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Unfortunately, there is no exact figure for how much money Elvis actually made since his estate is still managed by his family and is largely privately held. Presley received $4.6 million. The litigation lasted until 1983 when, through an out-of-court settlement, Parker received two million dollars in exchange for giving up all rights to Elviss royalties or income generated by the artists estate, in addition to giving up all future financial claims against the Elvis estate. But all that success in the kitchen belied the double life he was leading as a rank-and-file member of the Mob. 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. His accent, on display in a rare interview with Ted Koppel in the 80s, sounded more like a slight speech impediment mixed with the insulation of a rural upbringing. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Tom Hanks plays this villainy broadly with cartoonish gusto, veering somewhere between Snidely Whiplash and Sydney Greenstreet. By reorganizing and extending Elviss tours, he not only made the singer more money but was able to keep the king of rock and roll an integral part of American culture. They also still made a few appearances behind Elvis after Parker convinced the singer to join the Army in 1958 but were then completely sidelined in the early 60s. Managerial fees are usually in the 15 percent range. They established the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation in 1993, which provides financial aid to numerous charitable organizations and worthy projects. In November 1955 in a deal brokered by Parker, Phillips sold Elvis contract to RCA Records for $35,000. With them was actor Danny Thomas, there on behalf of St. Jude, the Memphis research hospital Thomas had founded to help find cures for catastrophic childhood diseases. Tom Parker American or Dutchman? Its Elvis Time, April 1967; Alanna Nash. His expertise varies from Alfred Hitchcock movies to Bleach, as he has explored a lot of fictional Universes and authors. Altogether, it is estimated that Colonel Parker had made $50 million from Elviss success. Either way, what had been meant as the robbery of an empty store had gone wrong, and, in a sudden burst of fear and temper, the Colonel had lashed out and killed a woman without meaning to. 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. 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. So, in the Elvis movie, there's a scene where Elvis fires Colonel Parker on stage in Las Vegas. He told Express.co.uk the rock n roll icon wasnt as showbiz as fans might expect from his public persona. Im not interested in playing a bad guy just for the sake of [it being like], Before I kill you Mr. 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. 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. The man had aged and grown grotesquely fat. Elvis Presleys daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, inherited his entire estate. Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis's manager from 1955 to his death in 1977, earned an estimated $50 million from the singer's estate. The only song I suggested was Are You Lonesome Tonight? I got Elvis the most money ever for an entertainer in Las Vegas. Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley had a prenuptial agreement in place when they got married in 1967. Parker noted that Elvis presence in various films was a sure source of income for many years, until the public began to react unfavorably. Had anyone taken the trouble to inquire, however, they would have discovered that there was no record of the birth of any Thomas Parker in Huntingdon. From there, they were picked up in the late 1970s by Elvis biographer Albert Goldman. He took the name Tom Parker when he enlisted in the Army, christening himself after the officer who interviewed him. 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. Some showbusiness people are always on stage; Elvis wasnt, he explained. The Colonel waged war against his most loyal soldier. Tom Hanks plays the bad guy in Baz Luhrmanns Elvis, but what the real historical Colonel Tom Parker did to Presley was heinous. Parker continued to benefit even after Elviss death. But, backed by some members of the Van Kuijk family, Nash still believes it more likely than not that Colonel Parker was a killer. 8 million, approximately $69. Originally a 13. Business as usual. It could have been a coincidence, yes, of course. He sold Elvis hats, lipstick, sneakers, charm bracelets, record players, and teddy bear perfume. 