Tom Hanks goes dark: Why our favorite good guy wanted to play the. Baz Luhrmann is much like Colonel Parker. Fontana on drums and Scotty Moore on guitar, and Bill Black, who passed away after that, on the upright bass. Colonel Tom Parker managed Elvis Presley 's career from 1955 to 1977, overseeing almost every aspect of the star's life. 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. Elvis Information Network, May-June 2022). In the end, playing Parker required Hanks to spend an average of five hours per day in the make-up chair. From your memoir, it sounds like Peggy Lee might have been the least fun? HANKS: It's a beast, but you are aware of when that scene is coming. And I would love to make a movie about that guy. Hanks said he was taken aback by her reaction. Parker returned to the carnival (one not-too-dissimilar to the 1950s carnival in American Horror Story thanks to the setting), where he made his living for a time before getting involved in music promotion, working with the likes of Gene Austin, Minnie Pearl, Eddy Arnold, and Hank Snow. I am curious though, I like throwing a curve ball at the beginning, something, hopefully you haven't been asked. Theyre doing it in Connecticut now; a young lady who was in the show in London is directing it. In an. What Elvis Gets RightAnd WrongAbout the Real Colonel Tom Parker The 50 greatest TV and movie detectives of all time. A lot of the young Brits, the rockers, they were big fans of American rock n roll or rhythm and blues records. I recently spoke with Baz Luhrmann to discuss the 20th . The one where EW follows up with the cast. Bono and the Edge with the soldier in the bomb shelter in Ukraine that was very touching, that they would choose that song. and B.B. And when he said that, I said, 'Oh, well, okay, now that's brand new.". Then we worked with her seven years later after she was no longer at Capitol [on the critically hailed, little heard A&M concept album Mirrors). Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action Little Mermaid with a new generation's Ariel. No, no, not at all. And then they asked us to write for a movie that became Loving You, when it was renamed after the song that we wrote. You know, it was Big Mama Thornton married to D.W. Washburn with a son named Charlie Brown that kind of inane shoehorning of things. And I don't think it had been done the most righteous justice in order to capture why Elvis was this bend in the river of American culture. What dreams do you have? 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. Of course, we werent in the studio when she did Kansas City [in 1962]; there was a Quincy Jones chart on that. He was huge. ", "If Shakespeare was looking to take on a historical character now, you couldn't go past the idea of the Colonel and Elvis," Luhrmann adds. But once Elvis was onstage, controlling the music, he did what he wanted. We dont have approval on scripts only money. We picked up the script, which we hadnt looked at yet, that was in the corner of the room with the Whats On Broadway magazines. And then, of course, there was (the film) Jailhouse Rock (also retitled after a song Leiber and Stoller came up with), which was where Elvis heard the demos and wanted to meet us. Vernon needed something to do, and he was always willing to take money under the table, and Parker saw how malleable he was, and would have suggested Vernon be the so-called business manager. Remembering Loanne Parker - Graceland That can be found in detail in two Parker biographies published in recent years . No, it never did. and he sounds entirely American to me. By Ken Sharp "The King" is back in the forefront of popular culture with the new Baz Luhrmann bio pic Elvis starring Austin Butler as the hip-swiveling Memphis fireball of a singing sensation and Tom Hanks as notorious manager Colonel Tom Parker.. On the heels of the film's release comes a new re-pressing of the must-have book The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker . Then she was hired on as Elvis' tour secretary and traveled . Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Did Parkers accent really sound like the one Tom Hanks is using in the film? When Elvis returned home from the Army, The Colonel focused on more films, TV appearances, and albums, saturating the airwaves with Elvis. Is it true, as portrayed, that Parker was consistently trying to pressure Elvis to tone down his sex appeal? Despite the court controversy, Parker continued to appear at Elvis-themed events, from anniversaries to special events, etc. Yeah. When it was just written lyrics on a piece of paper, she started to croon it. Unfortunately, Jerry and I didnt complete a show we were working on about Oscar Wilde, and its kind of sitting in our back pockets. And when he said that, I said, 'Oh, well, okay, now that's brand new,'" remembers Hanks. Theres about three different uses of Hound Dog, including the original Big Mama Thornton version, and of course theres some Jailhouse Rock in there. Is the portrayal of Elvis relationship with Priscilla, however briefly that is dramatized, basically accurate? Alan Hanson | 2015, Reader Comment:For me, Elvis was quintessentially suited as a blues artist. Hanks also reveals his dream project and its not what youre expecting. In the meantime, Colonel Parker had nixed all offers for Elvis to appear on stage, as he had for Presley to appear on TV. Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox, A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry. 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. Its the blues! [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.]. You had your share of contact with him during the years you were writing for Elvis. I got to really appreciate Elvis. All Rights Reserved. There is the legend of an afternoon where you and Leiber cranked out four classic Elvis film songs in just a few hours Jailhouse Rock, Treat Me Nice, I Want to Be Free and (Youre So Square) Baby I Dont Care pretty much because someone trapped you in a hotel suite and compelled you to be prolific. He was a very disciplined man, but also a guy who you might want to check your wallet to make sure you still have all those fives and 10s. The actual Parker diedJan. 21, 1997, at the age of 87. So it gets complicated, and it probably will never get done. With writer-director Baz Luhrmanns Elvis opening in theaters this weekend around the world, I recently got to speak with Tom Hanks about playing Colonel Tom Parker in the biopic. By the third day, you're in love with him. Elvis Presley's 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 icon's earnings.When asked about the deal . I'll tell you specifically. And there certainly would've been no Elvis without Colonel Tom Parker.' Reportedly, Hanks was approached by movie director Baz Luhrmann, and after a short conversation, the actor was hooked. Are you kidding? How did you finally land on the Colonels bad side? If not the term producer really coming into usage in music? Colonel Parker Managed Elvis' Career, but Was He a Killer on the Lam? So we developed some protective mechanisms. "The Colonel is like Falstaff with a chainsaw. '", Luhrmann's instinct was right. Everybody's very familiar with it. How about a credit? And Jerry Wexler said, But you wrote the song! As Editor-in-chief, he has taken the site from a small bedroom operation to having millions of readers around the world. COLLIDER: I want to start with congratulations on the movie. And the Colonel said, What took you so long?. There's no substitute for going there. Marty Lacker told me that Elvis and B.B. Less cash to Elvis, claimed the producer, would allow the use of a great script to get Presleys film career back on the right track. Oh, Parker instigated that whole thing, but it wasnt to put a lid on the sexual energy. He didn't care what Elvis (Austin Butler) sang from the. You and Jerry had projects you wanted to do for Broadway with original stories and song scores. 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. Did Parker talk of things in carnival or carnie or conman terms as much as he does in this movie? Second, for a movie about a musician, Elvis also didn't receive any music nominations at the Oscars. But we used to have to say to him, This is Jerry, and Im Mike. Turns out he didnt have an impediment he was just trying to wrap a Dutch tongue around the English language, Southern-style. He didnt care what color he was. 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 Im very proud of its success, nevertheless. Mike Stoller on Writing 'Hound Dog,' 'Jailhouse Rock - Variety Anything can happen during those first three days. Yes and no. Or were there things he did right that he merits credit for? He could have said, I mean, Priscilla herself told me he could have said no to those movies. Procols Ninth was the name of the album. Randy Newman was brought in and did an exquisite chart fabulous and we produced it out here. "Baz said, 'There would've been no Colonel Tom Parker without Elvis. King and Little Richard later. But the more I read about the Colonel, it was about the sell overwhelming the other side. What about Presleys entrance into the Army? Other than the tremendous pains Baz has taken to make this story seem woke, the liberties are essentially fair except to Parker. However, Parker claimed that his issue with overseas performances was over security issues, as well as poor venues not suitable for the star's stature. But the most fun we ever had in the studio working was with the Coasters. Elvis Presley had his own struggles, particularly in his later years, as his lavish spending, addiction issues, divorce, and declining health took a toll on The King. In contrast to Butler, who had to craft a version of a man everyone recognizes, Hanks had the freedom to start from scratch.
Dr Brent Dennis Boulder City, Nv,
Spots And Stripes Pattern In Nature Examples,
15523013eca257178e54 Albany State University Homecoming 2022,
Dui Checkpoints Pittsburgh This Weekend,
Articles C