And again, he did not advise Elvis on any aspect of his performance. He didn't care what Elvis sang on stage. They had a piano player, Duddly Brooks, on the session. Jailhouse Rock had another name until your song came along and demanded to become the title tune, right? 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. While proving to be a frequent challenge for Parker, Elvis and the Colonel stuck together. We bought our stuff back, a lot of it. and he sounds entirely American to me. 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.] The actor has talked about the project, what drew him to it, and how he felt about the overall story. With the Coasters, who you were just as prolific with, you had a whole style of songwriting going that was based in storytelling, almost like mini-musicals you called them playlets.. The timeline well, what timeline? But the most fun we ever had in the studio working was with the Coasters. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Elvis also stars Helen Thomson as Elviss mother, Gladys, Richard Roxburgh as Elviss father, Vernon, Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla Presley, Luke Bracey as Jerry Schilling, Natasha Bassett as Dixie Locke, David Wenham as Hank Snow, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as B.B. "Without that, it would be hard to reflect Elvis against it. Hanks has portrayed real-life people in a number of films, from Jim Lovell in Apollo 13 to Mr. Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood to Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger in Sully - and many more. Johnny (Otis) said, Are you familiar with Willie Mae Thornton? I said, no. . Tom Hanks has built a reputation for disappearing into his roles. In fact, Colonel didnt even have to go down to the casino. Every hero needs a villain, and in the case of Elvis Presley, the man who made him was also the one who destroyed him. 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. Its kind of like Priscilla letting Baz make Parker out to be such a villain, but is now having Hanks and Baz say they toned down the Colonels evilness once they met with her, because Parker was a good guy. We were picked up by a freighter, and I had to pay cash to send a wire to Atlantic Records that we were arriving. I've never seen a photograph of him. Tom Parker wasn't a household name before Elvis, but it's clear that after the biopic, it soon will be. . Colonel Parker is the devil to many Elvis Presley fans. They hurl a litany of accusations at Presleys former manager he took too much of Elvis money, he mismanaged Elvis movie career, he pressured Elvis to work when he was in poor health, he even tried to capitalize on Elvis name after he died. Which I thought was weird, at the time. Related: Why Elvis' Reviews Are So Positive. The 50 greatest TV and movie detectives of all time. He probably initially heard about Elvis from his cronies in Texarkana when Elvis was playing little clubs while on the Louisiana Hayride. Any thoughts on the portrayal early in the film of country star Hank Snow, who first takes Elvis out on the road before becoming disgusted with him, and his son, Jimmie Rodgers Snow, who seems to worship Elvis? And I thought, wow, thats the most money Ill ever see at one time! So much so, that the Elvis estate even sued Parker for mismanagement. In an. Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, and director Rob Marshall share the tale behind making their underwater musical with a groundbreaking Disney princess. Im working on another show right now, and I cant divulge the name of it, because the producers, when theyre ready, will want to do that. Hanks retains all of these qualities in his performance, including the adoption of prosthetics to help look more like the controversial Parker. On top of that, Parker found venue upon venue for Elvis to perform in, be it recording studios, Hollywood films, TV specials, and even satellite broadcasts, immersing the artist into the cultural zeitgeist while keeping him landlocked in North America. But we did an album of the score with an orchestra and some wonderful British singers and actors. And the Colonel said, What took you so long?. Because what you get from that is a suit of armor. The kid who plays Elvis, Austin Butler, is a knockout as an actor, a dancer and a singer, and I have a feeling hell be nominated for sure for best actor. Hanks explained that he was days away from shooting the film in March when he contracted COVID-19. I would agree with that. He never left the carnivals, really. Elvis Information Network, May-June 2022). It had a line for our signatures. Washburn, etc. Born in the Netherlands, Parker entered the United States illegally when he was 20 years old. Presleys schedule didnt allow it anyway, according to Parker. 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. Elviss first manager, Bob Neal, told me that he had a heck of a time getting stations to play Elviss first single. In his interviews, Parker did seem to have a slight trace of an accent but it sounded almost Cajun so it would have been believable to . Parker sent Elvis all over the United States, but he would never let him out of North America, leaving Canada as the only other nation to host The King in his long career. From your memoir, it sounds like Peggy Lee might have been the least fun? I don't know if that's true or not. Parker was an avid gambler, which is believed to have been the source of many of his "fast money" dealings with Austin Butler's Elvis. But he worked closely with the Pentagon, planning Elvis army career and post-army concert to raise money for the U.S.S. Privately, Parker referred to Elviss family as shit and rubbed his thumb and forefinger together. The Masked Lookalike Explained, Every Baz Luhrmann Movie, Ranked According To Box Office Mojo, Tom Hanks' Tom Parker isn't his usual role, Star Wars Rumor: Rey Would Have Been Recast In Lindelof's Canceled Film, Sisu Is The Inglourious Basterds Reboot We've Been Waiting 15 Years For, Kevin Costner Begins Western Sequel Production That Reportedly Delayed Yellowstone Season 5. Hanks looks almost unrecognizable in the. Parker saw his job as an elevated version of. Second, for a movie about a musician, Elvis also didn't receive any music nominations at the Oscars. What can I say? 