Tom Parker Is Dead at 87; Controlled Presley's Career Tom Hanks has built a reputation for disappearing into his roles. In 1967, Parker pushed Elvis to marry Priscilla Beaulieu, hoping that it would help change the tide of his career. "If Elvis represents the soul and the new in America the possibility in America, the rags and riches in America, all those positive, very American things the Colonel represents the sell," he says. And then I said, Well, we did also a few songs that we didnt write. They finally decided that we were producers. 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. Whats the real origin story of Parker hearing about and going to discover Elvis? He was a fabulous singer, fabulous performer, and very special and hes very hot, again, still. Here's why Colonel Tom Parker is so controversial. Listen, this guy was no fool! 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. "The question was, 'Why are we still talking about Elvis Presley?'" The pattern that Parker would traditionally follow was affordability and profit over quality, which would eventually help to torpedo Elvis' career for a time. We had a few run-ins with the Colonel. From your memoir, it sounds like Peggy Lee might have been the least fun? Its both sanitized and expanded. Fontana. He was a very disciplined man, but also a guy who you might want to check your wallet to make sure you still have all those fives and 10s. The actual Parker diedJan. 21, 1997, at the age of 87. 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. He didn't care what Elvis sang on stage. We found that a lot of the blues singers that we knew, he knew them also, which was a surprise to us. The Black-white divide didnt mean much to the Presleys. He mentions that church in the film. 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. You could never have predicted the longevity of Smokey Joes Caf, surely. ", Hanks immersed himself in research about who the Colonel really was. Second, for a movie about a musician, Elvis also didn't receive any music nominations at the Oscars. First of all, have you seen the Elvis movie? No. Im not a super rap fan. With B.B. This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter. Is there a song you wrote for Elvis youre proud of that doesnt get as much attention? He said, Dont worry, Ill fill it in later! [Laughs.] However, there were some interesting omissions from the award announcements. We never saw him again. ", Another guy says he has a script which would cinch an Oscar for Elvis and wouldnt we do it for less money. . In actuality, he worked the carnival circuit, presenting acts like Colonel Tom Parker and His Dancing Chickens, which saw the fowls jumping because they were on a hot plate hidden under sawdust. As opposed to the more methodical camera coverage Hanks is accustomed to, Luhrmann is more free-wheeling. Everybody's very familiar with it. Finally they asked her to do Joey Bishops show, and she said, Ill do it if I can do this song. She did, and boom, everybody responded. In the memoir you worked on with Jerry and David Ritz some years back, Ritz quotes you as saying: Variety called it a loser. We had no contract and we were not compensated, but it turned out OK. Dean Reed was an incredibly handsome guy. He also paid a visit to Little Richards home in California in the late 50s. Sure, of course. In the meantime, Colonel Parker had nixed all offers for Elvis to appear on stage, as he had for Presley to appear on TV. After a lifetime of earning well over $100 million managing Elvis, The Colonel's estate was barely worth $1 million upon his death. He was in for a surprise. And he had what sounded like a slight lisp or speech impediment. Elvis also stars Helen Thomson as Elviss mother, Gladys, Richard Roxburgh as Elviss father, Vernon, Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla Presley, Luke Bracey as Jerry Schilling, Natasha Bassett as Dixie Locke, David Wenham as Hank Snow, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as B.B. From the beginning, Luhrmann had Hanks on his shortlist. What Elvis Gets RightAnd WrongAbout the Real Colonel Tom Parker We were in the studio with her for Im a Woman [later in 62], and it worked out great. But before that he did have another big hit with a cover of one of your tunes, the ballad Love Me. Although Elvis sang it more seriously, It was surprising to read in your memoir that you had originally written Love Me as a country parody song a spoof of a subservient hillbilly who doesnt put up any objections to his lover treating him like garbage. HANKS: It's a beast, but you are aware of when that scene is coming. Yes and no. Within 30 minutes of their first meeting, Hanks was hooked. It was sad. 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. And that is the yin and the yang to his diabolical genius status. Love him or loathe him, Elvis manager Colonel Tom Parker was good for Vegas How about a credit? And Jerry Wexler said, But you wrote the song! Visit Billboard Pro for music business news, Kenny Loggins Talks Danger Zone Return For Top Gun: Maverick, Jim Carrey Says Will Smith Should Have Been Arrested for Chris Rock Oscars Slap, Pam & Tommy Director Lake Bell Explores Personal, Cathartic Episode Four. It became a big hit. Peter (2018), So maybe we never win an Oscar but were going to win a few box office awards. And the movies I mean, naturally I liked Jailhouse Rock, but I dont think it was a great movie. Didnt he ask to become the manager of Leiber and Stoller, too and, as the story goes, he presented you with a completely blank contract? Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action, Baz Luhrmann clarifies not casting Harry Styles as Elvis, hopes to work with him in the future. 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? But they all tended to be the same kind of story. The Masked Lookalike Explained. That convinced him this would be an opportunity to truly disappear into a different kind of role. 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. Elvis kind of liked Jimmie. The branding. The writer explained, Once a deal is made, the studio takes complete control of a film, the Presley camp having no say so on cast, script or production costs., Colonel Parker confirmed that Elvis had no creative say in his films. shown as being Parkers idea to get him away for a while to put a lid on the sexual energy and image. Reportedly, Hanks was approached by movie director Baz Luhrmann, and after a short conversation, the actor was hooked. 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. There was a precursor to [Smokey Joes Cafe] that was done up in Seattle. Now hes after us for two more., The Colonel went on to tell a story about a producer who wanted to trim down Elvis film fee. Well, wed had it pulled over already, a few times. During the interview, Hanks talked about the way Parker was a promoter and not a manager, why Elvis never fired him, and how he prepares for a really emotional scene. So its a perfect chance to catch up with Stoller,who wrote the music to Jerry Leibers lyrics on two dozen Presley songs, including the classics Hound Dog, Jailhouse Rock, Trouble, Treat Me Nice, Love Me, Loving You, Santa Claus Is Back in Town, Bossa Nova Baby and (Youre So Square) Baby I Dont Care. No other writers are so closely associated with the King, even if their run of collaborations with Elvis was ultimately cut short by want to hazard a guess? 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. But there is some history with Varietys initial bad review that maybe we should bring up. And again, he did not advise Elvis on any aspect of his performance. 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. Austin Butler on Elvis and Why it Took Months After Filming to Find Himself Again, The Best Epic Movies of All Time, According to the AFI, The 25 Best Thrillers of All Time, Ranked, The Legend Behind the Jerry Lewis Holocaust Clown Movie Youll Never See. He might have gone to Black churches with his friend, Sam Bell, in Tupelo, as a kid. 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.] Even if the memory of Elvis Presley were completely wiped away, like the Beatles in that Yesterday movie, this pairing would still be in the history books and collective consciousness for Stand by Me, On Broadway, There Goes My Baby, Young Blood, Kansas City, Love Potion #9, Yakety Yak, Charlie Brown, Im a Woman, Ruby Baby, Is That All There Is? and other numbers deeply embedded in pop culture from the mid-50s forward. In Parker's version of his life story, he had run away from home to join a circus, where he worked with elephants and horses. It was never a well-organized hand of poker. Parker wanted to make Elvis clean-cut after he came back from the army in part because when Elvis went into the army, neither Elvis nor Parker thought rock n roll would last. The 89-year-old co-writer of "Jailhouse Rock," "Hound Dog," "Trouble" and 20 more Presley tracks recalls hitting it off with Presley and alienating his manager as well as successes like the Broadway smash "Smokey Joe's Cafe. Which I thought was weird, at the time. We can get Singer sewing machines as long as you sing a song about Christmas, that's all we need. The Tom Hanks Tom Parker portrayal was a shocking one. But there was never a Christmas sweater or a fairy-tale Christmas set. Then we worked with her seven years later after she was no longer at Capitol [on the critically hailed, little heard A&M concept album Mirrors). As a matter of fact, when we were in Paris, I heard Edith Piaf at LOlympia doing a French translation of Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots, called LHomme a la Moto The Man on the Motor Scooter which was a big thrill. While director Baz Luhrmann's take on the complex dynamic between Elvis and the Colonel goes far behind the black-and-white shades of good and evil, what makes it even more compelling is that the grotesque figure of Tom Parker is played by, arguably, the most beloved actor of the last 40 years, Tom Hanks. 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. And when he said that, I said, 'Oh, well, okay, now that's brand new.". Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action Little Mermaid with a new generation's Ariel. Baz Luhrmann Talks 'Elvis' With Maureen Dowd - The New York Times But you ought to see it, because theres something happening with these songs in this theater. You know, there wasnt much rock n roll or rhythm and blues in these theatrical productions that I knew of at that time. What dreams do you have? 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. Read Next: Pink Performs Acoustic Set for No Kid Hungry, Talks Why Her Upcoming Arena Tour Will Feel Intimate. Tom Hanks is playingElvis Presley manager Colonel Tom Parker in the upcomingBaz Luhrmann film, and to get a better idea of the infamous character, the actor had dinner withPriscilla Presley. Theres about three different uses of Hound Dog, including the original Big Mama Thornton version, and of course theres some Jailhouse Rock in there. 