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{\an8}This programme contains references
to drug misuse, addiction,
and organised crime.

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Elvis Presley,
the king of rock and roll.

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Teenagers, they all wanted
to hear Elvis, to see Elvis,

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and many of them wanted to be Elvis.

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With the swivel of his hips,

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a curl of his lip, and a sound
that set hearts racing,

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he didn't just change music,
he changed the world.

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Probably the most important figure
of the 20th century.

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Yet behind the spotlight stood
his manipulative manager,

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Colonel Tom Parker...

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...a smooth-talking hustler who
operated in a music business

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riddled with organised crime.

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You either con or you get conned.

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When Parker brought Elvis
to Las Vegas,

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he was stepping into a city
built by the mob...

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...where shadowy figures
pulled unseen strings.

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The mob was completely enmeshed
in Las Vegas.

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They controlled the city.

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Elvis lit up Vegas.

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But gangsters owned the ground
beneath his feet,

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and Parker knew it.

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You couldn't do business
in Las Vegas without the mob.

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As the Colonel gambled with the mob,
Elvis slid deeper into a world

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of temptation,
control, and corruption.

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Las Vegas made Elvis a legend.

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But in a town run by mobsters
and money...

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...even a king could be brought
to his knees.

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Five years after World War II,
a new era.

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Dwight D Eisenhower is president
of the United States.

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Factories are booming...

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America is alive with promise
and possibility.

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{\an8}The 1950s are a time of amazing
change in America.

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It's the time of huge,
huge optimism.

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And I think one of the really
interesting things is the music.

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Sweeping across America's
airwaves comes a new sound.

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Raw, wild, unstoppable...

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...rock and roll.

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Created by African American pioneers
like Chuck Berry

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and Little Richard, it's shaking
the nation.

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But one name will eclipse
them all.

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Elvis Presley was a blazing star

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in the mid to late 1950s.

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He was something genuinely new.

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{\an8}It was this combination
of country...

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{\an8}...rhythm and blues and rock.

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And he was able to merge all of
those into a style and a format

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that was so appealing to
young people.

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Not to their parents, but certainly
to young people.

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{\an8}The world changed.

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{\an8}He ushered in a teenage culture
all its own.

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The audiences just went crazy
for him

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{\an8}in a way that they didn't
for any performer before then.

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He's symbolic of something
that young people

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could aspire to
if they were rebelling.

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The frenzy that he created
was something

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that show business
had never seen before.

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Elvis Aaron Presley
transformed rock and roll,

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but his story starts a long way
from the spotlight.

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He is born on January 8th, 1935,
in Tupelo, Mississippi,

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to Gladys and Vernon Presley.

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Raised in poverty,
he makes his first step into

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the music business in 1953,
when he is 18 years old.

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Elvis walked into
the Memphis Recording Service

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one day to make a record.

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The receptionist asked him
who he sounded like,

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and he said,
I don't sound like nobody.

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And indeed,
he didn't sound like anybody.

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And she told Sam Phillips, who owned
the Memphis Recording Service,

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as well as Sun Records about him,

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and eventually they brought him back
in and recorded him.

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As Sam always said,
"If I could find a white singer

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{\an8}"who could sing with a passion of
a black singer, I'd be a rich man.

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{\an8}"I'd make a million dollars."

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Well, he found one.

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Elvis' first single,
That's All Right,

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is recorded in July 1954.

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Released on Sam Phillips'
record label Sun,

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it is a hit
in the local Memphis charts.

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Elvis is on the rise.

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But the music industry awaiting

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the young star isn't
built on dreams.

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It's built on corruption run
by crooked businessmen,

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shady moguls and powerful figures
with deep ties

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to organised crime.

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The thing about the entertainment
industry and the music industry

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is mobsters have been involved in it
since the very, very beginning.

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There were some real crooks
in the record business.

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They run jukebox scams,
which is essentially

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skimming money out of jukeboxes
that have cash put into them.

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You've got payola, which is bribery,

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essentially to play records
in the charts.

