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. Elvis and Colonel Parker each had a 727. They would always point to a particular sentence in their contract to deny him his fair share. (& How Much Did He Earn from The King?). But Luhrmanns Colonel is straight out of Faust, dripping with the evil of Mephistopheles. Not the least of them was that he was an illegal immigrant, reaching the United States most probably through Canada. But she still knew him as her long-lost brother. The pair split the money 50/50 and RCA legally received all of the royalty commissions from his extensive catalogue of music. 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. But in Luhrmanns treatment, hes Satan in a snowman sweater. 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. More still went to RCA records, sole owner of all of Elvis' music before 1973, thanks to a $5.4-million deal Parker arranged in that year. Her other sources of income come from royalties, endorsement deals, and investments in films, production companies, and real estate. READ MORE: VIDEO REVEALS SECRET ABOUT ELVIS PRESLEY'S JUMPSUITS. The discovery left Vellenga perplexed. Tom Hanks Net Worth 2023: Forrest Gump, Elvis, Toy Story Salaries And the bombastic director, as vulgar in his own way as Parker was in his, pays him little respect for his significant business acumen. 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. Culture Editor Tony Sokol is a writer, playwright and musician. The premises had then been ransacked, apparently fruitlessly, in a search for money. It carried a story about Presleys recent discharge from the U.S. Army, illustrated by a photo of the singer standing in the doorway of a train and waving to his fans. An immensely talented young man ended up as a ruin of his former self, dying from heart problems connected to long-time drug abuse. 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). Elvis Presley was one of the most successful and popular recording artists of all time and during his lifetime he was said to have made an incredible amount of money. She sold it to a private organization in 1983, but the Presley family retained a portion of the profits. Yes, Elvis Presley made a considerable amount of money from his career in films. Potomac, was going to be salvaged. Their manager, Brian Epstein, was dedicated to 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. According to the New York Times, Lisa Marie inherited the bulk of Elvis estate, amounting to a 75% inheritance, while his father and grandmother split the remaining 25%. While his movies tended to gross smaller amounts than todays blockbusters, they were still highly successful given the budgets of the time. ELVIS PRESLEY and Colonel Tom Parker had a complex relationship over the years and the manager is widely reported to have taken an extortionate 50 per cent cut of all the King's earnings.. The man who brought The King to global fame kept his own past secret. Snow didnt notice until 1956. What Was Colonel Tom Parker's Net Worth When He Died? Managerial fees are usually in the 15 percent range. When youre surrounded by Yes men that tell you how good you are, all of a sudden reality escapes, he added. I played along. The second show sold out. Elvis in a movie still, circa 1957 Photo by Michael Ochs . 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, or $79. 2 million in modern currency. Trumps Relationship With Jared and Ivanka. 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. Elvis Presley new CD Releases in 2023 - Elvis Information Network Was he a cheap crook that played fast and loose? 2 million from his investments, bringing the grand total to over $28 million. It was claimed he took 50 per cent of Elvis earnings which was not true. 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. The Foundation is funded by royalties from Elviss music and proceeds from licensing agreements. 8 million, approximately $69. 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. Rather, he admitted, I have to be honest. While managing Elvis and traveling the country in the late 50s, the Colonel was accompanied by William Morris agent-in-training Byron Raphael, who remembered, He often took me to these little carnivals that were so small they didnt even have a big tent. Updates will be shared athttp://elvisthatsthewayitis.com/. Who was Colonel Tom Parker and what happened between him and Elvis I offer it only as a theory, a possibility. Yes, Lisa Marie Presley still owns Graceland, the Memphis, Tennessee home of her father, Elvis Presley. By contrast, the Colonel kept a higher percentage of the movie take than the star, and consigned Presley to a series of increasingly cringeworthy films, even for the singer himself, who yearned for the challenge to play a real role. As someone who knew Colonel Parker and had three, tense, three-hour meetings with him over a two-year span in the 90s, I admit there were times I felt a chill of evil from him that scared the hell out of me and made me fear for my personal safety, especially during a ride through the Vegas desert. He had a tail on him, and long hair, and when he would growl, it was really frightening., If that grim scenario sounds familiar, the Colonel was also a huge fan of Nightmare Alley, the 1947 drama