Elvis Presley was a legend that cannot be replaced in history. With the release of the movie “Elvis,” where Austin Butler played the role of the iconic singer Elvis, the popularity again led to growing interest in the life story of The King. Even after multiple weeks of release, the film’s popularity is still the same. However, there is certain information that the fans want to crosscheck as it had led to a state of shock for many. The most intriguing topic that highly interests the fans is whether Elvis fired Colonel on stage in reality. The internet is buzzing with that topic and people want to know the real truth of the situation. So, here is what you need to know about it.
Did Elvis Fire Colonel on Stage?
Before proceeding, you need to understand that even though the film is based on the real-life story of Elvis Presley, certain parts are fully fictional. Similarly, Elvis firing Colonel on stage while performing in Las Vegas didn’t happen in real life. The film shows that when Elvis realized that Colonel deceived him, he fired his manager on the live stage in front of a live audience. But that didn’t take place in reality.
However, one incident happened that is very similar to this, but the outcome wasn’t as intense as shown in the film. Alanna Nash, the author behind “The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Park and Elvis Presley” mentioned a backstage incident that took place in Las Vegas in 1974. Though the argument didn’t happen live on stage, the matter became so critical that both parties were ready to quit their roles. The ultimate truth is that Colonel summed up an invoice that he stated that Elvis owed him. Since Elvis couldn’t pay that lump sum, he had to eventually get back to a cycle of working for the Colonel.
Moreover, Nash also clarified that the scene in the “Elvis” movie was inspired by the 1974 incident where Barron Hilton was severely criticized by Elvis when he was on stage. It took place because he fired one of his favorite employees, Elvis. Well, this then resulted in an argument between Elvis and Colonel.
So, the actual reality of the movie was altered a bit to catch the viewers’ attention.
Did Parker Steal From Elvis?
The speculations suggest different numbers but it is highly believed that Colonel Parker actually took around 50% of Elvis’ earnings. Todd Slaughter, a famed fan who was also the president of the biggest Elvis fan club globally for more than 50 years, once said to Express, “It was claimed he took 50 percent of Elvis’ earnings which was not true. He took 25 percent, which, at that time, was the industry standard.”
Todd further suggested that the 50/50 split came regarding licensing and merchandising, “But it was never a 50/50 split on his earnings.”
As a matter of fact, back in 1980, a judge proved that Parker’s management was actually pretty unethical. It even turned out that Elvis Presley had ended up losing “millions of dollars worth of royalties” because Parker was the one who insisted Elvis not sing to The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.
The problem was so that after Elvis died in 1977, Parker started managing all of Elvis’s business and stated. Still, he failed to meet his end needs due to his gambling addiction. He was in more than $30 million in debt to the famous Las Vegas Hilton. This ended up with him getting evicted as soon as Elvis died. He earned more than $100 million just by managing the icon himself.
It was also said that at the time of Elvis’ funeral, Parker showed no remorse. He attended the event in a Hawaiian shirt along with a baseball cap. He even convinced Vernon, Elvis’s father, to sign all the control of Elvis’ career as well as movies to him.
After the death of Elvis Presley, he arranged a press conference and said, “Elvis didn’t die. The body did. We’re keeping Elvis alive. I talked to him this morning and he told me to continue.”
So, Elvis may not have fired Colonel on stage, but the manager was not the right fit for such an icon. He is still considered the main villain and probably for the right reasons.
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