I was 18 when I wrote this article back in 1993 for The Elvis Beat #4, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.
Dick Clark, executive producer of the NBC television movie Elvis and the Colonel: The Untold Story, launched an attack against Colonel Tom Parker during a January press tour promoting the American Music Awards.
“I’ve held that story for 20 years,” he said. “I wanted it told so badly because it’s the classic example of horrendous mismanagement. Elvis was a great talent, a national treasure.”
He went on to state some facts about Colonel Parker’s mismanagement of Elvis’ career. The comments were out of character for Clark, who almost never comments negatively on anyone. He has been inside the music industry for over 40 years, launching the careers of countless performers, and his influence is a contributing factor in the continued popularity of rock music.
Clark is a genuine rock ‘n’ roll legend and must have many more horror stories to tell, yet this is the first time he has truly opened up.
“It’s my contention that had Elvis been handled properly and had loved ones around him who really cared, who weren’t just sucking his blood dry, he might be alive today,” he said.
These comments lead one to wonder how Clark could have possibly been satisfied by Elvis and the Colonel: The Untold Story, a poorly-made movie which did little to bring down the Colonel and instead made Elvis a villain. [Perhaps] this movie somehow got away from Clark, and, before he knew it, his original idea had been transformed into the fiasco which aired on NBC in January.
“(Parker) kept (Elvis) in a cage like an animal. He trotted him out like a trained bear,” Clark said. “Oopsy daisy. Stop. Time. I can’t say these things. You draw your own conclusions.”
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