recently remade by Guillermo del Toro. Colonel Tom Parker, Elviss manager from 1955 to his death in 1977, earned an estimated $50 million from the singers estate. But others in the Colonels circle disagreed. The Elvis Presley Trust operates the property and receives 50% of the proceeds of Graceland, while the remaining 50% of the profits are split between Lisa Marie and Priscilla. After Elvis death, an investigation concluded that Parkers management deal of 50% was extortionate compared to the usual average of 1520%, as well as that Parkers handling of Presleys business affairs during his lifetime was unethical and mishandled. In his frenetic, dazzling, exhilarating mess of a movie, Elvis, Baz Luhrmann has done much the same when it comes to Colonel Parker, showing us only one side of a highly complex and intensely fascinating and mysterious character. Luhrmanns Parker is an uncaring man, though the character protests that hes not. More still went to RCA records, sole owner of all of Elvis' music before 1973, thanks to a $5.4-million deal Parker arranged in that year. . He would be nice one second, and stare off like he was lost, and thenboom!tremendous force. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'coalitionbrewing_com-leader-2','ezslot_9',154,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-coalitionbrewing_com-leader-2-0');Priscilla Presley manages Graceland and its related properties, while Lisa Marie Presley owns her fathers recordings, franchise, and memorabilia. The trust was established in 1993 and Lisa Marie is the beneficiary of the trust. 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. But the Colonel trusted no one. At first, all Vellengas inquiries turned up was old tales from the Van Kuijk family, who still remembered how their Dries had been the family storyteller and liked to dress as a dandy. He is currently focusing on anime, his childhood love, with special atten Did Colonel Parker Steal from Elvis? Elvis Presley: Graceland closure extended AGAIN How long for? How often should I get my ears professionally cleaned. Alanna Nash has written four books about Elvis, including The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley. He saw the Potomac as just another snow job, as he called his art of the con. Although border-crossing formalities were minimal then, the Colonel did not accompany him. Sam Cookes family labeled his manager, Allen Klein as a predator, sucking the money from the family long after the innovative soul singers death. Far from being born in West Virginia, Tom Parker was in fact a native of the city of Breda, in the southern part of the Netherlands. Why bother to paint both sides? To me, personally, he was very, very nice, he said. 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. Live performances in Las Vegas continued throughout 1969 and 1970, returning Elvis to the pinnacle of rock and roll fame and returning to the level of income of his best years. Nash sums things up this way: I want to be clear in saying that there is no hard proof that he committed this murder, in my heart of hearts, I believe he did. 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. 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. Im not interested in playing a bad guy just for the sake of [it being like], Before I kill you Mr. But his apparent unwillingness to solve what should have been a minor problem does remain a puzzle. He wanted to inspire them. Is it better to be in the eye of a hurricane? That number is down significantly from an estimated $100 million . Presley only appeared at the Grand Ole Opry once in October 1954. These include financial security for the Presley family and other associated individuals, as well as funds for charitable causes. After the firing, did Colonel Parker send Elvis an itemized bill for $8 million? Tom Hanks plays this villainy broadly with cartoonish gusto, veering somewhere between Snidely Whiplash and Sydney Greenstreet. In other words, his loyal subjects killed the king. So, in the Elvis movie, there's a scene where Elvis fires Colonel Parker on stage in Las Vegas. And Nash, Vellenga and every other biographer of both Presley and Parker acknowledge that the Colonel never showed much interest in women. No. Country singer Eddy Arnold was the first to sign in 1938 and found himself giving the Colonel 25 percent of his take-home pay. There, in Parkers hometown, a journalist named Dirk Vellenga got a tipit was Do you know that Tom Parker comes from Breda? At last, I want to say what was told to me 19 years ago about this Colonel Parker. Very handsome, I lied. In 1963, Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presleys audacious manager who had gotten his start selling candy apples in carnivals, read in the paper that Franklin Delano Roosevelts presidential yacht, the U.S.S. He graciously accepted the piece of shit, as Thomas is said to have called the boat, to sell for cash. 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. He has a Ph.D. and speaks five languages. Tom Sizemore, 61, dies after aneurysm and stroke: Action star known for Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down and Born on the Fourth of July battled drug addiction 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. But as late as 1982, the idea that Parker had not been born American was still little more than rumor in the States. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Hanks, on the other hand, never disappears into the role of Parker. As he did not have a will when he died, the bulk of the estate fell to his only heir. In California, between Barstow and Bakersfield, there were billboards every hundred yards, See the Thing! Some called it his Floating White House. But Parker, who was born in Holland in 1909 as Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk and never became an American citizen, didnt care about that. The first thing the Colonel did was plot to get rid of Presleys original bandmates. This means, notes Nash, that he set out in a foreign country literally penniless. In the late 1970s, Vellenga ended one of his newspaper features by posing what seemed to him a reasonable question: Did something serious happen before Parker left that summer in 1929, or maybe in the 1930s when he broke all contact with his family?. That's amazing for anyone let alone a smoker and someone who was borderline obese. Elvis and the Colonel. The Colonel made the comeback deal with NBC because his money dried up at the film studios. When Elisabeth Finch met Jennifer Beyer in 2019, the two women forged a fiercely loyal friendship, and eventually got married. A "colonel" in honorary terms only, he was a shrewd, showman-like figure who learned how to sell an act by working for carnivals; he often referred to Presley as "my attraction." He understood. 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. In many cases, he stopped Elvis from touring and even kept him from working in blockbuster films. 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. His merchandising alone grossed over $22 million by the end of 1957. His expertise varies from Alfred Hitchcock movies to Bleach, as he has explored a lot of fictional Universes and authors. Mike Dash Gladys didnt trust Parker but agreed to advise Elvis to sign because she thought he was also signing with Snow. The Biggest Changes 'Elvis' Makes to Colonel Tom Parker's - Newsweek 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. Elvis abandoned the presentations to dedicate himself to acting. 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. 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. Parker continued to benefit even after Elviss death. Loanne, wheres that picture?. In the deal, Parker received $6.2 million over seven years. 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. There are some extraordinary, tabloidy, melodramatic stories about why and how he left Holland. The Colonel insisted Elvis tone down the sexual innuendo in his cover of Dave Bartholomew, Pearl King, and Anita Steinmans song, One Night. The singer recorded a version with the original lyrics on Jan. 18, 1957. He made more off the toys, TV appearances, and acting roles, than Elvis. 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. The Colonel always was a mystery. No, the Colonel did not steal Elvis money. In the rest of this article, we are going to bring you everything you need to know about the story of Colonel Parkers handling of Elvis estate and income. Following Elvis death in 1977, his daughter Lisa Marie sold the property to a group of private investors led by Robert Sillerman for $6. Presley received $4.6 million. Colonel Parker Managed Elvis' Career, but Was He a Killer on the Lam? 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. How much money did Colonel Parker make off Elvis? New York: Delacorte Press, 1988. 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. The proceeds from these licensing agreements are typically shared with the family and some key former employees. Overall, the Elvis Presley estate continues to generate income and provides many benefits to its beneficiaries. In the 1980s and 1990s David Ruggerio was a rising star of French cooking in New Yorkand a protocelebrity chef with cookbooks and TV shows to his name. Privacy Statement Mike Dash is a contributing writer in history for Smithsonian.com. By the 1960s, Parker could have placed a phone call directly to Lyndon Johnson to smooth out any problems with his naturalization. 7 million in todays money. 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. 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. He did not give 2 shits about Elvis. He was born on June 26, 1909 in Breda, the Netherlands. The fact that Parker had Elvis as his only client made the financial situation of the former manager difficult, and in 1981 Parker was brought to trial by Priscilla Presley, accusing him of negligent management. Your Privacy Rights He had a terrible temper. Today, the estate of the legendary singer, songwriter, actor, and cultural icon Elvis Presley is worth an estimated $300 million. Colonel Tom Parker was a Dutch-American talent manager and musical entrepreneur who had a net worth of $1 million at the time of his death in 1997. 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. . Elvis and the Colonel were associated throughout the musician's entire career, including music, movies, and TV specials. 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. 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]..