Ronnie McDowell

Review – ELVIS AND THE COLONEL: THE UNTOLD STORY (1993) [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 18 when I wrote this review back in 1993 for The Elvis Beat #4, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

Elvis And The Colonel: The Untold Story (NBC), starring Beau Bridges, directed by William A. Graham, aired January 10, 1993.

Elvis And The Colonel: The Untold Story is a story that should have remained untold. Not only is this the worst movie ever made about Elvis, but this is also probably the worst movie ever.

The initial concept behind this television movie was actually a good idea – an examination of the well-documented mismanagement of Elvis’ career by Colonel Tom Parker. But the end result is an absolute failure.

Elvis And The Colonel is one big mistake after another. A listing of some of the many factual errors contained in this movie appears on page 5 of this newsletter.

The biggest mistake of all occurred in the casting department when Robb Youngblood was chosen to play “Elvis.” Youngblood does not bear the slightest resemblance to Elvis, so one can only assume that he was selected for his acting ability. The problem with that theory is that [. . .] at no time during the entire two-hour movie is he convincing as “Elvis.” [. . . .]

It is also obvious that no effort was made to make Youngblood look like Elvis. Throughout the 22 years of “Elvis”‘ life that this movie portrays, Youngblood wears basically the same hairstyle–even while in the Army. It looks awful and resembles none of the many different styles Elvis wore his hair in over the years.

Youngblood’s clothes in the movie look so cheap that even the local [discount store] would be embarrassed to sell them. Once again, they resemble nothing the real Elvis ever wore. The styles may have changed since his time, but Elvis never looked cheap the way Youngblood does.

All of these cosmetic problems could have been overlooked had Elvis And The Colonel been a good story but, as mentioned before, it is filled with errors. And even beyond those errors, the script is poorly written and the entire movie is poorly made. [. . . .]

Beau Bridges, who was obviously chosen only to draw more viewers, stars as “Colonel Parker” and does a poor job also, but in a different way than Youngblood. Bridges makes the Colonel appear too likable and too nice, defeating the purpose of the movie.

Youngblood seems to have accidentally studied Gomer Pyle videos instead of Elvis ones for his part, for he plays Elvis as an extremely stupid fool – which could not be further from the truth.

Appropriately, even the house that is supposed to be Graceland looks nothing like the real thing.

The ELVIS television special, or the ’68 Comeback Special as it has come to be known, featured Elvis in top form. Of course, this movie slaughters this as well. One of the most ludicrous moments in the movie, and there are many, occurs when Youngblood is shown standing in front of a series of waist-high letters that spell “ELVIS” in red lights. The real version was over two stories tall and looked much better.

One of the many myths that Elvis And The Colonel perpetuates is everyone’s old favorite: “Elvis” appears overweight throughout the 1970s in this movie while the real Elvis did not begin to experience significant weight problems until about two years before his death. Youngblood is shown obese by 1971, while the real Elvis at the time was in shape and would remain so for a few more years. Of course, in such an inaccurate movie, such mistakes are not surprising.

Half of the “Elvis” songs used in the movie were apparently taken from Ronnie McDowell’s work for the 1979 television movie Elvis, starring Kurt Russell, and not surprisingly, Youngblood does a poor job lip-synching to them. The rest of the songs were performed by Youngblood himself and are awful. One particularly bad scene uses a combination of McDowell’s and Youngblood’s vocal tracks.

The most surprising thing about this movie is that Dick Clark was its executive producer. Clark also executive produced the Kurt Russell Elvis movie, directed by John Carpenter, which is one of the better movies based on Elvis’ life.

With this new movie, Clark has gone wrong. He has stated his respect for Elvis in the past and his disdain for the Colonel, but this movie serves only to slam Elvis instead of its intended target.

Incidentally, Elvis And The Colonel was directed by William A. Graham, who directed the real Elvis in Change Of Habit, which was one of Elvis’ better films.

It is apparent that no one connected with this movie bothered to do any significant research about its topic. It is also apparent that the movie’s production was rushed, probably to have it ready in time to cash in on the free publicity of the Elvis stamp release two days prior to this movie airing. They need not have bothered, for The Carol Burnett Show: A Reunion special beat it soundly in the ratings.

The worst part about Elvis And The Colonel: The Untold Story is that some people, who knew nothing about Elvis, probably watched this irresponsible movie and now think that this is what Elvis was really like.

Songs include:

  • “Lawdy, Miss Clawdy”
  • “Rip It Up”
  • “Tutti Frutti”
  • “Long Tall Sally”
  • “Heartbreak Hotel”
  • “Trouble”
  • “Blue Moon Of Kentucky”
  • “Are You Lonesome Tonight”
  • “The Wonder Of You”
  • “Dixie/The Battle Hymn Of The Republic”

Rating: 1 out of 10

Review – ELVIS: THE EARLY YEARS (1993) [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 18 when I wrote this review back in 1993 for The Elvis Beat #4, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

Elvis: The Early Years (ABC/TNT), starring Michael St. Gerard, various directors. Original Elvis series airdates: February–May 1990 (ABC). Mini-series edit airdates: January 6 (Part I) and 7 (Part II), 1993 (TNT).