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. Elvis in a movie still, circa 1957 Photo by Michael Ochs . But others in the Colonels circle disagreed. He takes 50 per cent of everything I earn. However, in an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, Todd Slaughter, who appeared in the last footage of Elvis before his death and has been the president of the largest Elvis fan club in the world for over 50 years, shed some light on the situation and relationship. Colonel Tom Parker was Elvis Presleys manager throughout most of his career and was a shrewd negotiator who negotiated many of Elvis lucrative deals, from movie revenues to music sales. Parker also strongly objected to Elvis recording songs in West Germany (where his garrison was stationed) to prevent Elvis from getting another manager there and fought to maintain public interest in Elvis during his time in the army. And the bombastic director, as vulgar in his own way as Parker was in his, pays him little respect for his significant business acumen. Trumps Relationship With Jared and Ivanka. Todd said the Colonel was no worse than any other and noted his generosity with fans, saying:As far as the British fans were concerned, he was better than most managers were because he really did take time to meet the fans. My mother-in-law said to me, if anything comes to light about this Parker, tell them that his name is Van Kuijk and that he murdered the wife of a greengrocer on the Bochstraat. He entered America illegally by jumping ship and traveling with a tent show before returning to the Netherlands. With the passage of the Music Modernization Act, the independent administrator, the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC), was created and given access to Gracelands Elvis Presley Enterprises and Sony/ATV Musics music library to oversee mechanical licensing. Todd pointed to the fact Elvis would call his pilot in order to fly across the country with a group of friends just to eat whatever food he fancied. After Elviss death in 1977, the Presley family continued to own and live in the mansion. The chickens danced because they were on a sawdust-covered hot plate. He is currently focusing on anime, his childhood love, with special atten Did Colonel Parker Steal from Elvis? There is still money to be made even more so that he is dead. Amid safety concerns, and anxiety over the fate of a $200 million movie, Lauren Pazienza, Whose Shove Allegedly Killed a Beloved Manhattan Vocal Coach, Argues She Is Getting a Raw Deal. Even his Dutch family is willing to admit that it is a possibility, though they believe, as I do, that if he killed her, it was an accident. After Elvis' death, Parker continued to manage the Elvis Presley Enterprises, and also worked with Presley's daughter Lisa Marie and his wife Priscilla. In total, Elvis performed in 31 feature films throughout his career. . The Colonels exposure as an illegal immigrant makes it easier to understand his deep reluctance to leave the Statesor even, as he once confided to a trusted assistant, to pick up the check he had earned while working his passage from the Netherlands. 2 million from his investments, bringing the grand total to over $28 million. He would be nice one second, and stare off like he was lost, and thenboom!tremendous force. He even put additional posters up, even if the venues were sold out, because what he was doing was selling Elvis. The television performance was an immediate success: it not only garnered acclaim from music critics but returned Elviss name to mass popularity, even winning him new fans. Elvis Presleys 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 icons earnings. The Mechanical Licensing Collective then handles mechanical royalties for all of the songs, and Elvis Presleys heirs benefit from both a share of the master royalties and a larger share of the publishing royalties. Nobody! In 1968, he was asked in an interview if it was true that he took fifty percent of everything Elvis earned. Circa 1985. The result was a show titled Elvis, taped at the NBC studios. The band said they werent sure, so Phillips told them to do it again. On October 30, 1957, the day after the second of two Elvis shows at the Pan-Pacific Auditorium, Variety ran the headline, L.A. Parker agreed to let Elvis perform the show in December 1968, although he had serious doubts about his success. Presleys breakthrough single Heartbreak Hotel was released as a single on Jan. 27, 1956. He could only finance Elvis next movie if the singer broadcast a television special. In July 1972, inspired by Richard Nixons visit to the Peoples Republic of China, Parker reported that Elvis would give a major live concert in Hawaii to be broadcast worldwide via satellite television. Faced with this problem, Parker could not keep up with the pace of presentations and eventually had to allow Elvis to return to his Graceland residence, dedicating himself only to receiving his royalties from RCA but without returning to recordings. In the mid-2000s, Lisa Marie sold the home to the Elvis Presley Trust, a group of lawyers and business people formed to find and maintain the legacy of Elvis Presley. 