8 million, approximately $69. I dont think that theres any doubt he killed that woman, said Lamar Fike, a member of Elvis Presleys Memphis Mafia. February 24, 2012 Colonel Tom Parkerthe title was awarded to him by Louisiana Governor Jimmie Davis in 1948 for political services renderedclaimed until 1982 to have been born in West. Very handsome, I lied. He was 87. Did Colonel Parker Steal from Elvis? (& How Much Did He Earn from The The second show sold out. SCROLL TO TAKE THE ULTIMATE TOM JONES QUIZ - PUT YOUR KNOWLEDGE TO THE TEST. Parker died in 1997 at the age of 87. Baz Luhrmanns Elvis stars Austin Butler as the hip-swiveling titular hound dog and Tom Hanks as his manager Colonel Tom Parker. 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 had returned from his visit to the Colonel so remarkably tight-lipped. By the end of 1956, Elvis had generated nearly $22 million in revenue, more than any other singer that year. He was a carny to the last, even if for one second, unlike with FDRs old Potomac, he had presented the side he never wanted to show. In 1932, he had gone absent without leave and served several months in military prison for desertion. 2 million in modern currency. As we have stated, he did not technically steal from him, as it was all written in the contracts they had, but he did exploit him and threaten to bankrupt him if he decided to alter the conditions of their deal. If something troubled him too much, he was able to store it in a back corner of his consciousness, though he always had trouble keeping it there. Answer (1 of 4): The show must go on. Colonel Tom Parker at Elvis's grave. Circa 1985. : r/Elvis - reddit How much money did Colonel Parker make off Elvis? But his investigation took a much more sinister turn after he received a second tip in 1980. The Beatles were managing themselves by that time and had produced their own film while Epstein was still alive. And Nash, Vellenga and every other biographer of both Presley and Parker acknowledge that the Colonel never showed much interest in women. But producer Steve Binder proposed another option, namely, that Elvis perform his greatest hits, with a special set and costumes. He saw the Potomac as just another snow job, as he called his art of the con. No. The large figure of Elviss manager, standing grinning just behind his charge, made Dankers-van Kuijk jump. The discovery left Vellenga perplexed. In addition to his music and film earnings, Elvis had numerous business ventures and investments including hotels, restaurants, and clothing throughout his career. Parker was a fairly popular entertainer on the carnival circuit with acts like the Great Parker Pony Circus, and Colonel Tom Parker and His Dancing Chickens. But in Luhrmanns treatment, hes Satan in a snowman sweater. Luhrmanns film sees Presley through the deathbed memories of the Colonel, and his accounting would claim victory. From there, they were picked up in the late 1970s by Elvis biographer Albert Goldman. Elvis Presley immediately began his career as a great rock star and Parker soon realized that Elviss personal charisma and stage dominance led him to a new mass media, television. The trust was established in 1993 and Lisa Marie is the beneficiary of the trust. The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley. The story of Elvis Presley is, as we know very well, one of the greatest and saddest success stories in the history of American entertainment. In addition, she has various other investments, including music publishing rights and royalties, which provide additional financial returns to the estate. Parker arranged for Elvis to give a series of concerts in Las Vegas, but these were unsuccessful in a city with a crowd that was certainly wealthy but middle-aged and barely fond of rock and roll, before which Parker contacted Paramount Pictures for Elvis to participate in a total of seven films (considering that in those years, one of Presleys main interests was acting). In 1980, a judge ordered an investigation into his practices and found Parkers management was unethical and that he likely cost Elvis (and himself) millions. Oh, yes? The carnies job is to bring people to the glittering lights on the outside of town, promise them something theyve never experienced before, and then almost giving it to them, at a cost, Hanks told The New York Post. They had the bride and groom in one car, and the bridesmaids in the next one. He so identified with that lifestyle that he sought the company of concessionaires, midway operators, and sideshow performers long after his carnival days were over. It took very little to set him off, added Parkers assistant, Byron Raphael. I think, on the whole, during Elvis career he was almost shielded from anyone else in showbusiness by management and the guys that worked for him his friends, he said. He was ruthless and heartless. In the deal, Parker received $6.2 million over seven years. WHO GOT ELVIS' RICHES? COL. TOM PARKER, RCA - Orlando Sentinel No, the Colonel did not steal Elvis money. Not a single witness at the time suggested that Andreas van Kuijk had ever been a suspect. