Elvis’ Friend Watched ‘the Blood Drain’ From the Singer’s Face After a $10 Million Deal Fell Apart
After a series of career disappointments, Elvis Presley finally came across a deal that excited him. He received a high-paying offer to perform outside North America, something he had never done despite his massive success. When his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, turned down the deal, Elvis looked deeply shaken.
Elvis seemed horrified after a lucrative deal collapsed
By the mid-1970s, Elvis had suffered a series of career disappointments. The latest was that negotiations for him to appear in A Star Is Born had fallen apart. Elvis wanted the role, but Parker demanded too much money and control; Kris Kristofferson got the part instead. Though Elvis felt disappointed, a new offer buoyed his spirits.
Per the book The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley by Alanna Nash, Saudi billionaires Adnan and Essam Khashoggi offered Elvis $5 million to perform at the Pyramids of Giza. Parker turned down the offer only for the Khashoggis to double it.
“Elvis came out to the bus, and he said, ‘It’s this now,’ and he held up 10 fingers,” Elvis’ longtime friend, Lamar Fike, said.
The possibility of a $10 million check to perform thrilled Elvis. Unfortunately, it never came to fruition. Parker turned down the offer again. Elvis’ cousin, Billy Smith, recalled, “you could almost see the blood drain out of [his] face.”
Colonel Tom Parker wouldn’t let Elvis perform outside the United States
To turn down this amount of money, particularly at a time when both Elvis and Parker needed it, seems inconceivable. But Parker never let Elvis travel outside North America for performances. Parker was not a legal citizen of the United States and feared that if he left the country, he would never be able to return.
As a result, he turned down millions of dollars over the course of Elvis’ career.
“I was with the Colonel one time when some people from South America came up and offered him two and a half million dollars for one show,” RCA rep Gaylen Adams said. “And he was just so nonchalant. He said, ‘Well, whenever I need two and a half million dollars, I’ll call you.’”
Instead, Elvis played Las Vegas residencies and shows around the United States.
Elvis grew increasingly frustrated with Colonel Parker
Unsurprisingly, Elvis resented Parker for his management style. According to Priscilla Presley, he rarely pushed back against Parker’s decisions. Still, he complained about him often, particularly when Parker began demanding that Elvis stop taking drugs.
“I’m tired of the old son of a b**** threatening me, saying he’s not going to book me anymore,” Elvis told a friend. “Goddamn it, I’ve done performances that I didn’t want to. They booked me in places that I didn’t want to be. We need to stick to our old agreement, where Colonel takes care of the business part, and I take care of the performing.”
Still, Elvis remained with Parker until the end of his life.
