At the beginning of 57, wed taken a trip to New York and rented a suite and even rented a piano to put in there. 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. 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. 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. Yes and no. He was both a genius and a scoundrel, Hanks said of Parker, Elvis only manager. You were business guys as well as writer-producers, and you were not nave enough to have the wool pulled off your eyes, even if you were still in your early 20s. 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.] 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. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. 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. Colonel Parker is seen as under pressure from secretive governmental forces who want to keep Elvis from corrupting youth and to try to get him to tamp down Presley, they threaten to expose. It certainly was a big question mark then as to whether people would accept a jukebox musical that had no book at all. But I thought the next one was pretty good, King Creole. It was a better script, better story. Well, Parker finally said, Did they spell his name right?. Tom Hanks Was Surprised By Priscilla Presley's Feelings About Elvis He's never been identified as anything other than this mercurial or puppeteer-like, quasi-evil, greedy manager that took advantage of Elvis from the get-go. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Tom Hanks during Tuesday's July 14, 2020 show. 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? Why AI Has Some Viewers Asking Which Film Actors Are Real. Elviss first manager, Bob Neal, told me that he had a heck of a time getting stations to play Elviss first single. A proud father, a combat veteran, dog lover, gym rat, coffee enthusiast and all around equal opportunity doughnut devourer, you can follow his daily exploits on Twitter and Instagram, as well as YouTube Videos on The Arctic Ninja Network. 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. Colonel Parker is the devil to many Elvis Presley fans. In 1983, he was paid $2 million dollars in an out-of-court settlement, which had him turn over any and all audio and video recordings he had of Elvis and terminated his involvement in any Elvis-related earnings for five years. Monday at 10:00, you're going to be on set and you're going to be committing to film forever the emotional spine of the movie. "But he had no other client than Elvis Presley, and he lacked the imagination to see just how truly a greater social force Elvis could have been.". But the more I read about the Colonel, it was about the sell overwhelming the other side. 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. In contrast to Butler, who had to craft a version of a man everyone recognizes, Hanks had the freedom to start from scratch. Does it veer off in ways that seem unnecessary? Hanks recalls. Colonel Parker is the devil to many Elvis Presley fans. One of the offers he turned down was for Elvis to appear on the small screen for $150,000. Yeah, thats true. In fact, Colonel didnt even have to go down to the casino. 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. 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. And there's the fault that I think also has to land in both of them because Elvis could have said no. People are so used to hearing it within the polite context of Christmas radio that they dont think about what a down-and-dirty, raw song that is. Or were there things he did right that he merits credit for? Elvis movie: Tom Hanks' 'thrilling' take on Colonel Tom Parker teased A nice thing is that the characters names are the real names of the first cast, and its kind of sweet those first members of the cast have been immortalized. As opposed to the more methodical camera coverage Hanks is accustomed to, Luhrmann is more free-wheeling. Other than the tremendous pains Baz has taken to make this story seem woke, the liberties are essentially fair except to Parker. I got to really appreciate Elvis. He also says in the film that if he could find an act that gave the audience feelings they werent sure they should enjoy, but did, he could create the greatest show on earth. And I don't think it had been done the most righteous justice in order to capture why Elvis was this bend in the river of American culture. Thats total and unequivocal bunk, a complete invention in the movie. We'll make a lot of money." Is the portrayal of Elvis relationship with Priscilla, however briefly that is dramatized, basically accurate? "Baz said, 'There would've been no Colonel Tom Parker without Elvis. But she got it. I Want to Be Free had a kind of special meaning, because we wanted to get out of the goddamn hotel room! You think you're going to get fired and nothing works. Whats your overall feeling on the movies truth-ometer? He was a fabulous singer, fabulous performer, and very special and hes very hot, again, still. Alex Shoofey, the executive VP of the International, testified that Parker was good for $1 million a year in gambling, but others think that number is low. Hard to do. With B.B. You always preferred Big Mamas version, right? Colonel Parker Managed Elvis' Career, but Was He a Killer on the Lam? Yeah, they liked us a lot. 