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'coalitionbrewing_com-leader-4','ezslot_12',156,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-coalitionbrewing_com-leader-4-0');According to Celebrity Net Worth, Lisa Marie Presley is estimated to be worth around $300 million. The Definitive 'Elvis' Fact Check: What's True and What - Yahoo! . He is the TV Editor at Entertainment. Then five minutes later, he would be so gentle, telling a nice soft story. The couple ultimately separated in 1972, with Priscilla being granted a full divorce in 1973. Parker, they suggest, went to van den Endens store looking for money to fund his emigration to America. Elvis abandoned the presentations to dedicate himself to acting. Ever adept at extracting as much money as possible from his star, Parker had licenced out the rocker's name and image to 18 companies, with 30 products on sale by September 1956. Certainly whatever happened in Holland that made him leave his family, with whom he was very close, and to just cut them off, was of a very grave nature. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Sam Cookes family labeled his manager, Allen Klein as a predator, sucking the money from the family long after the innovative soul singers death. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'coalitionbrewing_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_4',146,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-coalitionbrewing_com-medrectangle-3-0'); However, this amount could be higher as there could be additional income sources that have not been accounted for. So where did all of Colonel Tom Parker's money go? Before Smithsonian.com, Dash authored the award-winning blog A Blast From the Past. Aside from arguably being the father of American popular culture through the marketing and merchandising of his client, the Colonel negotiated one of the first $1 million-a-picture deals for a Hollywood actor, landed Elvis the highest-paying Vegas contract for the time, and protected the exploitation rights for dead celebrities through his swift actions for the Presley estate in 1977. That never happenedElvis died not knowing of Parkers illegal statusbut he would have had to have had a tin ear not to pick up on an accent as obvious as Hankss. By 1966 it seemed clear that Parkers business scheme, based on exploiting Elviss presence in Hollywood, was coming to an end. But as late as 1982, the idea that Parker had not been born American was still little more than rumor in the States. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'coalitionbrewing_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_7',152,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-coalitionbrewing_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0');Nevertheless, Elvis assets were eventually divided among his surviving heirs: his daughter, Lisa Marie Presley; his father, Vernon Presley; and his paternal grandmother Minnie Mae Presley. There, in Parkers hometown, a journalist named Dirk Vellenga got a tipit was Do you know that Tom Parker comes from Breda? Huntington, West Virginia, meanwhile, was a stop along the route of the carnivals that the Dutch teenager worked when he first came to the States. You never saw it coming. Probably he had known the woman; perhaps he had even desired herand then been angered by her recent marriage. Tom Hanks Net Worth 2023: Forrest Gump, Elvis, Toy Story Salaries And while Colonel Parker did not technically steal any money from Elvis, the deals he had with him were so unfair that they are certainly exploitative in nature. In general, many Elvis songs have been published by various music publishing companies, including Sony/ATV Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Hill and Range, and Gladys Music. He also staged the first live international solo concert via satellite with Elviss Aloha from Hawaii special in 1973. He made more off the toys, TV appearances, and acting roles, than Elvis. I know that from a letter he wrote to his nephew in the 60s after his family identified him from a magazine photo and began to write to him. His real name was Andreas van KuijkDries (pronounced Drees) to his familyand as far as anyone could tell, he changed it to Tom Parker because that was the name of the officer who interviewed him when he signed up for the Army. Half Man, Half Animal! He took that really seriously. All rights reserved. In addition to the collective, Sony/ATV Music Publishing also licenses Elvis songs and collects publishing royalties, such as songwriting, synchronization, and master use. So, in the Elvis movie, there's a scene where Elvis fires Colonel Parker on stage in Las Vegas. I will say that he had an amazing ability to compartmentalize events and feelings in his mind. He got the honorary title from a country singer named Jimmie Davis in exchange for working on