4 million from his movies, $4. Parker continued to live in the same suite he had occupied at the Las Vegas Hilton, but in 1984, he was eventually evicted from the hotel when his hotel gambling debts grew too high. He even sold I Hate Elvis buttons. Parker signed a contract with RCA Records to buy Presley the recording rights to his songs for $40,000 (which included $5,000 going directly to Elvis as a premium), a considerable sum at the time. It is estimated that she inherited around $100 million from his estate after his death in 1977. He had toured with carnivals, worked with elephants and managed a palm-reading booth before finding his feet in the early 1950s as a music promoter. These include financial security for the Presley family and other associated individuals, as well as funds for charitable causes. The estate also continues to generate revenue through various licensing agreements, such as merchandise and movie/television deals. I will say that he had an amazing ability to compartmentalize events and feelings in his mind. This collective sets the terms for the collection of mechanical royalties and the distribution of collected royalties back to the rightsholders. After the December 1968 special, Parker got Elvis to return to live performances, centering them in the newest and biggest casino in Las Vegas, while convincing Presley to raise his managers fee to almost 50% of the previous ones. Elvis Presley himself chose to give Colonel Parker a large portion of his earnings. The Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham locked Keith Richards and Mick Jagger in a room and wouldnt let them out until they wrote a song. And that is why it is so mysterious. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine Indeed, Parkers brief military career had ended in ignominy. 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. Id like to think, yeah, he was running away from an aspect of his past and escaping his small town, and who among us wouldnt jump at an opportunity to do that very thing?. He and I got into some violent, violent fights.. He had been born there in June 1909, the seventh child of a delivery driver and his wife. But the Colonel trusted no one. The band and crew had a turbo-prop Electrajet. 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. 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. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. Instead, Priscilla later opened a major beauty supply franchise in Las Vegas, which provided her a consistent source of income. Parker and Presley's estate squared off in another legal battle . A four-footed one?, I should say not. He then went on to spend a further estimated $500,000 to transform the property, adding a racquetball court, pool and two-story carriage house. The Colonel never made it past the rank of private when he served in the military, his discharge papers labeled him a psychopath. When the band faced death threats after the 1966 bigger than Jesus controversy, his first reaction was to cancel their American tour and take it out of his own money. Colonel Tom Parker Didn't Make Elvis Go To The Army to Give Him a More Wholesome Image In the film, Luhrmann suggests Colonel Parker persuaded Elvis to go into the U.S. Army in. Indeed, Parker's brief military career had ended in ignominy. Parker was not good with money and was no master dealmaker. He rode him till he died and even in death he attempt. 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. So far as the wider world knew, the Colonel was Thomas Andrew Parker, born in Huntingdon, West Virginia, some time shortly after 1900. Turning hastily to his newspapers files, Vellenga found to his amazement that there had indeed been an unsolved killing in Breda in May 1929. So where did all of Colonel Tom Parker's money go? Even when Elvis was on tour, he went to the next town, he made sure the radio, the TV were aware that Elvis was arriving, Todd continued. The couple ultimately separated in 1972, with Priscilla being granted a full divorce in 1973. Tom discovered the then-unknown 20-year-old Elvis Presley in 1955. 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). In addition, she has various other investments, including music publishing rights and royalties, which provide additional financial returns to the estate. Elvis and the Colonel were associated throughout the musician's entire career, including music, movies, and TV specials. He went with Parker to meet Elvis mother, Gladys (Helen Thomson in the movie), to get her approval of the contract, which was presented as including Snows Jamboree Attractions. 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. Although the mansion is not generally available to the public, visitors can take a tour, take photographs, and listen to audiopresentation about Elviss life in the home. 'Elvis: Let Me Be There' a three CD soundboard release from Elvis' January-Feb 1974 Las Vegas season. All rights reserved. The racket caused pioneering Sun Records founder Sam Phillips to come in from the control booth and demand to know what they were doing. Elvis: Thats The Way It Is is re-released in cinemas August 13 and celebrates 85 years of the King and 50 years since the films original release. Vellenga had been filing occasional updates on the Parker storythe Colonel was by far the most famous son of Bredaand found that he was building a detailed picture of what was by any standard a hasty departure. There are some extraordinary, tabloidy, melodramatic stories about why and how he left Holland. On August 18, 1955, Parker signed a contract with Elvis Presley to be his official representative and manager, a date in which Presley was a promising singer of the new rhythm called rock and roll, but without being a real musical star. He did give a bill to Elvis and his father and business manager, Vernon Presley, for money he had spent or advanced . After this moment of splendor, Presleys physical health went into frank decline for the next four years.