litem, chose to investigate the entire period of Parker's management of Presley; his preliminary finding was that Parker's management deal of 50% was extortionate compared to the industry average of 1520%. 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. [46] Originally planned as three performances, demand was so high that Parker decided to add a fourth performance, making Presley the first performer to sell out the venue four consecutive times. And I know that Elvis loved it. The claim of Parker's Dutch heritage was publicly confirmed when Parker unsuccessfully tried to avert a lawsuit brought against him in 1982 by asserting in open court that he was a Dutch citizen. He was 87 years old at the age of his death. Their instincts were proven right; the TV special proved an enormous hit, and the album that was released featuring performances from the special became a best-seller, but the comeback special was interrupted when Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated on June 5, 1968. [49] Sherman had read in news accounts that there was to be no charge for admittance to the concerts, a donation to charity being required instead. [41] Frank Sinatra had married Mia Farrow in 1966, and it had produced enough publicity for Parker to sit up and take notice. [33] Parker had seen many acts come and go during his earlier years in management, and felt that it would be foolish to believe that Presley, despite being Parker's most successful act to date, would be any different. Guralnick, Peter (1994). [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. In the end, both Elvis and Colonel Parker shared a tragic journey that mirrored their working relationship. Thats insane! Following his discharge, Parker worked at a number of jobs, including food concessions and gaming carnivals. Snow attended the signing, thinking that Elvis had signed a management contract with Jamboree Attractions, which he owned with Parker. Colonel Tom Parker was a carnival barker, a con man, an inveterate gambler Parker earned and stole from Elvis over 100 million dollars as Elvis manager. [16], Eddy Arnold fired Parker in 1953 over Parker's growing involvement with the singer Hank Snow. [16], Regardless of the success that Parker and Presley had achieved, Parker was still struggling to believe that Presley's career would last longer than a year or two. With Parker's help, Presley signed a recording contract with RCA Victor, leading to his commercial breakthrough in 1956 with his sixth single "Heartbreak Hotel" and propelling him to become one of the most popular and commercially successful entertainers in the world. [1], Parker was born as Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk on June 26, 1909, in Breda, North Brabant, Netherlands,[4] and was the seventh of eleven children. In the early days of their marriage, Marie and Parker worked together in the carnivals. Asked by a journalist what he would do now, Parker responded: "Why, I'll just go right on managing him! [44] He would usually fly ahead to the venues and prepare the way for Presley's entourage to follow so that he and Presley rarely saw each other, and, as time progressed, it became even more difficult for Parker to get in contact with Presley. Tt was this, rather than his entrance into the Army or the later death of Gladys, from which Presley never truly recovered and which ultimately killed him. 1. [4] From about 1931 until 1938, he worked as a "carny" with Royal American Shows. [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. [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 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. [43], It took the energetic 1968 television special Elvis, which the Singer Company sponsored, and a subsequent series of acclaimed recording sessions in Memphis, Tennessee, that included songs such as "Suspicious Minds" and "In the Ghetto", to restore Presley's musical reputation. [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. Elvis is signed exclusively to the Colonel. [26] He had even come up with the idea to market "I Hate Elvis" badges. Second, for a movie about a musician, Elvis also didn't receive any music nominations at the Oscars. On top of that, Parker found venue upon venue for Elvis to perform in, be it recording studios, Hollywood films, TV specials, and even satellite broadcasts, immersing the artist into the cultural zeitgeist while keeping him landlocked in North America. Elvis: The Controversy Behind Colonel Tom Parker Explained, Elvis Cast Guide: What The Characters Look Like In Real Life, illegal immigrant (the theme of the Netflix series, Elvis True Story: Who Was Orion? 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. [4] By this time, with the IRS demanding almost $15 million in taxes, the estate was facing bankruptcy. Colonel Tom Parker was Elvis Presley's manager for more than 20 years, and was with him when he died on August 16, 1977. Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's . [5] Parker countersued. And Priscilla Presley confirmed those rumors while chatting with Good Morning America. [50] As well as being their employer and paying their wages, he was also their main source of access to drugs for themselves. [41] In Houston alone in one afternoon, 40,000 people paid to see it, with one woman offering to have sex with the tour manager if he would allow her to sit in it. 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. 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. On March 26, 1956, after Presley's management contract with Neal expired, Presley signed a contract with Parker that made him his exclusive representative. Parker adopted the title as if it were part of his identity, frequently being referred to as "The Colonel," despite his military discharge. Tom Parker didn't enjoy a good reputation even after being associated with one of the legendary artists that history has ever seen. What happened to Colonel Tom Parker? But according to Alanna Nashwho spent time with the real Colonel in the '90sthere were times when he was just as scary as what you see onscreen. However, Hanks, who has six prior nominations and won twice, was snubbed for his role as Colonel Tom Parker. Despite Parker's troubling exploitation of Presley, though,. There were no witnesses and almost no evidence, except that the killer spread pepper on and around the body before fleeing in hopes that police dogs would not pick up the scent. RCA was eager for Presley to record in West Germany, but Parker insisted that it would ruin his reputation as a regular soldier if he was able to go into a recording studio. [4][5] Parker's final years were spent living in Las Vegas, in increasingly poor health before his death in 1997. 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