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So the mobs are there right
from the off.

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In some cases, bright eyed newcomers
could find themselves at

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the mercy of record
company mobsters.

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They would hire young singers,

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they would get a few
thousand dollars upon signing

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a contract and maybe a car,
and then nothing else after that.

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{\an8}And lawyers were frightened
of taking cases

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{\an8}to represent these young singers
when they learned

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{\an8}that the Mafia controlled
the record companies.

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Sam Phillips,
who founded Sun Records,

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{\an8}he was able to stay out of
the clutches of the mob,

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which operated
in the record business.

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The interesting thing about
Elvis Presley is

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that his dealings at the very
beginning with people like

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Sam Phillips, these are honest
brokers in the industry.

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{\an8}But then, Colonel Tom comes
into his orbit...

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{\an8}...and Colonel Tom
is anything but.

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A silver-tongued promoter
in his late 40s,

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Colonel Tom Parker is
a man of mystery.

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Claiming to hail
from West Virginia,

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he's clawed his way into
show business from

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the shadowy world of travelling
carnivals and sideshows.

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He came across for some
people as this

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kind of hayseed carny guy.

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He was a razzle dazzle character.

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He worked for several carnivals,
but mostly he was a concessionaire.

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He sold hot dogs where he would take
the middle out of the hot dog,

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he'd fill it with Kraut,
and he'd charge full price for it.

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And when he made change,

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he glued a quarter to his ring,

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he would show them the change
in his palm with a quarter

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of corn stuck to his ring,
and then he would put it

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in their palm and close their hand
so they wouldn't count it.

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So they'd just go off and that way
he was always a quarter ahead.

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He was a salesman.

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He was a covenant.

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I have to live up to my reputation
of being a nice guy.

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This is it, folks.

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He gave off an air of danger

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that was threatening
and intimidating,

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even when he was laughing
and smiling

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and looking you right
in the eye.

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He's the only person I ever met...

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...that I felt was evil.

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Yet, if Colonel Tom carries
an air of menace,

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he can be equally charming.

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And he has an uncanny
ability to turn his

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carnival honed hustlers skills
to his advantage.

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He understood why carnivals
and circuses were popular.

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He also came to understand
and appreciate the love

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so many Americans had for country
and western music.

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And he thought, I can
combine the love

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of country western music

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and my abilities as a carny.

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And he started putting
together these tours

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of country western stars
to communities

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that had never seen a live show,
and they were sell-outs.

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He had some of the big or budding
stars of country music

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in these, Ernest Tubb,
Roy Acuff, Hank Snow.

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But the one he came across
that gave him

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the most success was this mild
mannered singer named Eddy Arnold.

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And he controlled Arnold's
recording contracts.

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He controlled Arnold
on these tours...

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...and made Arnold a lot of money,

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and made Colonel Parker
a lot of money.

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In 1953, after eight
years together...

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...Arnold is worn down by
Colonel Tom's controlling style,

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and the two men part ways.

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Colonel Tom begins hunting
for a new act.

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And in January 1955 he finds him.

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A young man who's rock and roll
swagger sends

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audiences into a frenzy.

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{\an8}He saw Elvis and he realised this
was something special.

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And so he kind of stalked him
for a while.

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They would see him
in the shadows backstage

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when they performed in Shreveport
or in Texarkana.

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He wouldn't really approach them,
he would just be there.

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The glow of his cigar
in the shadows.

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And suddenly Tom Parker got to him

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and convinced his parents
that he'd be very good for the boy.

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He said, "Elvis has a million
dollar talent

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"and I'm going to make
him a million dollars.

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He had incredible foresight
that this was

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not just a quick flash
in the pan,

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but this was a guy he
could really build

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into a major, major star.

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And Elvis trusted him.

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And Colonel Parker was able
to sign Elvis at 21,

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and all bets were off as to how
big a star he could be.