TNT obtained the rights to air the 13 half-hour episodes of the 1990 ABC television series Elvis, edited them together, and aired them earlier this year as the two-part mini-series Elvis: The Early Years. Three of these episodes were previously unaired in any form due to the untimely cancellation of the 1990 Elvis series.

Elvis: The Early Years – Part I encompasses the episodes:

  • “Money Honey”
  • “The Storm”
  • “The Locket”
  • “Bel-Air Breakdown”
  • “Moody’s Blues”
  • “Hole In The Pocket”

Elvis pays to record a record for his mother, which eventually leads to his discovery. He joins forces with guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, and together they record “That’s All Right,” Elvis’ first release. The single becomes popular regionally and they go on several concert tours, causing friction between Elvis and his fictional girlfriend, Matti Walker.

Elvis purchases the famous pink Cadillac for his mother with his first royalty check from “That’s All Right.”

Elvis: The Early Years – Part II encompasses the episodes:

  • “Roots”
  • “Grand Ole Opry”
  • “Sun Sessions”
  • “Four Mules”
  • “The Old Man”
  • “Bodyguards”
  • “Let It Burn”

Elvis appears on the Grand Ole Opry radio program and is told to “stick to driving a truck,” an incident which haunts him and almost causes him to give up his singing career.

Elvis recovers and they continue to tour. They are booked on the Louisiana Hayride, another Southern radio program, and later sign to appear weekly. With the increased exposure, Elvis’ popularity continues to rise and, as it does, his problems with Matti escalate as well.

When Matti decides to marry another man, an enraged Elvis drives the Cadillac until the wheel bearings go out and the car burns.

Elvis: The Early Years is the best fictional production ever about Elvis. Michael St. Gerard is near-perfect as Elvis. Ronnie McDowell’s “Elvis” singing vocals are as authentic as the actor who lip-synchs to them.

The rest of the cast is delightful as well. Billy Green Bush reprises his role of Vernon Presley from the Elvis And Me mini-series. Millie Perkins, who appeared with the real Elvis in the 1961 movie Wild In The Country, portrays Gladys Presley.

Besides St. Gerard, two other actors bear strong resemblance to their real-life counterparts: Jordan Williams plays Sam Phillips and Jesse Dabson plays Scotty Moore.

Blake Gibbons brings humor to the show as Bill Black. Finally, the talented and beautiful Kelli Williams plays Matti Walker.

The entire cast does a fine job, which is rare for a fictional production about Elvis, since most have featured some of the worst actors and actresses ever seen.

Unfortunately, Elvis: The Early Years has no conclusion since the 1990 Elvis series was never completed.

Songs include:

  • “All Shook Up”
  • “Harbor Lights”
  • “That’s All Right”
  • “That’s When Your Heartaches Begin”
  • “Good Rockin’ Tonight”
  • “Since I Met You Baby”
  • “Milkcow Blues Boogie”
  • “Tryin’ To Get To You”
  • “So Glad You’re Mine”
  • “Mystery Train”
  • “Lawdy, Miss Clawdy”
  • “Baby, Let’s Play House”
  • “I Got A Woman”
  • “I’m Walkin’ The Floor Over You”
  • “Blue Moon Of Kentucky”
  • “I’ll Never Let You Go”
  • “Blue Moon”
  • “You Belong To Me”
  • “Satisfied”
  • “Shake, Rattle, and Roll”
  • “Tweedlee Dee”
  • “The Mess Around”
  • “Pledging My Love”

Rating: 8 out of 10

Elvis and the Colonel: Clark takes jabs at Parker [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

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.”

See Elvis and the Colonel review on page 10.

Elvis and the Colonel: Buried In His Part [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 18 when I wrote this article back in 1993 for The Elvis Beat #4, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter. I have edited out segments where I was overly harsh against this actor, as I now realize he was just trying to do a job even if I disliked the results.

Robb Youngblood gave an awful performance as “Elvis” in the NBC television movie Elvis and the Colonel: The Untold Story. Judging from recent interviews, Youngblood seems to feel that his portrayal of Elvis will jumpstart his [. . .] career.

“I’ve been struggling as an actor,” Youngblood said. [. . . .] “Until two years ago, I waited tables and tended bar. But hopefully I won’t have to do that anymore,” he said. [. . . .]

Youngblood was chosen from over 1,000 actors who auditioned for the role of “Elvis.” He insists that he did not get the part just because of his resemblance to Elvis. [. . . .]

Youngblood holds the “distinction” of being the first actor in a major US production to portray Elvis in his coffin, a fact which he is proud of. Although he was at his acting best during that scene, Youngblood could not even keep his eyelids from moving slightly.

Not only does Youngblood hope Elvis and the Colonel will help his acting career, he also hopes the movie will help start his singing career, for he also sang about half of the songs in the movie, while lip-synching the rest. He refuses to identify which of the songs he sang. They are easy to identify when one remembers that the rest of the songs were recorded by Ronnie McDowell, who has musical talent. [. . . .]

Youngblood has apparently recorded a country music album and said, “I hope to have that out in the spring, soon enough after this movie so it gives me some bounce.” [. . . .]