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. Yeah, thats true. But could you talk about that relationship at the beginning, he was instrumental merchandising, getting Elvis off the ground, thinking big. And that is the yin and the yang to his diabolical genius status. It was supposed to be a Christmas show in the sense that it would air in December, and Parker wanted it to be a family show with Elvis as a 60s-era Bing Crosby or Perry Como. The new Elvis film is not based on her book, nor did Luhrmann read it, by his account (although he says researchers presented him with notes from that and many other key Presley-related books). Which is not the one in the film, because the one in the film was blown out and had a bigger orchestra. He was ascoundrel in his way, Hanks said. Visit Billboard Pro for music business news, Kenny Loggins Talks Danger Zone Return For Top Gun: Maverick, Jim Carrey Says Will Smith Should Have Been Arrested for Chris Rock Oscars Slap, Pam & Tommy Director Lake Bell Explores Personal, Cathartic Episode Four. In 1967, Parker pushed Elvis to marry Priscilla Beaulieu, hoping that it would help change the tide of his career. He could turn down scripts. "The promotion. Leiber died in 2011 but, creeping up on 90, Stoller remains active still showing up to collect the few accolades he hasnt already received, like the Icon award BMI bestowed upon him at its annual ceremony in May, and also working on a stage musical he doesnt want to say much about at the moment. 1 hit in 1953 with Big Mama Thorntons Hound Dog, which you wrote for her. Did Parker really install Elvis dad, Vernon, as business manager to make sure he, the Colonel, could really run all things? And heres a guy who carries his pictures by himself ., Colonel Parker Answered Criticism About Elvis' Movies In 1964 Interview, To what extent Parker was guilty of such sins against Elvis, Im not qualified to say. Tom Hanks was also intrigued by the fact that the wider public knew very little about the Elvis manager, claiming this was another reason he took on the role. Elvis and the Colonel were associated throughout the musician's entire career, including music, movies, and TV specials. Whats the real origin story of Parker hearing about and going to discover Elvis? It was sad. Look you got a product, you sell it, explained Parker. Luhrmann hasnt really given him his due by a long shot. The story made no sense. Somebody must be making a buck. Elvis and the Colonel were associated throughout the musician's entire career, including music, movies, and TV specials. How are you preparing for it? In addition, he revealed his dream project, which would be about Dean Reed, who was an American actor and singer that decided to become a communist behind the Iron Curtain. His performance alone is reason to see the film. In the same interview, Hanks also hinted that he is connected to the upcoming Disney+rebootof the classicTurner & Hooch, but seemed a little confused as to how it was going to play out. But Baz wanted to make him seem more other. Or as Baz told me in an interview, I thought it was very important that Tom present the audience with a strangeness, a sort of What is going on with this guy?. He didn't care what Elvis (Austin Butler) sang from the. 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. 6 pop hit in 1955 for the group the Cheers). We had a few run-ins with the Colonel. [Stoller adds that the rabbit lyric might have been added by a lounge act Presley was believed to have seen and liked covering the song in Vegas prior to his taking it on.]. He is passionate about film, comics, TV and spends way too much on collectibles. "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.". 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. For example, in discussing how he didnt ever want to get taken advantage of, hed say, I dont want to end up with cider in my ear. And he had an underling fix up a cookhouse, a so-called carnival kitchen, by throwing an oilcloth over the conference room table in his office on the MGM lot. He was huge. From the beginning, Luhrmann had Hanks on his shortlist. The actor won his first Oscar for Philadelphia, where he played an AIDs-afflicted lawyer, losing significant weight to portray the character's declining health. Smokey Joes Caf, a revue using 39 of your songs, ran for 2,036 performances on Broadway starting in 1995. Sure, of course. Thats really what he was looking for all along. I had a different layer of expectations," the actor said. RELATED: Austin Butler on Elvis and Why it Took Months After Filming to Find Himself Again. Does the phrase Thats All Right, Mama apply to the new Elvis movie as in, thats all correct, maam? According to the Colonel, We make no picture deals without the great potentate Abe Lastfogel. (Lastfogel was the long-time president of the Morris agency.