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The Colonel had big plans for Elvis
from the very beginning,

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so the first thing he did was get
Elvis off of Sun Records,

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take him over to RCA, and very,
very quickly,

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Elvis was a big star with
Heartbreak Hotel.

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1956 was probably

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the greatest year for any pop music
artist in history.

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He began at the beginning of
the year with one hit song,

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Heartbreak Hotel...

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...got TV appearances on
several shows,

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including The Ed Sullivan Show,

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and by the end of 1956, he was
the hottest

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entertainer in America.

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Between 56 and 58,
Elvis achieved massive success.

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He has a ton of hit singles,
he's got All Shook Up,

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Don't Be Cruel, Teddy Bear,

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amazing singles that we still
listen to today.

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He has three albums, Elvis,
Elvis is Back,

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Elvis' Christmas album.

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I mean, he's gone stratospheric.

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The partnership between Colonel Tom
and Elvis blossoms

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and Elvis' career soars.

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In 1956. Elvis sells 12 million
records alone.

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His debut album raking in over
a staggering

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$1 million in sales.

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On the surface, the partnership
between the Colonel and Elvis

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is a perfect match.

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But behind the scenes,
the Colonel is quietly

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taking half of everything
Elvis earns.

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A shocking and unheard of amount.

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The Colonel had a 25% royalty

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and a 25% management fee.

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Most agents take 15 or 20%.

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The Colonel took 50%.

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But Elvis went along with it.

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Everybody was a sucker,
everybody was a mark.

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But he thought he was above it.

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With Elvis' meteoric rise,

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the money floods in...

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...making both him and
Colonel Tom wealthy men.

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Elvis spends generously,
lavishing money on his parents

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and buying his Memphis
mansion, Graceland.

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Colonel Tom, meanwhile,
throws away his cash

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in pursuit of an old addiction.

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Colonel Tom Parker
loved to gamble his entire life.

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Because it reminded him of his glory
days on the carnivals.

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He was attracted to games of chance,
which he knew

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that he couldn't really win,
but he couldn't stop himself.

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The colonel always liked
doing things

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in a slightly shady way.

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That's why he was attracted
to Hot Springs, Arkansas.

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And there he first really
got involved with gambling.

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Hot Springs, Arkansas...

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...since the late 19th century,
it had been America's

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hidden capital of gambling.

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A town where the law looked
the other way

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and the mob ran the tables.

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Colonel Tom first visited
in the 1930s,

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still hustling on the
carnival circuit,

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drawn to the city's smoky
back rooms

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and easy money.

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It was off track betting hotels
offered prostitution.

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There was anything you wanted as far
as illegal activity.

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And he loved it there.

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He was really in his element.

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00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:35,559
It's because he could rub shoulders
with so-called important people.

246
00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:37,959
This is a place that attracted

247
00:14:37,960 --> 00:14:40,359
the elite of organised crime.

248
00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:43,559
Lucky Luciano loved
to go to Hot Springs, Arkansas.

249
00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:46,879
Al Capone liked
to go to Hot Springs, Arkansas.

250
00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:50,879
Frank Costello also went
to Hot Springs, Arkansas.

251
00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:54,839
It became a kind of resort for
mobsters who were on the lam.

252
00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:57,159
And we know that Parker went there.

253
00:14:57,160 --> 00:14:59,480
He could get away pretty much
with doing what he wanted.

254
00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:11,639
1,500 miles west of Hot Springs,

255
00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:14,239
another city was rising from
the desert...

256
00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:15,879
Las Vegas.

257
00:15:15,880 --> 00:15:20,319
A place where casinos thrived
and betting was a way of life.

258
00:15:20,320 --> 00:15:23,120
It soon captured
Colonel Tom's imagination.

259
00:15:24,760 --> 00:15:27,879
But when he got to Las Vegas,
he must have said,

260
00:15:27,880 --> 00:15:30,359
"Oh, my goodness, this is heaven
for a gambler.

261
00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:32,680
"there are all these places
and they're legal."

262
00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:37,239
Colonel Tom fell hard for
Las Vegas...

