Did colonel parker steal from elvis

The Dutch-born carny-turned-manager plucked Elvis Presley from obscurity and turned him into one of the biggest stars in history.

In the s, Parker tricked Presley into signing a five-year Las Vegas casino residency contract even though Presley vociferously expressed his desire to perform internationally. As portrayed in the movie, Parker, a compulsive gambler, raked up huge gambling debts and the casino executives called in these debts to pressure Parker to get Presley into an exclusive residency deal. Parker did get Presley a lucrative contract, but the performance schedule was so demanding that it left Presley mentally and physically exhausted. To keep Presley on stage, Parker enlisted the services of an ethically questionable doctor who prescribed Presley prescription drugs, to which Presley eventually became addicted. Unbeknownst to Presley, Parker negotiated a side agreement with the casino where his gambling debts were forgiven, and Parker got unlimited credit as long as Presley continued performing at the casino. However, because Parker obtained so much financial control, Parker threatened to sue Presley for all his remaining wealth. As a result, Presley was forced to continue the arduous performance schedule and forgo his dreams of touring internationally.

Did colonel parker steal from elvis

Sign up to our free newsletter and be the first to know about the latest fashion, travel and lifestyle happenings, as well as exclusive reader events and offers. With an elephant-head cane resting by his side, a cigar clamped into his mouth and a cheap baseball cap sat awkwardly on his huge bald dome, this man was, with a grim determination, seemingly going out of his way to lose incredibly large sums of money. There were more than a few men who would have roughly fitted this description in Nevada half a century ago. But this gambler was far from a day-tripper to the casino. His actual office was located on the fourth floor of the same building. Paper hats, glossy posters, souvenir programmes and gaudy key rings covered the room from top to bottom. Played by Tom Hanks in the new biopic Elvis , directed by Baz Luhrmann, Colonel Tom Parker remains, 25 years after his death, and nearly half a century after the death of his only client, the most memorable and divisive manager in the history of show business. Barnum-esque character who transferred his skills in hucksterism and cunning from the travelling carnivals to the biggest stages on earth. Almost everything about the Colonel was a fabrication. Stowing away on a cruise liner to the States in , the Colonel lived for decades in fear of being discovered as an illegal alien. It was only after this unhappy period that the Colonel found his natural home, working in travelling carnivals that toured the American South. He would paint sparrows yellow and sell them as canaries. Many of the travelling carnivals of the s and s had musicians as part of the caravan and the Colonel began his managerial career by looking after now-long-forgotten country singers, including Eddy Arnold and Gene Austin.

This, as far as the Colonel was concerned, was the bottom line.

Potomac, was going to be salvaged. He saw the Potomac as just another snow job, as he called his art of the con. He would donate the rusting hulk to charity and put a P. 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.

The Tom Hanks Tom Parker portrayal in Elvis caused quite a stir when the film was released, both because of Hank's interpretation of the character and the relationship between Elvis and Colonel Tom in Baz Luhrmann's story. The real Elvis Presley manager was known for some appalling behavior towards his star client, and Elvis tried its best to portray that accurately. The real Elvis Presley manager Tom Hanks played certainly had some unethical practices, and many Elvis viewers were shocked when the film explored them. Colonel Tom Parker was certainly an unusual role for Tom Hanks , who is mostly known for playing heartwarming protagonists. The real Tom Parker did a lot of controversial things during his time in show business, and the Baz Luhrmann movie reveals just how callous and uncaring he could be in pursuit of wealth.

Did colonel parker steal from elvis

By Chris Willman. 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. Are the liberties worth it for creating an artistic picture? Does it veer off in ways that seem unnecessary? The timeline… well, what timeline? In making him such an antagonist, they have robbed him of his many accomplishments with his client. Is it true, as portrayed, that Parker was consistently trying to pressure Elvis to tone down his sex appeal? No, no, not at all. Elvis took care of what Elvis did and Colonel took care of what Colonel did.

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As a result, Presley was forced to continue the arduous performance schedule and forgo his dreams of touring internationally. You must be logged in to post a comment. There were more than a few men who would have roughly fitted this description in Nevada half a century ago. As a regulatory expectation, casinos are required to conduct enhanced due diligence EDD reviews on patrons that meet a gaming volume materiality threshold—generally, their top-tier patrons— to gain reasonable confidence in their source of funds. Consider if a similar incident happened today with a highly popular and beloved performer. Instead, the casino, as a best practice, should consider asking patrons to explain how they fund their gambling. Some frauds require a high degree of skill and cunningness to pull off. By Anthony Breznican. But money wasn't the only point of contention in Presley and Parker's partnership. Searching public records and open-source information will not always yield reasonable confidence in the true source of funds. Ultimately, the shrewdness of the business deals that Parker negotiated for Elvis were entirely in vain. The risk of compulsive gambling cannot be ignored for casinos that value their reputation among regulators, LE and their community. Parker didn't care; he saw that he could extract maximum profits out of Presley by keeping him on a rigorous film schedule and using the accompanying soundtracks to fulfill his contractual obligations to RCA.

Elvis Presley is a true rags-to-riches story. He went from humble beginnings in Tupelo, Mississippi, to being "the King of rock 'n roll," with a slew of music smash hits, Hollywood flicks, and a glitzy long-running Las Vegas residency.

But beyond this, in true Parker style, there is nothing more solid than cigar smoke at which to grasp. However, because Parker obtained so much financial control, Parker threatened to sue Presley for all his remaining wealth. By , Presley's musical career was in dire straits, but he reversed his fortunes with an eponymous comeback special , a televised performance that aired on Dec. He argued that fans who lived off the beaten path deserved to see the King as well. Loanne dug in her purse and produced a torn picture of a rag street vendor doll, posed with a teddy bear. Parker also assisted Louisiana governor Jimmie Davis on his campaign, and for his efforts he received the honorary title of "Colonel. The Colonel himself ended up being the greatest sucker of them all, giving back almost his entire fortune to the Hilton croupiers. Applying the Fraud Triangle during the EDD process provides a systematic method to identify areas of higher risk without having to deal with the subjectivity of determining whether a patron is in the throes of compulsive gambling. With an elephant-head cane resting by his side, a cigar clamped into his mouth and a cheap baseball cap sat awkwardly on his huge bald dome, this man was, with a grim determination, seemingly going out of his way to lose incredibly large sums of money. These factors are as follows:. Attorneys that oversee client trust funds and trustees are also included in this category. Commendably, casinos dedicate significant resources to encourage responsible gambling. But this gambler was far from a day-tripper to the casino. You must be logged in to post a comment.