We dont have approval on scripts only money. Hanks recalls. But first we had to pass muster with the Colonel, so we were invited to dinner by the music publishers Jean and Julian Aberbach, who also were tied in with the Colonel; they had started with Eddie Arnold, too, and met through that business relationship. I made sure that he was always in the public eye, and we had a lot of fun.'". 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). 2023 Variety Media, LLC. The Colonel - The Colonel After a lifetime of earning well over $100 million managing Elvis, The Colonel's estate was barely worth $1 million upon his death. In 1967, Parker pushed Elvis to marry Priscilla Beaulieu, hoping that it would help change the tide of his career. Parker used Jimmie to sidle up to Elvis and form a friendship to get Elvis to sign with Parker and the elder Snow, who were then business partners. Its the blues! Variety fried it. Butler is superb in the role and actually sings Presleys early songs in the film. Related: The Darkest Moments In Oscars History. Would you say Elvis was growling when he covered Hound Dog three years later, in 1956, becoming the first of the big hits he had with your songs? Was the Variety review of the New York show, or was it the out-of-town tryout in L.A.? But a few of them started playing them all the time. The second take was perfect. I think thats what we sent to (Presley), and he loved it. The Black-white divide didnt mean much to the Presleys. He could turn down scripts. While proving to be a frequent challenge for Parker, Elvis and the Colonel stuck together. Acclaimed author of several books about Elvis including the recently re-issued, 'The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley' (Interview by Kees Mouwen, Nigel Patterson and Paul Belard. Was there a late 50s concert riot in which Elvis deliberately disobeyed Parkers orders not to move around or wiggle on stage? Anyway, one of us said, Uh, Big Mama, you know, you could growl it, and she said, Dont be telling me how to sing the blues! [The version Leiber and Stoller relay in their memoir has a little more lewdness to the response.] In fact, in my book I included a chapter entitled, The Parker Propaganda Machine. It outlines how Parker promoted, marketed, and booked Elvis in ways that undeniably made possible Presleys meteoric rise in show business. Only then did the Presley-Parker partnership make a triumphant return to television and, soon after that, to the concert stage. Would Elvis have gone to Black Pentecostal tent meetings as a kid, as seen in the film? Some people have said the movie undersells Elvis country and crooner influences to make him look like almost solely the product of blues and R&B. ", Luhrmann similarly saw the dynamic as one on a grand scale that defied any simple construct of villainy. Well, wed had it pulled over already, a few times. Tom Parker wasn't a household name before Elvis, but it's clear that after the biopic, it soon will be. The piece by Michael Fessier, Jr., carried the headline, Elvis Hits $20,000,000 Gross Jackpot. The articles first three paragraphs broke down the various amounts and sources of Presleys income since 1956, with the total having reached the $20 million mark by the end of 1963. "The promotion. Theres about three different uses of Hound Dog, including the original Big Mama Thornton version, and of course theres some Jailhouse Rock in there. No one is probably expecting that; any practiced watcher of biopics knows virtually any example will take deep liberties with the facts for dramatic purposes. Tom Hank's Col Tom Parker accent : r/Elvis - Reddit Did Parkers accent really sound like the one Tom Hanks is using in the film? Elvis picked up an impressive seven Oscar nominations. The Tom Hanks Tom Parker portrayal is certainly one of the highlights of the movie, giving audiences something they aren't used to seeing from the actor. Elvis kind of liked Jimmie. Its shown as being Parkers idea to get him away for a while to put a lid on the sexual energy and image. What turned Colonels head, though, was a report from his old friend Oscar Davis, who went to Memphis in October 1954 to advance an Arnold appearance at Ellis Auditorium, and saw how Elvis packed a local dive, the Eagles Nest, night after night with screaming women. And because he had these socialist inclinations, he went off and became a superstar as an American rockstar who decided to become a communist behind the Iron Curtain. 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. I dont like the choice of all the songs. Whats your overall feeling on the movies truth-ometer? 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Yes, it was manager Colonel Tom Parker who had his reasons for finally cutting Leiber and Stoller out of Presley's creative camp after 1963, none of them good. "But having seen the movie, I notice something profoundly different every time. But she got it. 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? We can get Singer sewing machines as long as you sing a song about Christmas, that's all we need. Dean Reed was an incredibly handsome guy. Colonel knew what Elvis was doing and going to do. Were Elvis primary music influences almost all Black artists, as portrayed in the movie? The music publishers for Elvis were there. Also pictured: Scotty Moore, Judy Tyler, Bill Black, Mickey Shaughnessy and D.J. '", Luhrmann's instinct was right. My guess is that, if Elvis had been Black, he wouldnt have been as interested, because it would have been harder to take him to a larger audience, especially in the segregated South, which was Parkers stronghold from his days on the carnival circuit. When Parker crony Gabe Tucker threw a magazine piece on the Colonels desk that insinuated that Elvis was gay, Parker didnt say a word until his friend stopped sputtering. Of course, we werent in the studio when she did Kansas City [in 1962]; there was a Quincy Jones chart on that. Theres a story behind you two trying to cajole Thornton into singing it a certain way, which she didnt take kindly to it at first? Leiber died in 2011 but, creeping up on 90, Stoller remains active still showing up to collect the few accolades he hasnt already received, like the Icon award BMI bestowed upon him at its annual ceremony in May, and also working on a stage musical he doesnt want to say much about at the moment. Colonel Tom Parker managed Elvis Presley 's career from 1955 to 1977, overseeing almost every aspect of the star's life. The Tom Hanks Tom Parker portrayal was a shocking one. Theyre having it both ways. The Elvis version became a smash while you were overseas and blissfully unaware. He liked B.B. Thomas Andrew Parker (born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk; June 26, 1909 - January 21, 1997), [1] commonly known as Colonel Parker, was a Dutch musical entrepreneur, best known for being Elvis Presley 's manager. King, Xavier Samuel as Scotty Moore, and Kodi Smit-McPhee as Jimmie Rodgers Snow. The issue of his choices to include in his repertoire would become important to signify his talent. Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's Manager : 1993 As Presley's fame grew, people became interested in Parker as well. I'm just going to say, sir, it is always a pleasure to talk with you. Yeah, they liked us a lot. continues Hanks. And heres a guy who carries his pictures by himself the rest of the guys on the list have three or four stars to back them up., Fessier pointed out that the Presley-Parker partnership was one of the few in Hollywood that confined its demands to money. He did make him by 1961 a talent that would reign eternally, probably a career that could be of import for 20 years. Tom Parker Is Dead at 87; Controlled Presley's Career And when he said that, I said, 'Oh, well, okay, now that's brand new.". I thought you guys did such a great job. But he worked closely with the Pentagon, planning Elvis army career and post-army concert to raise money for the U.S.S. And I called, I think, Jack Viertel, because we had been working on a totally different kind of project a ballet musical which never got finished and I said, Listen, I dont like it. Check him out. Love him or loathe him, Elvis manager Colonel Tom Parker was good for Vegas Stand by Me as the song for the royal wedding, where they had the Black choir singing it, that was apparently Meghan Markles choice as the song for their wedding. But living in a colored neighborhood, as he did, he certainly heard early R&B, jump-blues and swing tunes pulsating through the walls at the nearby juke joints, and he loved it, as he did both Black and white gospel. Mike Stoller plays the pianist in the film Jailhouse Rock with Elvis Presley. "What he did was keep Elvis alive," Luhrmann explains of how he saw Parker's mindset. It became a big hit. "Elvis is like playing Jesus, and it doesn't really matter who plays Pontius Pilate," says Hanks. However, Hanks, who has six prior nominations and won twice, was snubbed for his role as Colonel Tom Parker. In an. When Elvis returned home from the Army, The Colonel focused on more films, TV appearances, and albums, saturating the airwaves with Elvis. Once a big crowd saw Elvis perform, there was a demand for his record. ", "Why include the Colonel in all of this?" He claimed that at least 50% of his share went right back into the business of promoting Elvis office expenses, advertising and exploitation, etc. Elvis cut, said Parker, goes straight to the Memphis accountants., "Look you got a product, you sell it. Baz Luhrmann is much like Colonel Parker. Yeah, I think it was Ghost of a Chance. (The Hard Way is also on record as a temporary title.) In Elvis, out June 24, we get a portrait not only of the rise and fall of Elvis (Austin Butler), but also of his manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), and the co-dependent relationship between the two. 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? And he continued to go see Black performers, such as Jackie Wilson, throughout his life. Unfortunately, Jerry and I didnt complete a show we were working on about Oscar Wilde, and its kind of sitting in our back pockets. He literally never made any artistic suggestion to Elvis. Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. The Masked Lookalike Explained. He was the American that we all knew." And he pretty much disappeared after we started talking and telling him what to do or suggesting this and that; he just took off. I told him that if were doing so badly maybe next year he wouldnt want us at all, said the Colonel, and we better get all we can while we can and I hiked the price. 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. "The Colonel is like Falstaff with a chainsaw. Steven Weintraub launched Collider in the summer of 2005. The Tom Hanks Tom Parker portrayal was certainly a different type of role for the actor, who is known for taking on characters like the sunny Mr. Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. In 1958, Parker encouraged Elvis to voluntarily enlist in the Army (part of Elvis' true story) after he received a draft notice and serve a two-year stint as a regular soldier, showing the world that he was just like any average American. What he didn't do later on in the 60's and to a degree in the 70's was go to this wickedly, incredibly singular talent, worthy of altering the zeitgeist in the mid-1950s. So that started a little bit of discomfort on the part of the Colonel. That urge to write for the theater never went away, if youre doing it now. Elvis Presley: TRUTH about Colonel Parker and '50 per cent' cut And then they asked us to write for a movie that became Loving You, when it was renamed after the song that we wrote. Me Im happy being able to buy the groceries., As for the reports of declining returns on Elvis movies, Parker didnt believe them. The purpose here is not to recap the relationship between Parker and Presley. Is there a song you wrote for Elvis youre proud of that doesnt get as much attention? Did the Colonel live out his later years being sickly in casinos, as portrayed in the movies framing device? Hanks on Wednesday (Dec. 16) dropped byThe Late Show With Stephen Colbertto promote his latest film,News of the World, but he also chatted about other topics, such as the upcoming Elvis picture starring Austin Butler in which he plays the late genius and a scoundrel Parker.
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