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. Interview with Colonel Tom Parker | Elvis Presley's Manager | 1987 But we were having too much of a ball, going to jazz clubs and going to the theater, and hanging out with Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler. Scene is from the set of the Presley movie, Love Me Tender.. So I went to Europe for three or four months with my first wife, who I had just married a year before. "And I told Baz, 'But you're describing Falstaff and Hal,' and Baz said, 'Exactly, except with millions of dollars thrown into it. When other songs from the catalog show up in contemporary usage out of nowhere, it must be beyond surprising you. Did Parker talk of things in carnival or carnie or conman terms as much as he does in this movie? 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. Tom Hanks is playing Elvis Presley manager "Colonel Tom" Parker in the upcoming Baz Luhrmann film, and to get a better idea of the infamous character, the actor had dinner with Priscilla. That led to a colossal shouting match afterwards with Parker and talk of firing and quitting on both their parts, with Colonel ultimately presenting a bill that the Presleys could not pay. Baz Luhrmann's musical biopic Elvis explores the eponymous singer's career, leading up to his tragic death, and one of the characters that has caused a fair amount of controversy is Elvis and the Colonel, Tom Parker. Mike Stoller plays the pianist in the film Jailhouse Rock with Elvis Presley. Theyre doing it in Connecticut now; a young lady who was in the show in London is directing it. 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. 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. "The gargantuan size and complexity of Parker would define the air for Elvis to be internal and spiritual," Luhrmann tells EW. And I hated the show. Fresh off portraying Sir John Falstaff in a Los Angeles production of Shakespeare's Henry IV, Parts One and Two, Hanks saw something Shakespearian in the dynamic. Of course, I had no idea what he was saying, much less remembered it. 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. There's a number of thematic elements there that All right. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. ", Hanks immersed himself in research about who the Colonel really was. A producer was complaining that an Elvis picture of his didnt do so well. Judge says Elvis' manager's profits were 'excessive' and 'shocking' - UPI ", "Why include the Colonel in all of this?" Paul Shirey is a senior news writer for Screen Rant. 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 success and downfall. 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. 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. That caused a big to-do, because they didnt want anybody presenting him with a song that they might not own the publishing rights to. 2023 Billboard Media, LLC. "I had a different layer of expectations.". ", For Butler, doing the heavy lifting as Presley, he saw the casting of Hanks as a stroke of brilliance in complicating the Colonel's villainy. Second, for a movie about a musician, Elvis also didn't receive any music nominations at the Oscars. 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. I think we maybe killed them! 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. And when he went down there, he was celebrated as though he himself was Elvis Presley. 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. One of the first things that we saw was the kid (in the screenplay) was in prison. How are you preparing for it? Less cash to Elvis, claimed the producer, would allow the use of a great script to get Presleys film career back on the right track. Do you think, based on your experiences with the Colonel, which werent great, that its easy to paint him as a villain? Per The Express, he was shocked when Elvis Presley became interested in 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu in 1959, fearing that the King would ruin his career like Jerry Lee Lewis when the latter married his 13-year-old second cousin in 1958. What Elvis Gets RightAnd WrongAbout the Real Colonel Tom Parker Check him out. One thing he did with me was to say, I want you to remember this. And then he launched into this carny double-speak that sounded kind of like pig Latin. He didnt care what color he was. "They made some of the most brilliant moves in the history of show business," he reflects. Elvis could sing whatever he wanted. Well, wed had it pulled over already, a few times. We were having brunch one day in the suite, and Jean Aberbach came in and said, Boys, where are the songs? And I think Jerry said, Dont worry, Jean, youll get em. He said, I know I will get them. Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. I was expecting to hear stories about the distrust she had for Colonel Tom Parker over these many years. Also pictured: Scotty Moore, Judy Tyler, Bill Black, Mickey Shaughnessy and D.J. Colonel Tom Parker Biographer Says Tom Hanks' Elvis Movie Accent Isn't 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. 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. Did Parker really have huge gambling debts he was able to pay off by committing Elvis to a single Vegas hotel for years before Presleys death? Oh, sure. 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. You are aware that this thing is going to be coming up and you corral all the emotional sheep slowly over the course of it. He liked it that Elvis did what brought folks into the big tent. I was a fan while my friends and peers were not. And then, of course, there was (the film) Jailhouse Rock (also retitled after a song Leiber and Stoller came up with), which was where Elvis heard the demos and wanted to meet us. So we hit it off and we had a great relationship. The past, present and future are all shook up like a 50s milkshake and served with a thousand straws! In 1967, Parker pushed Elvis to marry Priscilla Beaulieu, hoping that it would help change the tide of his career. Dean Reed was an incredibly handsome guy. By Ken Sharp "The King" is back in the forefront of popular culture with the new Baz Luhrmann bio pic Elvis starring Austin Butler as the hip-swiveling Memphis fireball of a singing sensation and Tom Hanks as notorious manager Colonel Tom Parker.. On the heels of the film's release comes a new re-pressing of the must-have book The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker . They went motorcycle riding together in Nashville. It sounded like a weird (Southern) regional dialect, and you would know it was Dutch only by listening for certain consonants. "What he did was keep Elvis alive," Luhrmann explains of how he saw Parker's mindset. Arizona monument. Fortunately I managed to get down a Jacobs ladder into a broken lifeboat. The 50 greatest TV and movie detectives of all time. The Colonel promoted Elviss first big tour with Hank Snow. "And the Colonel says, 'Because of me. The purpose here is not to recap the relationship between Parker and Presley. For a while he lied about his early years, claiming to have been born in Huntington, West Virginia and that he had run away at an early age to join a circus run by an uncle. 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? Luhrmann hasnt really given him his due by a long shot. 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. Hanks also reveals his dream project and its not what youre expecting. 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. 6 pop hit in 1955 for the group the Cheers). All Rights Reserved. But that gets telescoped in the movie. "But having seen the movie, I notice something profoundly different every time. HANKS: He was a promoter and not a manager. How about a credit? And Jerry Wexler said, But you wrote the song! You could never have predicted the longevity of Smokey Joes Caf, surely. Elvis had just as many white influences and announced as early as seventh grade that he was going to sing at the Grand Ole Opry. It was craps, roll the dice and see what you get and just keep going.". One was a 1956 radio interview that basically contains Parker's master plan for Presley's career. What can I say? And I went, 'I bet Tom Hanks would be into a playing a dark note on his instrument that no one could see coming. He then did the unthinkable, convincing Elvis' father, Vernon, to sign over control of Elvis' movie and singing "career" to him. And it still gets produced; it played in New York again in 2018 and in London last year. Stand by Me is never going away. You and Jerry started producing more things that you didnt write, including some rock albums of the 70s that people dont associate with you because they arent the old-school Leiber-Stoller sound like Stealers Wheel and Stuck in the Middle With You.. The Colonel wouldve made a movie like this you know, without Baz Luhrmanns ability or chops. Parker was eventually sued by the Elvis estate over mismanagement, which found his dealings over the years to be unethical and extortionate. Hanks was particularly intrigued by how little he (and by extension, the audience) knew about the Colonel. The timeline well, what timeline? The article then turned to a lengthy interview with Colonel Parker, who Fessier called the commander-in-chief of the Presley forces. Parker started out by explaining how Elvis earnings were divided in those movie-making days. "The promotion. Related: Why Elvis' Reviews Are So Positive. You and Jerry had projects you wanted to do for Broadway with original stories and song scores. But here was a guy that took him from the worst rental apartment in a bad part of town in Memphis and put him in Graceland, which is the mansion that's right there. Luhrmann describes another story in the aftermath of Presley's death where the Colonel immediately called RCA and instructed them to produce more records, knowing demand would skyrocket. Elvis clearly demonstrates the ways in which Parker was integral in crafting Presley into an icon, but it also doesn't hold back in exposing the abuses and limitations of that relationship a paradox and tragedy that Hanks says became the most intriguing driving force in his portrayal. And I would love to make a movie about that guy. Yeah, we did some that were very successful. 