During the week-long visit, Parker was informed by Adam van Kuijk that their mother had died three years earlier in 1958, never knowing what happened to her son after he left the Netherlands for good in 1929. [52] In Las Vegas, he was starting to appear drugged on stage, slurring his words and forgetting song lyrics. February 27, 2023 . While it sometimes borders on cartoonish parody, with Hanks seemingly becoming a supervillain of sorts, it fits the overall style and narrative of Director Baz Luhrmann's movie. He negotiated Presley's lucrative merchandising deals, TV appearances, and acting roles in films. Even so, he continued to sell out shows and hit the Top 10 charts. . Phillips told them to make a separate deal with Elvis. The show, titled "Welcome Home, Elvis", was Presley's first national television appearance since The Ed Sullivan Show in January 1957. The Masked Lookalike Explained. Parker hoped that marriage would not only boost Presley's career but also possibly tame him. He died in 1997 at the age of 87. 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. [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. [35] All of these stories were fabrications, but it kept his name in view of the public. [52], In February 1975, during his engagement in Las Vegas, Presley, along with Parker, met with Barbra Streisand and Jon Peters. [37] He envisioned him as an entertainment machine, pumping out three films and soundtracks a year, until the end of the decade. He made him join the Army after Elvis was offered an out by the Memphis draft board. Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's . I wanted to punch him in the face. Hanks said, "I was anticipating hearing horror stories about this venal, cheap crook. Parker struggled with a gambling addiction while keeping Elvis on a short leash, halting the singer from touring overseas and pushing him into cheap projects that were frequently averse to what the artist wanted to be a part of, eventually taking 50% of Elvis' earnings, of which they both agreed upon. The actor has talked about the project, what drew him to it, and how he felt about the overall story. [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. While Presley was serving in West Germany, Parker was hard at work keeping Presley's name known to the public. 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. ( Elvis' Manager ) Alpha 11 201K subscribers Subscribe 2.3K Share 313K views 5 years ago Colonel Tom Parker managed Elvis Presley for the majority of. [51] In her book, The Colonel, she writes: "in the days before the Betty Ford Clinic, the Colonel didn't know where to take him for discreet, effective help and loathed risking the loss of work if the truth got out". And when he said that, I said, 'Oh, well, okay, now that's brand new.". When critics questioned this arrangement and that Parker was exploiting Presley for more money because of greed, Presley quipped "I could have signed with East Coast Entertainment where they take 70 percent! With 1956 coming to a close, Parker had made Presley one of the most well-known, well-paid entertainers in the world. [69] In October 1990, Parker married Loanne Miller, his secretary since 1972. He had expressed interest in making films when he first met Parker, and now Parker was working to make that happen. 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. Elvis Presley had his own struggles, particularly in his later years, as his lavish spending, addiction issues, divorce, and declining health took a toll on The King. [55] Although Parker publicly denied these claims, he had been in talks with Peter Grant, the manager of Led Zeppelin, about the possibility of him overseeing a European tour for Presley. 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 . [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. "I had the luxury of essentially recreating somebody who no one really knew. [15] Both Mercury Records and Columbia Records showed interest, although their initial offers were nowhere near the $40,000 requirement. 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. [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. [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. [53] Hulett's company had managed tours for Presley, and he had worked with artists such as Led Zeppelin. [50] Author Alanna Nash suggests that one of the reasons Parker didn't do more is because he may have just not known how to handle the situation. 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. [52] Angered by this outburst, Parker declared: "You can't fire me. [4][5] Parker's final years were spent living in Las Vegas, in increasingly poor health before his death in 1997. [15], In early 1955, Parker became aware of a young singer, Elvis Presley. [17] In the beginning, Presley, Moore, and the bassist Bill Black were a trio, the Blue Moon Boys. I said 'Yeah'. [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. 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. 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's a very smart man. [15] RCA Victor, Hank Snow's current label, also showed an interest, but they were put off by the cost of the contract. [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. 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. [52], Although many around Presley were worried about his worsening drug dependency, Parker appeared to ignore the problem. After that, his crippling gambling habit caught up with him, and Parker died nearly penniless. The contract, dated July 12, 1954, eight days after their first recording session, was signed by Presley and his parents. While the . More: Does Elvis Have An After Credits Scene? He arranged for Presley to appear on popular television shows, such as The Milton Berle Show and The Ed Sullivan Show, securing fees that made Presley the highest-paid star on television. [citation needed] After a cold reception during his first few shows,[30] Parker cut Presley's appearance to two weeks. [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] Over the next few years, he helped Arnold secure hit songs, television appearances, and live tours. [4] At age 17, he first displayed signs of wanting to run away to the United States to "make his fortune". [46], On July 8, 1972, inspired by the visit of President Richard Nixon to China a few months earlier,[47] Parker announced that there would be a worldwide satellite broadcast from Hawaii to allow the whole world the chance to see a Presley concert, "since it is impossible for us to play in every major city". [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. The Masked Lookalike Explained, Every Baz Luhrmann Movie, Ranked According To Box Office Mojo, Tom Hanks' Tom Parker isn't his usual role. 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. [50] However, it wasn't long before Presley was able to find other doctors to meet his demands. However, they had a dispute over an incident Presley had done on stage, and Parker was about to get fired. Guralnick, Peter (1994). "It wasn't good at all," she said of Parker's control. And now I need to locate my wallet, because I noticed there was no ticket booth on the way in here, but I'm sure that the Colonel must have arranged for some toll on the way out. [5] However, Judge Joseph Evans, aware that Lisa Marie Presley was still a minor, appointed attorney Blanchard E. Tual to investigate Parker's management. Elvis is signed exclusively to the Colonel. [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. His films still made money and his albums still sold well, but the profits were falling. He is passionate about film, comics, TV and spends way too much on collectibles. [56] Shortly afterward, he traveled to Memphis for Presley's funeral. QUICK FACTS Birth Year: 1909 Birth date: June 26, 1909 Birth City: Breda Birth. Parker was able to receive more than half of the income from the enterprise, an unprecedented figure for a music manager. [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. [60] However, he did occasionally bother them by criticizing some decisions. 