the campaign which helped get him elected Governor of Louisiana. But all that success in the kitchen belied the double life he was leading as a rank-and-file member of the Mob. press conference at the Cannes Film Festival, Elvis tone down the sexual innuendo in his cover, How the Elvis 68 Comeback Special Happened Despite Colonel Parker, Elvis Presleys 68 Comeback Special Revealed a Past Sin, The Beatles and India Doc Captures More Than One Spiritual Journey, The Beatles: A Hard Days Night is Still The Greatest Jukebox Movie Ever Made, Shazam! Colonel Tom Parker, Elviss manager from 1955 to his death in 1977, earned an estimated $50 million from the singers estate. New York: Delacorte Press, 1988. Sources For example, Blue Hawaii, his 1961 romantic comedy, grossed a total of $7. Snow didnt notice until 1956. From that date on, Parker again influenced Elvis so that he concentrated on shooting movies on an impressive scale, even making three films a year (all with Elvis in the main role), so that American theaters frequently had movies starring Presley. I have to admit I read that and I was like, Go mom, laughs Clea Newman Soderlund, speaking about her fathers posthumous memoir, Ezra Millers Messiah Delusions: Inside. The time he got so mad at me, hammering his cane in the floorboard of his Buick on that ominous ride through the Sin City desert, was when I asked him why he didnt give Elvis better movie scripts and songs. Did Colonel Parker really steal from Elvis? In 1968, he was asked in an interview if it was true that he took fifty percent of everything Elvis earned. That version doesnt fully fit the facts; its impossible to know now within a week when Parker left the Netherlands, and hence how closely his departure coincided with the Breda murder. A few years later, when the draft was introduced during the World War II, Parker ate until he weighed more than 300 pounds in a successful bid to have himself declared unfit for further service. For the most part, these details did not emerge until the 1980s, years after Presleys death and well into the Colonels semi-retirement (he eventually died in 1997). He was the success I always wanted.. Vanity Fairs 2023 Hollywood Issue Welcomes You to the After-Party of Our Dreams, Inside the New Rights Next Frontier:The American West, The Strange, Sexually Charged Genesis of Gloria Swansons Legendary Memoir, King Charles Reportedly BeganEvicting Harry and MeghanAfterSpare, NetflixsMurdaugh Murders Team Say Theyve Uncovered New Crimes, Trumps Relationship With Jared and Ivanka Is About to Get a Lot More Awkward, The Cringey Sexcapades of a Horny Billionaire, What Is Cinema? I really dont think that there was murder in him, Todd Slaughter of the Elvis Presley Fan Club of Great Britain told Alanna Nash after knowing Parker for a quarter-century. The Hawaiian show, like the 1968 special, was seen by 50 million viewers in the US and a total of more than a billion in the rest of the world. But she still knew him as her long-lost brother. The estate is managed by the Presley familys trust, and it primarily provides income to Lisa Marie through the lucrative use of her fathers name and likeness. Elvis Presley: TRUTH about Colonel Parker and '50 per cent' cut The Colonel waged war against his most loyal soldier. Several times throughout the film, Parker as narrator, says that you, meaning the people who loved Elvis, were at the heart of Elviss fatal problems. His merchandising alone grossed over $22 million by the end of 1957. What Was Colonel Tom Parker's Net Worth When He Died? - Grunge.com Colonel is depicted as a Svengali character and, to be fair, most managers of popstars over the years have been more than a bit dodgy, he said. 7 million in todays money. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. Supposing Parker had that $100 million in 1977 when Elvis died, he'd have had a $270 million net worth when he died two decades later, per Dollar Times. He hadnt talked much about personal matters, Nash reports, beyond mentioning that he had painted sparrows yellow and sold them as canaries. How much money did Colonel Parker make off Elvis? He would be nice one second, and stare off like he was lost, and thenboom!tremendous force. Colonel Tom Parker at Elvis's grave. In parallel, Parker discouraged Presley from his project of offering great live concerts, to the point that in mid-1961. How Did Elvis Presley's Impact On American Culture | ipl.org Elvis also agreed to provide financial support for her and their child in the event of a divorce. That's amazing for anyone let alone a smoker and someone who was borderline obese. Parker agreed to let Elvis perform the show in December 1968, although he had serious doubts about his success. It was quiet in the car, and then he spoke. Some showbusiness people are always on stage; Elvis wasnt, he explained. However, Graceland is open to visitors today and approximately 600,000 tourists visit the property each year to learn about Elvis life and legacy. The Presley estate also has a charitable component. In California, between Barstow and Bakersfield, there were billboards every hundred yards, See the Thing! In fact, Alanna Nash, an expert author who wrote several books about Elvis Presley, said to USA Today that Elvis "never would have done that" and that he actually never knew about the colonel's immigration . This collective sets the terms for the collection of mechanical royalties and the distribution of collected royalties back to the rightsholders. What Was Colonel Tom Parker's Net Worth When He Died? The man who brought The King to global fame kept his own past secret. 