What's New, Pussycat?
These are all the stories — in no particular category — that are posted for awhile on our home page. It’s a pretty good record of all we’ve posted in one place.
“Elvis In Vegas:” Tom Talks About His Friend In This Documentary
Sunday, January 10th, 2010
Far be it from me to argue with the august, ever-so-correct BBC, but their introductory description (below) of their documentary Elvis In Vegas is a load of c*** in one important way and serves not the truth, but to perpetuate the nonsense that leads to performers (including Tom) who regularly play Las Vegas to be grouped together as no-talent lounge lizards — especially by British media. Why, even people close to those performers who should know better resist mention of Las Vegas and fight tooth-and-nail again it. (For some odd reason in Tom’s case, “Las Vegas” is verboten, but only Tom himself and some fans seem to mind it when he’s called a “crooner.”) The video here is an hour long, so I’m leaving this post up through Monday to give you time to check it out and to gain back some of the time it took to prepare it. Hope you understand and take the time to watch it. Overall it’s a good show and Elvis had such a great impact on Tom from the time Tom was about 16 years old so that, too, adds interest for the TJ fan.
Anyway, back to the Elvis doc, it was not Las Vegas, but Elvis’ manager, Col. Parker, a carny huckster from the git-go, who did more than anyone besides Elvis himself to destroy Elvis. It is a tale of great talent and charisma destroyed and it is a sad story. Tom has clearly thought about Elvis and what he says adds greatly to the story.
The BBC says: “Elvis in Vegas : The untold story of how Elvis Presley transformed Las Vegas, but how the same city helped to destroy him.
“In 1969, Elvis was at the peak of his powers with a stage show at the Hilton and recordings that crowned him the most famous entertainer in the world. However, beneath the surface his own demons — and the schemes of his celebrity manager, Colonel Tom Parker — were taking their toll.
“Based in 1970s Vegas and featuring some of Elvis’s finest performances, home movies and rare archive footage, the documentary reveals a bizarre tale of intrigue and excess, recounted by those closest to him. It shows how the Vegas experience impacted on Elvis’s spectacular shows, his chart-topping recordings, his volatile relationship with Parker and his unusual private life – all set against the glamorous backdrop of a ‘Sin City’ that would never be the same again.
“Featuring interviews with Priscilla Presley, Colonel Parker’s wife Loanne, the Memphis Mafia, Tom Jones, Nancy Sinatra, songwriters Leiber and Stoller and many more.”
If you are an Elvis fan you’ve probably seen a lot of the footage before, but Elvis was a wonder to behold and this doc makes it clear. Tom’s comments, too, are very recent, and that’s nice.
You can watch it in the TJI.com Video Library.
Again,, thanks to Johan.
January 10th, 2010 at 8:25 am
I thought this was a very good documentarty. I don’t know the background to Las Vegas so would defer to Ellens better knowledge of what the situation was at the time. But the destruction of Elvis seems to agree with what has been documented before. The big surprise to me was that Colonel Tom was an illegal immigrant!!!! What a shame that the rest of the world never saw Elvis live just because of this!!!
January 10th, 2010 at 9:09 am
I think this is a terrific documentary. Like Norman, I bow to Ellen’s knowledge of Vegas…I’ve only ever been there twice, both times back in the 1970′s…so I can’t vouch for the accuracy of the documentary’s depiction of the city (a city I thoroughly enjoyed visiting, by the way!). But I think the documentary does a good job of depicting some of the reasons behind Elvis’ downfall. I’ve always felt that the Colonel was a huge part of Elvis’ problems. His handling of Elvis, while in some ways brilliant (especially in the very early days), was increasingly based on what was good for the Colonel, not necessarily what was good for Elvis. His questionable business decisions stifled Elvis’ creativity, which I’m sure led to a lot of frustration and boredom on Elvis’ part, and which in turn most probably contributed to his drug use. The documentary made excellent use of interviews with people close to Elvis, and these interviews allow us to better understand what was going on in the background of Elvis’ life at that time. I found Tom’s comments very interesting, and extremely thoughtful and insightful. I’ve heard Tom speak about his relationship with Elvis in numerous interviews, and what always comes through in his comments are the love and respect he had for Elvis, and his sadness at the way Elvis’ life ended. A few years ago, I heard an interview (can’t remember who it was with) in which Tom said that he knew Elvis was in trouble with drugs during the last few years of his life, and tried to reach out and help him, but could never get through to him. What a very sad story. Elvis was such a talented man…makes you wonder what “might have been” had his life not been cut so tragically short. Thanks again for sharing this with us, Ellen!
