When Colonel Tom Parker and MGM began negotiating a new Elvis documentary in early 1972, the original concept was not the sprawling arena portrait that eventually became Elvis on Tour. The project was initially titled Standing Room Only and was expected to be filmed in Las Vegas with an accompanying soundtrack album. Parker and MGM later reshaped it into a record of Presley's fifteen-city spring tour, while a separate 1971 contract dictated how the money would be divided: Presley received two-thirds of income from his appearances and Parker one-third. The film ultimately cost about $1.6 million when production expenses and Presley's performance fees were combined, giving Parker a powerful financial and managerial interest in controlling the finished image.
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AI concept artworkArchive Record · 1970s
Colonel Parker Tried to Turn Elvis on Tour into a Carefully Managed Public-Relations Job
Elvis Presley and Colonel Tom Parker / 1970s
When Colonel Tom Parker and MGM began negotiating a new Elvis documentary in early 1972, the original concept was not the sprawling arena portrait that eventually became Elvis on Tour. The project was initially titled Standing Room Only and was expected to be filmed in Las Vegas with an accompanying soundtrack album. Parker and MGM later reshaped it into a record of Presley's fifteen-city spring tour, while a separate 1971 contract dictated how the money would be divided: Presley received two-thirds of income from his appearances and Parker one-third. The film ultimately cost about $1.6 million when production expenses and Presley's performance fees were combined, giving Parker a powerful financial and managerial interest in controlling the finished image.
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