8-acre property, Elvis purchased the estate for $102,500 from Ruth Brown in 1957. Indeed, Parker's brief military career had ended in ignominy. In 1972, Parker even persuaded Elvis to buy him a 25 percent share of the Memphis recording studio, which subsequently became one of the most successful studios in the United States. People forget that! In 2018, it was estimated that his estate is worth $400 million. Nobody! Elvis himself amassed considerable wealth throughout his lifetime and due to his worldwide success, especially after his death, his estate has only increased in value. He took the name Tom Parker when he enlisted in the Army, christening himself after the officer who interviewed him. Parker returned to the U.S. in 1929. Kleins reputation has been overshadowed as the man who drove the Rolling Stones into exile, and broke up the Beatles, but he didnt curb the musical enthusiasm. The Colonel always was a mystery. Parker, he learned, had vanished in May 1929 without telling any of his family or friends where he was heading, without taking his identity papers, and without money or even the expensive clothing he had spent most of his wages on. The only song I suggested was Are You Lonesome Tonight? I got Elvis the most money ever for an entertainer in Las Vegas. Parker noted that Elvis presence in various films was a sure source of income for many years, until the public began to react unfavorably. He contributed to Altvariety, Chiseler, Smashpipe, and other magazines. Their manager, Brian Epstein, was dedicated to them. 'Elvis' Fact or Fiction: Colonel Tom Parker Biographer on What's Real When brother Ad returned to Breda, moreover, he remained perplexingly silent on the subject of Driess glamorous new life. He sold the rights to Presleys early recordings, gave away the rights to the master recordings, lost royalties after he negotiated Elvis seven-year contract with RCA Records in 1973, and squandered his own fortune to a gambling habit. Elvis Presley: Take the King's movie quiz - How many have you seen. According to reports, Elvis earned a staggering amount of money and was reported to have been worth over $100 million at one point in his life. Parker's response: . Parkers idea was to repeat the scheme of the 1950s, with Elvis singing in front of the cameras and showing only his orchestra in the background, as well as taking advantage of the proximity of Christmas 1968 for Elvis to perform a series of Christmas songs. The lack of a passport might even explain the single greatest mystery of . It is a deal that severed the Presley estate from the royalties for more than 700 songs and put $2.6 million in the colonel's pocket. You can unsubscribe at any time. I don't think anyone can give you a specific dollar amount, but by the mid 1970s, Parker was taking 50 percent of Presley's income and the expenses were coming from Elvis' half. In November 1955 in a deal brokered by Parker, Phillips sold Elvis contract to RCA Records for $35,000. People believed that Parker was hyper-controlling of his star talent. And when Alanna Nash went through the Dutch courts to obtain a copy of the original police report on the murder, she found that nowhere in its 130 handwritten pages was there any mention of the young man who would become the Colonel. 1. Presley is quite a homemaker, Priscilla is, and Im sure she would love to have one of the machines so she could knit Elvis [a sweater].. What was Col. Parker's reaction to the death of Elvis? - Quora In other words, his loyal subjects killed the king. Parker managed to conclude a contract with the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas for Elvis to perform concerts there for a full month, in exchange for US$ 125,000 per week, a very high sum for the time for a single artist. He didnt want to stifle them. Answer (1 of 3): 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. While his movies tended to gross smaller amounts than todays blockbusters, they were still highly successful given the budgets of the time. Plesley), and with J, which he could pronounce as a Y (you yust missed him), as evident in the phone call he had with Canadian DJ Red Robinson. Anna van den Enden, a 23-year-old newlywed, had been battered to death in the living quarters behind her storea greengrocers on the Bochstraat. So I saw a different sort of Colonel Parker from how many people