By the way…does anyone know if this documentary is available on DVD? I would love to purchase a copy!
January 10th, 2010 at 10:19 am
Hi, All: My knowledge of Las Vegas comes from living here for about five years and knowing the city, knowing the history and knowing what it’s like, what people say; reading the dismissive remarks. I visited Las Vegas when I was a child, but have no intimate knowledge.
Col. Parker: An illegal immigrant and not a “Colonel” in any military organization. It was an honorary title from a Southern governor friend.
Melvyn: I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t say this is documentary is crap; I said the idea that Las Vegas killed Elvis is crap. This is an excellent film, fun to watch and informative. I also don’t know how you could liken the relationship of Tom and Gordon Mills to that of Elvis and Parker. Entirely different in every way except that Mills managed Tom.
And, by the way, who says Tom “is not doing Vegas much any more?” If you have inside information, please share. Like so many fans from the UK you seem to wish this to be true and, by saying it with an air of authority you try to make it true. Really, if you know something, please let everyone know.
And, finally, I resent any comparison between Elvis and Tom as inappropriate and I would never do it. Each brought a unique talent to the table but, as you weren’t in the US when Elvis frenzy began you have no clue. Elvis WAS a wonder. So is Sir Tom. Comparison, as they say, is odious. It’s kind of sad you were never touched by the Elvis magic. Your loss. Also, your comment about Tom and Mark makes no sense. Of course we’re lucky to still have Tom and, unlike Elvis, Tom takes care of himself because, clearly, he saw what hard drugs can do so he avoided them.
What you’ve said amounts to just a big bowlful of wrong. So many of Tom’s fans today are, like Tom himself, Elvis fans and it was Elvis who originally turned them on to rock ‘n’ roll, he did for Tom. Another TJ website discussion area used to see people getting all bent if anyone dared mention Elvis, Enge or, in fact, anyone but Tom. There’s room for everyone. Music immeasurably enriches our lives and we can enjoy all kinds from a huge range of musicians. One does not have to choose any one over the other.
Joanne: This doc is not yet available on DVD. But, if you get the free app, RealPlayer Downloader or one of several other similar apps, you can download it to your desktop and play it at any screen size you want and, with the right software, can improve the quality, too. Also check out Version Tracker, put what you’re looking for in the search box with the correct system and you can find something. This video was almost 100MB and the upload limit for the video library is 100MB so it is shared as a “web streaming” video, not at full=quality or CD rom.
Finally, I apologize if my response to Melvyn is too strong. But, first, I hate being misread and strive always to write with clarity. I think my comment about what is “c***” (the concept that Las Vegas “killed” Elvis) is clear and, also, I don’t feel too well today. (I feel like “c***”) so I may be a bit cranky. Sorry.
January 10th, 2010 at 11:22 am
I would loved to seen elvis in vegas in the 70s and there both great singers the most similar thing about them is there real mens men i respect them both for being 2 of the greatest performers in the last 100 years,i feel c### to.
January 10th, 2010 at 11:53 am
I think this sucks. Elvis didn’t make Vegas…Elvis needed Vegas. They gloss over the fact that The King’s career took a dive after the army. While he was making so many B movies in the 60′s the USA was taken by “The British Invasion.” He went to Vegas to revamp his career. His downfall was his and manager’s own doing. Elvis was good but Sir Tom is great!
January 10th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Just wish someone would come up with a recording of them both singing. Ellen and Johan thanks for posting the documentary i’m an Elvis fan also, saw some great footage.