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. Colonel Tom Parker Biographer Says Tom Hanks' Elvis Movie Accent Isn't It certainly was a big question mark then as to whether people would accept a jukebox musical that had no book at all. And that's what you do in order to get there on Monday at 10:00. If youd like to follow Steven on Twitter or Instagram, you can expect plenty of breaking news, exclusive interviews, and pictures of cats doing stupid things. I must say, Jean Aberbach was instrumental in us doing that, just by saying, Youre not leaving till I have them., Something else you wrote on the fly, on demand, that has endured well for 65 years: Santa Claus Is Back in Town., Yeah, we did that in a hurry, also. That interview gets at the heart of what both Hanks and Luhrmann wanted to say about the Colonel and the give-and-take between manager and artist. Its the blues! Never one to miss an opportunity to make money off of his prized client, Colonel Tom Parker jumped on Elvis' death as a marketing cash grab. 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. In their rush to denounce him for failing his client in later years, many Elvis fans forget that there may not have been an Elvis Presley were it not for Tom Parkers work in those early days. I thought you guys did such a great job. Directed by Baz Luhrmann, the movie is not a traditional musician biopic as it's a film that explores Elvis Presley's rise through the eyes of his manager. 1 hit in 1953 with Big Mama Thorntons Hound Dog, which you wrote for her. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. I recently spoke with Baz Luhrmann to discuss the 20th . "You can see Colonel Parker as despicable, but when it's Tom, he's such an incredible actor, that he can justify everything and he's not playing a bad guy in his mind," says Butler. Is it fantasy that he was constantly seeing or meeting up with all these important artists? So we went to dinner with the Colonel, and we had to laugh at his jokes, and then I guess we passed muster, so it was all right. Tom Hanks has questioned his decision to play Colonel Tom Parker who was Elvis Presley's infamous longtime manager in the upcoming biopic "Elvis." The 65-year-old Oscar winner discussed. What idea?" Remember, he entered a talent contest as a child singing Old Shep warbling about dead dogs is about as country as it gets. As long as the studios come up with the loot well make the deal. I ended up being the piano player on screen in the movie Jailhouse Rock. And so (on-set) Elvis asked me, Write me a real pretty ballad. That was on a Friday. He was ascoundrel in his way, Hanks said. I thought it should have said directed by, like a film, because we werent funding it, like a films producers. 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. Tom Hanks' portrayal of Elvis' manager Colonel Tom Parker in the 2022 biopic created controversy - here's the true story behind Hanks' Tom Parker. They hurl a litany of accusations at Presleys former manager he took too much of Elvis money, he mismanaged Elvis movie career, he pressured Elvis to work when he was in poor health, he even tried to capitalize on Elvis name after he died. All Rights Reserved. Parker had no passport and couldnt go and didnt trust any other promoter to take him. Read Next: Super Mario Bros. Movie Officially Smashes $1 Billion Globally, Shonka Dukureh as Big Mama Thornton in Elvis, Helping Elvis Presley, right, cut a straight furrow is his business manager and confidant, Colonel Tom Parker of Madison, Tenn. on January 7, 1957. I thought the way they used the song Trouble was very effective. It'll blow you out of your mind. But Baz wanted to make him seem more other. Or as Baz told me in an interview, I thought it was very important that Tom present the audience with a strangeness, a sort of What is going on with this guy?. Hard to do. Elvis Presley: TRUTH about Colonel Parker and '50 per cent' cut The Colonel promoted Elviss first big tour with Hank Snow. He was a wonderful man, and I wish he was alive today. Carl Gardner was the rube or the straight man. That potential is what interests him. But could you talk about that relationship at the beginning, he was instrumental merchandising, getting Elvis off the ground, thinking big. But we had recorded it with a Black duo, who were out of a gospel group, that we got to do a secular song we called em Willy & Ruth on our own little Spark Records label that we had with Lester Sill. And it was the Colonel just wanting to do more low-budget stuff and crank it out. Of course, I had no idea what he was saying, much less remembered it. Not a singer-songwriter, Elvis' rep suffered because to do both became prerequisite after the Beatles. The only time Parker got critical is when the shows began to falter with drugs or erratic behavior on stage. He had a matter-of-fact method of speaking and didn't suffer fools lightly. In an. You think you're going to get fired and nothing works. No, it never did. We dont have approval on scripts only money. The timeline well, what timeline? That's the thought that he had. In a way, sure. But yes, adolescent Elvis listened to all kinds of music, from the Ink Spots to Dean Martin. Because Shakespearean villains are never just a bad guy. Later, in Memphis, he certainly attended a white fundamentalist church, and with his early girlfriend, Dixie Locke the all-Black East Trigg Baptist Church to hear Black gospel. Elvis Presley's manager Colonel Tom Parker, whose sole client was the King, has long been said to have taken 50 per cent of all the rock 'n' roll icon's earnings.When asked about the deal . 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.

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