possibly believed he behaved. Among the most damning evidence was Parker's 1973 agreement allowing RCA to buy out the rights to Presley's 700 songs. Elvis had a great influence on American culture through his influence on music, affect on American culture, and his legacy. It was claimed he took 50 per cent of Elvis earnings which was not true. Presley received $4.6 million. Since 1979, several administrators chosen by Priscilla Presley on behalf of her daughter accused Parker of having closed a lousy deal with RCA in 1973 for selling the royalties from Elvis songs prior to that year for just 5.4 million dollars, a price considered unethical when considering that precisely this contract affected the period of greatest creativity and fame of Presley. Todd went on to address the way in which Elvis was cut off from the world outside of his close inner circle, dubbed the Memphis Mafia. Not the least of them was that he was an illegal immigrant, reaching the United States most probably through Canada. Elvis Presley spent an estimated $100,000 on the purchase and renovations of his famous estate, Graceland. Elvis Presley: how fame and fortune turned to tragedy By the 1960s, Parker could have placed a phone call directly to Lyndon Johnson to smooth out any problems with his naturalization. Did Tom Ford ever have to pay for stealing so much money from Elvis Elvis Presley: Graceland closure extended AGAIN How long for? One sign of Parkers influence was to convince Elvis to accept the military service to which he was enrolled in January 1958 by the United States Army, alleging that it would be in Presleys career to show himself as an ordinary man and avoid special treatment. Nobody got more money in the history of Las Vegas!. These include financial security for the Presley family and other associated individuals, as well as funds for charitable causes. A symbiotic relationship," Hanks added. To achieve this, Parker spread news about Elviss activities, messages to his fans, superficial stories (such as the one about the haircut the artist had to undergo in his garrison), or totally false advertisements (such as the offer for Elvis to have his own television show upon his return). How much-loved son became drug-addled killer of desperate grandmother His 25 percent commission from Elviss tours and record sales alone amasses to nearly $14 million dollars, plus another $2 million for his film commissions. Graceland is currently owned and operated by the Elvis Presley Trust, and is primarily a tourist attraction, with very few people living in the mansion. His merchandising alone grossed over $22 million by the end of 1957. He would donate the rusting hulk to charity and put a P.R. In October 1956 Elvis released his fourth single, called Love Me Tender, and secured a new best-seller for the entire year of 1957, in parallel with the films made with Paramount; even so, Parker still doubted if Elviss fame would last long, having seen, over the years, many artists rise to stardom for a year or two and then be forgotten. Just present the side you want to show. The last time I saw the Colonel, who peppered his office with stuffed animalsprizes from the carnivalwe were back in the Buick, and he and his wife, Loanne, were driving me to my hotel after lunch. It is unclear whether or not Priscilla actually received the full $100,000 stipulated in the prenuptial agreement, as records related to the settlement are not public. He told Express.co.uk the rock n roll icon wasnt as showbiz as fans might expect from his public persona. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'coalitionbrewing_com-box-4','ezslot_2',147,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-coalitionbrewing_com-box-4-0');At the peak of his career, Elvis Presley was estimated to be worth an impressive $300 million and was one of the most successful and profitable entertainers of all time. Though rumors and allegations of Colonel Parker taking advantage of Elvis money have been circulating for years, no evidence has been found to suggest that he stole any money from the King of Rock n Roll. And the bombastic director, as vulgar in his own way as Parker was in his, pays him little respect for his significant business acumen. Elvis Presley: RARE look at songs in King's record collection - VIDEO, Elvis Presley expert on TRAGIC truth about friendship with Tom Jones, Elvis Presley and Colonel Parker had a complex relationship over the years, Elvis Presley's manager Colonel Parker is widely reported to have taken a 50 per cent cut of his earnings. This became a business model for managing musicians. Parker suffered a stroke on Jan. 20, 1997 and died the next morning at a hospital in Las Vegas. Elsewhere in this section of the film, Parkerwho in real life had sold the network on the idea of a Christmas special so he could turn Elvis into a late-60s Bing Crosbyappears as a bumbling rube in his insistence that Elvis sing Here Comes Santa Claus. Its funny, but renders Parker ridiculous.