January 10th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
Michael Jackson didn’t do Vegas at the end of his life and yet it ended much too soon the way Elvis’s did. We all should be very grateful that Tom had the maturity, self-control, self-esteem and self-preservation instinct to keep the pressures of show business from destroying him the way they have destroyed so many talented performers. His good health at nearly 70 is an important lesson not only to young performers but people of all ages to TAKE GOOD CARE of their precious mental, physical and spiritual health!
January 10th, 2010 at 11:02 pm
I thought it was a good documentary of Elvis. Most of it I had heard before but I still enjoyed views from different people.I always thought that Parker had a lot to due with the destruction of Elvis. It’s really just a shame. Such a waste of a great talent. Why do people find it necesary to compare him to Sir Tom? They are two different people with a talent all their own.I am also a fan of Enge’s and I know that some think it’s impossible to be a devoted fan to all but I enjoy all their music and my m3 player has music from them all and some others also. I hope I am not shocking anyone because I am a big fan of Sir Tom and have seen him in concert many many times.
January 11th, 2010 at 11:06 pm
Nice one Ellen
VIVA LAS VEGAS
Thankyou Thankyou very much
Long live the 2 great voices of our time
2 different styles both great artists each in there own unique way
January 12th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
I agree with Carol W. when it comes to comparison. Why? For those Tom fans who continually make this issue a competition, I would ask you to consider this. A world that would have never known the likes of an Elvis Presley? Music, clothing, men’s hairstyles, and society’s view of sexuality are just a few areas that would have been altered significantly.
ow sad to have never known this man or benefit from the God-given talent that he shared so unselfishly. To Elvis fans that want to dismiss Tom as just not as supreme, consider a world where we would have never experienced Tom Jones. What a shame to have missed out on “The Voice” and all that he has contributed to music. Think of all the singers who would not have been influenced by them. What a shame if there were never a Tom Jones who continues to share his God-given talent so unselfishly.
Considering that these two extraordinary men so greatly admired each other and conducted a friendship without jealousy and competition, who are we to compare? All of our lives have been enriched in one way or another because of BOTH of their existences, and we should be thankful for that and not try to always plead a case for why our guy is best. Ditto everything above for Michael Jackson! Can’t we all just get along?
January 12th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
Audrey: I was worried that you hadn’t posted a comment here. You are so right! You go, girl!
January 13th, 2010 at 9:09 am
I saw the Biography Channel bio on Elvis last weekend and I think it is much better than this one. It talked about his Vegas experiences, but there was more to his career and life than that. Just my opinion. Also, Turner Classic Movie Channel had some movies and a couple of concerts that were filmed in the early seventies. Very nice tribute.
January 14th, 2010 at 1:05 am
SusannePDX…Elvis didn’t need Vegas, absurd. The Colonel needed it though to pay off gambling debts. Yeah, Elvis made some lackluster movies…but all it took to reclaim the throne was one TV Special. After he did the ’68 Comeback Special he could have played anywhere. Yeah, they did start in Vegas and the revenue for the entire town went up when he was there. People that couldn’t stay at the Hilton stayed in other hotels. People that couldn’t get into his shows went to other shows. The whole town was thrilled when he came. Then he moved on to 5 historic sold out nights at MSG. In ’73 when he did his Aloha special via satellite, 1 billion people tuned in in 40 countries, more than watched man’s first walk on the moon. Elvis in 1977, you know the supposedly washed up version? Well, he was the #1 concert attraction for the year…and he died in August!
The man has sold more records worldwide than any single performer, has more Top Ten Hits than anyone in history and on and on and on. The things that Elvis achieved stand alone in the history of entertainment and music. Tom has never done anything that can rival it, nor has anyone else. The first thing that a reasonable person has to do is give the King his due as far as his impact and achievements. Then you can discuss preference if you wish. Like when Elvis sings one of Tom’s songs…I prefer Tom…=) Once Tom has sung it, it has done been sung! I agree that there is no need to compare…but let’s get real…Elvis impact cannot be touched. I have seen “The Voice” 10 times in five venues. I love Tom and I have no problem if someone prefers Tom to Elvis as a matter of taste, but there is a reason that one of the first things that every interviewer asks Tom is, “So what was it like to hang out with Elvis!”