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. He took really great care of us. The Horrifying Elvis Story Tied To The Singer's Death - CINEMABLEND 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? The Colonel, who was neither a colonel nor named Tom Parker, was born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk in the Netherlands and came to the U.S. without documentation at the age of 20. Butler is superb in the role and actually sings Presleys early songs in the film. And I have asked people from Russia and Poland and said, "Are you familiar with the American singer, actor by the name of Dean Reed?" Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Elvis kind of liked Jimmie. More: Does Elvis Have An After Credits Scene? Johnny (Otis) said, Are you familiar with Willie Mae Thornton? I said, no. The film has a big focus on Elvis manager Colonel Parker, of course. He made him. But could you talk about that relationship at the beginning, he was instrumental merchandising, getting Elvis off the ground, thinking big. And you hate the director the first day and he's okay the second. The attitude towards the work that was Jerrys (lyrics) was, We cant use that, and other people might disagree with what he did or his take. 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. From your memoir, it sounds like Peggy Lee might have been the least fun? What is it like for you when you are getting ready to step on set for say a big emotional scene on a Monday, can you explain to me, is it weeks in advance you're thinking about that big scene? I do know that while researching for my book, The purpose here is not to recap the relationship between Parker and Presley. 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. So we wrote Jailhouse Rock, and then we wrote the others. There just werent a lot of other performers who could pull that off. After the divorce, Elvis and Priscilla had little shared experience other than arranging Lisa Maries visits. Hanks says Luhrmann's approach to the work also helped push him to new heights. But a few of them started playing them all the time. He did not know how to say no to someone who had already made all of his dreams come true. Its all a Baz Luhrmann fever dream. And he had what sounded like a slight lisp or speech impediment. Is it true, as portrayed, that Parker was consistently trying to pressure Elvis to tone down his sex appeal? Years later, I think in the 90s, we all went on a trip to Graceland and were given a private tour by Georgie Klein, who was one of Elvis Memphis mafia guys. But he also found rare footage of interviews Parker gave, which is how he hit on the accent that is so decidedly un-Hanks-like. The trade paper said, Just buy a boxed set of Phil Spector records instead. The Phil Spector line was the lowest blow of all. And then Jerry added: Screw Variety. I looked up the review, and it wasnt very prophetic, saying that things did not bode well for Smokey Joes Broadway aspirations. So maybe this is a place for you to get some official vindication. And I thought, wow, thats the most money Ill ever see at one time! 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. He. We thought we were the only white kids who knew all that stuff! There's no substitute for going there. To what extent Parker was guilty of such sins against Elvis, Im not qualified to say. He attended Elvis funeral dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and baseball cap, avoiding any display of emotion. What happened at Atlantic Records was, we said, You know, were making these records. He told me: There were times when B.B. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. So that started a little bit of discomfort on the part of the Colonel. A lot of the young Brits, the rockers, they were big fans of American rock n roll or rhythm and blues records. Related: Elvis True Story: Who Was Orion? The Colonel - The Colonel He cared about the reaction of the audience. First of all, when Colonel Parker enlisted in the U.S. Army, he declared himself a Dutch citizen, with parents born in Holland. I thought the way they used the song Trouble was very effective. Unfortunately, Jerry and I didnt complete a show we were working on about Oscar Wilde, and its kind of sitting in our back pockets. Related: The Darkest Moments In Oscars History. So we developed some protective mechanisms.

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