Colonel Tom Parker was one of the very first who truely realized the significance of multi media marketing. So the first thing for him to do was to get Elvis on television to make him known throughout the country. And he also knew that starring in movies would not only broaden the audience of his client, but also make him somewhat independant from musical styles and vogues.

Movies

Between 1956 and 1969 Elvis starred in 31 feature films, in 1970 and 1972 he was the subject of documentaries. Because of their low budgets the movies archived excellent returns and ensured steadily rising fees for the king. His debut "Love Me Tender" made him $100,000, but just one year later he was already offered $250,000 for "Jailhouse Rock". In the early 1960s Elvis received $500,000 for each movie, by the middle of the decade his standard fee had risen to $850,000. On top of that the studios offered profit shares up to 50%. Even though the movies were nothing but a by-product of his music career Elvis made it in the top ten of the best paid actors several times. To translate these figures into the present, one has to know that one USD of 1960 had the purchase power of ten USD of 2023. The admission fees for cinemas and fees for actors have risen even higher, here we can assume roughly a factor of 15. So the king's later standard fee of $850,000 would now be around $12,750,000 and a profit share of $1,000,000 would be another whopping $15,000,000. Not bad for six to eight weeks of work!

 Elvis made a few attempts of starring in more or less serious movies, but just the lightweight musical comedies became real blockbusters and the accordant soundtracks often sold twice as much as his regular studio albums. From 1963 onwards the king focused on these products and for the next three years the business was brisk. But in 1967 the earnings literally imploded and the movies barely made 50% of what a Presley flick had grossed up to 1966. Financially his waning popularity didn't hit Elvis too hard, because Colonel Parker had made some long-term contracts at the peak of the business and therefore our man from Memphis still received high fees for each movie - no matter if made money or not.

If you are interested in facts and reviews of the motion pictures, just tap on the poster and you are forwarded to the accordant page.

Television

From 1956 to 1960 Elvis made guest appearances in several variety shows. Just like in the movie business he quickly became one of the best paid entertainers on tv. When the future king of entertainment was booked on "The Stage Show" he got $1,250 for each appearance, but barely half a year later Ed Sullivan had to pay him $50,000 for three appearances. An outrageous amount at the time. But Elvis surpassed even that when he announced his comeback in Frank Sinatra's tv show. When he had signed for "Love Me Tender" in 1956 he had gotten $100,000 for the movie. Now he recieved $125,000 for roughly eight minutes in front of the tv cameras! Just translate this into the present by using our factor 15. Today he would have gotten 1.9 million USD with all the travel expenses being paid additionally.

In the 1950s television was a young kind of media, but it was for old people only. The big shows were strictly for the well established stars who performed their beloved hits. No experiments, no newcomers, nothing that could annoy or even surprise anybody. In the days before the internet and social media one had to tour the country and hope to be discovered and signed by a record label. If the subsequent records and tours were successful one could hope to be invited to perform in a tv show. That was the way the business worked and that was the way it was accepted by each and everyone. Colonel Parker knew instinctively that television had the power to create stars - if the talents had a chance to get there. To his favor "The Stage Show" was a dying format with weak ratings and the producer was so desperate, that five singles on an obscure label in Memphis and a contract with RCA Victor (with no releases yet) was deemed enough to consider Elvis a forthcoming sensation. The young man used the show to great effect and after six performances he was known all throughout the nation, had a number one hit and a well selling album. That lead to bookings on bigger shows which generated more publicity and more success. Elvis was the first to use television for building a career and after he had become a household name, he disappeared. He just returned once in 1960 to announce his comeback after his stint in the army.

But even though he never set a foot in anybody else's tv show again, he didn't withdraw from television completely. In 1968 he starred in his first own television special to revive his by then moribund career. Five years later he returned with an extravaganza named "Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite", which was the most expensive and technically ambitious television concert to date. Without doubt it was the ultimate proof that he was the one and only king of entertainment. In 1977 he agreed to being filmed during two regular tour shows and had he lived when the result was aired his image would have been damaged. Three of his former bodyguards had just published a book about Elvis' mental problems and the abuse of medication. Unfortunately neither his looks, nor his behaviour did anything to prove them wrong. Of course all these tv specials made the king a lot of money. For "SINGER presents Elvis" (1968) he recieved $250,000, "Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite" (1973) made him a full million and for "Elvis In Concert" (1977) he got $750,000. On top of that, the rights over these specials fell to Elvis Presley Enterprises after the networks had aired them twice.

Just tap on the poster to be forwarded to all of Elvis' appearances on television.