Elvis Presley’s Manager: Colonel Tom Parker (Part Two)

The true story about the man who contributed mightily to the destruction of one of America’s greatest 20th century icons.

The Colonel, understanding that the lack of international touring was a major irritant for Elvis, then devised an ingenious plan to circumvent his personal abhorrence of such a tour.  He made a deal with various television networks all over the world for Elvis to appear in a live format for live international satellite transmission to countries including Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, South Vietnam, the Phillippines and Australia.  Because the Super Bowl would take place on the same day, January 14, 1973 and because special attention and additional material was to be supplied for the version shown in the United States, the American edition of the show appeared on April 4.  Elvis became excited about this novel showcase, lost twenty-five pounds in the month leading up to the show and also cut way back on his pharmaceutical consumption, evident when he hit the stage in a specially designed American eagle jumpsuit, this preparation helping to produce an iconic appearance.  The show was again NBC’s highest rated program of the year and the subsequent release of a live double album sold a half million copies in two weeks, startling numbers in the age of vinyl.

Linda Thompson, the Tennessee beauty queen that became Elvis’ official girlfriend after his marriage dissolved, hoped that Presley’s ability to get himself into some semblance of normal sober shape might be a permanent transition.  But only hours after the concert ended in the early morning, Presley was again so narcotically intoxicated he could not even get off of his hotel room balcony to accompany his entourage to the USS Arizona memorial.  Thompson herself would personally witness Presley’s final harrowing descent and bizarre behavior that transformed him into a tragic monstrosity.

Despite his resurgence, Elvis Presley’s spending habits, large payroll and maintenance of both Graceland and a succession of households in Bel-Air and Beverly Hills necessitated a great deal of cash.  While his live shows were lucrative, they entailed transportation eventually aboard a Convair 880 four engine jet, named the Lisa Marie after his only daughter, which transported a large entourage of security and band members to most shows.

With financial necessity having forced Kirk Kekorian to sell the International to the Hilton Hotel Corporation, Presley spent his time at what was now the Las Vegas Hilton, isolated In his hotel suite, avoiding Colonel Parker, who he rarely spoke to, Parker spending most of his time at the gaming tables running up a debt that eventually reached thirty million dollars.  Stories of Presley spontaneously shooting out television sets and streetlights were absolutely true, the paranoid singer usually armed with several handguns, once coming within inches of accidentally shooting Linda Thompson while she was using the bathroom.

By August of 1977, Elvis Presley, 6 feet tall, weighed 350 pounds, 175 pounds more than what he weighed only four and a half years earlier during his Aloha from Hawaii concert.  His heart was three times its normal size and his nervous system routinely  contained as many as twelve separate types of mostly narcotic medication, including several types of opiates.  His remarkable tolerance of these medications was the product of massive abuse that stretched back over two decades.

Following the circuslike funeral and public outpouring of grief after Elvis Presley’s death, life went on normally for Colonel Parker and Presley’s immediate family.  A year later, a convention was held at the Las Vegas Hilton, organized by Tom Parker, that included a dedication of a statue of Elvis in the lobby, separate admission to an Elvis re-creation for a fifteen dollar additional charge, appearances by Priscilla and Vernon Presley, and the Colonel signing an autographed poem for a buck a throw. Over a million dollars came in in 1978 for merchandise profits at least half paid to Parker.