To promote the "100 years Parker, 1.000 times ELVIS" weekend, ElvisMatters will release a unique DVD with unedited interviews and the last images of Colonel Tom Parker in Las Vegas. This footage has never been shown before. The interviews were conducted by Jorrit van der Kooi.
This is the content:
- Engelina (Lien) van Kuijk: Sister of the Colonel. This interview is the only one taped on film, and was recorded in December 1996 at her house in Breda. Lien passed away a few months later, in April 1997.
- Ad van Kuijk Jr.: nephew of the Colonel. He was the one who managed to contact his cousin, after his father had seen a picture of his "lost brother" in a Dutch magazine. Recorded at his house in January 2009.
- The very last footage of the Colonel, recorded in Juni 1993 in the Las Vegas Hilton hotel. These are the only images, or film if you want, of the Colonel doing what he loved most: gambling.
- Loanne Miller Parker, Mrs Colonel: Loanne married the Colonel in 1990 , but they knew one another already in 1969, when she worked as a secretary at the International Hotel in Vegas. This exclusive interview was recorded in Las Vegas, where she still lives, in January 2009.
- Eddie Fadal: Friend of Elvis, especially in the 'early days', although they kept in touch until 1977. This was the last interview recorded, back in the Summer of 1993. Eddie Fadal died in April 1994.
- Mike McGregor: Mike worked for Elvis when he bought the Circle G Ranch, and moved back to Graceland with him. Recorded in 1993 at the Imperial Palace.
The Elvis Festival in Breda (Holland) will take place on June 26/27/28. For more details go to our events section.
This looks interesting...I would like to see this. Nothing ground-breaking I'm sure, but I like these kinds of things.
When will the DVD be released? This might be interesting to watch if the price is not outrageous.
Colonel Parker led a very interesting life. I'm always fascinated when people tell stories about him, so I'm looking forward to this.
I can hardly believe what I am reading! People of the Elvis World will never cease to amaze me - oh, well!
I'm sure I'll skip this one.
I wouldnt waste 5 minutes on this. Just seeing the guy pisses me off.
There will always be pro and contra arguments when discussing the Colonel and therefore, looking at this package as a fan, I personally would welcome every bit of new information - and here's loads of it. Loanne Parker talks in detail about the 'Dutch days' of Tom Parker, and that alone is unique. I never realized that she knew so much about his past, but apparently she does.
The Colonel played a major role in the career of Elvis, from the early fifties right up to the end. He may not have always taken the right decisions, no doubt about it, but then again: we simply can't change history. This DVD is NOT meant to change ones mind. It's simply a collection of never before seen interviews, and we, as a fanclub, know that fans are smart enough to draw their own conclusions.
The main thing however, is that this DVD contains unseen footage and unreleased interviews including the only interview Tom Parker's sister ever did, shortly before she passed away. Also, Mike McGregor and Eddie Fadal have passed on since, and there's not too much footage of these men around either. The DVD by the way, just like all the extras you get as a subscriber to the ElvisMatters Magazine, is a 100% free bonus.
I would buy it but then I'd only burn it !
I'm not a fan of the Colonel either, on the contrary !!! But I think Peter has a point here. Parker is part of the Elvis-(hi)story. One can like it or not, but it's a fact that no one can deny. So this DVD should not be considered as a "Hommage" to the s.o.a.b. , but rather as a source of some untill now unknown musical-(Elvis)-history-info. Always El.
When will Elvis fans finally understand? Elvis is the most successful artists of all time and such a career is only possible if you have a brilliant manager on your side. Without Parker Elvis would never have become what he was and still is today. Together they were unbeatable. Is that so hard to understand?