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. 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. Parker's main role during these tours was to plan the logistics and make sure tickets were sold. Parker had unknowingly backed himself into a financial corner. Austin offered Parker the opportunity to move to Nashville, Tennessee, where music was becoming a big business, but for reasons unknown Parker turned him down. The Colonel seized on the moment and put Elvis back on tour, eventually settling on a residency in Las Vegas and a non-stop barrage of venues and recordings that took the singer to the brink, as he deteriorated into a mockery of his former self. [14], Through the fundraising, Parker headed to Tennessee to find acts to perform at his charity events,[14] among them stars such as Minnie Pearl and Eddy Arnold. [16] He arranged live appearances and became something of a father figure to the then-15-year-old Sands. Nash portrays the Colonel as a psychopathic murderer born June 26, 1909 in Breda, Holland, whose real name is Andreas "Andre" Cornelis van Kuijk. After Elvis's drug-related death in 1977, Parker virtually retired and only occasionally emerged to defend his role as Presley's mentor. 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. And I know it wasn't him, but it's true. Parker returned to the carnival (one not-too-dissimilar to the 1950s carnival in American Horror Story thanks to the setting), where he made his living for a time before getting involved in music promotion, working with the likes of Gene Austin, Minnie Pearl, Eddy Arnold, and Hank Snow. [12] He was a successful promoter, but he wanted to move into management.[12]. 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. He died of complications from the stroke[72] the following morning at a hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada, at age 87. 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. [26], In April 1956, Parker made his first mistake with Presley's career. [35] He was reportedly afraid that Presley would realize that there were other managers available prepared to sign contracts that did not require as much as 25% of his earnings. During the interview, Parker said that he was not aware that another one of his sisters, Adriana van Kuijk, had died in the Netherlands a few years before. "Last Train to Memphis". 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. There are probably a number of reasons for this. [44] He offered RCA Records the opportunity to buy Presley's entire back catalog for $5.4 million. [18] A one-year management contract with Presley provided Moore with a 10-percent commission, which Moore said he never took. Parker's net worth when he died was $1 million. [53] Despite this, however, the deal never materialized. But, after he gave a detailed invoice to Elvis, the star realized he couldn't pay Parker, so they continued collaborating. [33], Presley had been showing signs of rebellion against Parker, and Parker believed that a stint in the Army would cure him of this. According to Presley's biographer Peter Guralnick, Presley and Parker "were really like, in a sense, a married couple, who started out with great love, loyalty, respect that lasted for a considerable period of time, and went through a number of stages until, towards the end of Presley's life, they should have walked away. In 1963, Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's audacious manager who had gotten his start selling candy apples in carnivals, read in the paper that Franklin Delano Roosevelt's presidential yacht, the U.S.S. The Tom Hanks Tom Parker portrayal has caused quite a bit of controversy upon the film's release. [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. Oh, I just pictured Elvis, like, singing it. [4] From about 1931 until 1938, he worked as a "carny" with Royal American Shows. [15], A young singer, Tommy Sands, caught Parker's eye in 1952, and Parker immediately set about promoting him. ", "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. [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. Later in 1975, the government of Saudi Arabia offered Parker $5 million for Presley to perform there. Parker found ways to market Elvis through merchandise, TV appearances, and films, always working in some kind of cross-promotion to make more money off the endeavor. Parker encountered Presley in 1955, and by 1956 had become his primary representative. [6] He was the son of Maria Elisabeth (Ponsie) and Adam van Kuijk. Thats insane! 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. He also pocketed some $6 million on a deal for Elvis'. [26] With over 78 different possibilities, from charm bracelets to record players, Presley merchandise brought in $22 million by the end of 1956. Potomac, was going to be salvaged. This is because Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker, had previously arranged a deal to sell those to RCA for $5.4 million, out of which only $1.35 million went to Elvis after Parker's 50% fee and income taxes. 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. Parker's Net Worth When He Died Was $1 Million. [5] The case against Parker was settled out of court in 1983, with the estate paying him $2 million ($5,441,363 in 2021 dollars[11])[5] in exchange for all Presley audio recordings or visual images that he owned[4] and the termination of his involvement in any Presley related earnings for five years. [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%. Related: Why Elvis' Reviews Are So Positive. Dolly admitted: "I cried all night. [33] He also realized that it would be a great opportunity to promote Presley by having the media witness his induction day, including the Army haircut that would see the most famous hair style in the world destroyed.[33]. [4], "Colonel Tom Parker rubbed my head in Vegas", Eddie Murphy stated in 1989. Related: Elvis True Story: Who Was Orion? And Priscilla Presley confirmed those rumors while chatting with Good Morning America. [16] Remembering his previous experience with Sands, Sholes dismissed Sands as a viable replacement for Presley.[16]. 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. Tom Parker didn't enjoy a good reputation even after being associated with one of the legendary artists that history has ever seen. Adam van Kuijk died from emphysema in 1992, never seeing or visiting Parker again.[63]. [44] These live performances, as well as being financially satisfying, also allowed Parker to fulfill Presley's recording contract with RCA Victor. [62], One of Parker's brothers, Adam "Ad" van Kuijk, visited Parker once in Los Angeles in April 1961. 1931 until 1938, he worked as a viable replacement for Presley to perform there what happened to colonel tom parker after elvis died able. 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