263
00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:39,399
...and the feeling was mutual.

264
00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:41,639
The casinos adored the Colonel,

265
00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:44,800
especially when they saw how much
he was willing to lose.

266
00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:51,239
In one sitting alone, the colonel
reportedly lost $800,000,

267
00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:55,160
making him a prime target for the
city's powerful mob bosses.

268
00:15:56,360 --> 00:15:59,599
A glittering playground
of crime and cash,

269
00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:01,799
Vegas would soon play
a defining role

270
00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:06,520
in the lives of both the colonel
and his sole client, Elvis Presley.

271
00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:17,359
Las Vegas, a city that Elvis Presley
and his manager,

272
00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:20,400
Colonel Tom Parker, will come to see
as a second home.

273
00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:23,719
Drawn to its wild energy,

274
00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:26,240
endless action,
and dangerous allure.

275
00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:32,079
A city where roulette wheels spin
night and day.

276
00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:34,319
And the promise of sin and sleaze

277
00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:36,720
is never more than a dice roll away.

278
00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:39,839
Mobsters run the town from

279
00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:42,440
the smallest casino to
the grandest hotel.

280
00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:47,959
But Vegas wasn't always like this.

281
00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:49,879
It began as a dusty railroad stop

282
00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:52,919
in the Nevada desert back in 1905,

283
00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:56,360
and within just a few decades,
it exploded.

284
00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:04,199
Two things happened in 1931
that have consequences

285
00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:06,520
for the rest of the century
for Las Vegas.

286
00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:11,000
Number one, they started
construction of Hoover Dam.

287
00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:15,400
The biggest public works project
in American history.

288
00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:20,439
And what that does is to bring
in thousands of workers

289
00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:23,400
who will want to have a good time
on the weekends.

290
00:17:24,760 --> 00:17:27,959
The closest place to have a good
time is Las Vegas.

291
00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:31,040
{\an8}Second of all, the state
of Nevada legalised gambling.

292
00:17:32,840 --> 00:17:35,919
And Las Vegas was getting this
idea that gambling

293
00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:38,719
could be the centrepiece
of an economy.

294
00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:41,599
The little light bulb goes on over
the head like,

295
00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:46,240
Hmm, maybe Las Vegas could be a
place that would attract tourists.

296
00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:54,959
So during the course of the 1930s,
you see building

297
00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:58,239
up along Fremont Street
in downtown Las Vegas,

298
00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:01,199
a series of hotel casinos.

299
00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:03,599
They're small, but they're active

300
00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:06,279
and there's entertainment
and there's gambling,

301
00:18:06,280 --> 00:18:08,880
and it's something you can't
get anywhere else.

302
00:18:10,520 --> 00:18:13,679
The legalisation of gambling
changes everything.

303
00:18:13,680 --> 00:18:17,999
For America's crime syndicates, Las
Vegas isn't just a city,

304
00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:19,520
it's an opportunity.

305
00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:22,759
It's going to be an open invitation

306
00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:26,319
for organised crime to come into
the state of Nevada.

307
00:18:26,320 --> 00:18:28,479
So what you see is the migration

308
00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:32,359
of organised crime from
all parts of the United States.

309
00:18:32,360 --> 00:18:34,639
You have people coming
in from Chicago,

310
00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:37,679
New York, Cleveland, Detroit,

311
00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:39,799
Milwaukee, Miami,

312
00:18:39,800 --> 00:18:41,960
New Orleans, Los Angeles.

313
00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:45,679
All of these cities are getting
their piece

314
00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:47,560
of what's happening
in Las Vegas.

315
00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:56,599
Once the mob arrived,
they played

316
00:18:56,600 --> 00:18:58,919
a really important role
in the development

317
00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:01,679
of the major industry,
the casino industry here,

318
00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:04,919
by bringing expertise,
entertainers,

319
00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:07,599
money, all kinds of
different elements

320
00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:10,519
that they had picked
up in their own underworld ways,

321
00:19:10,520 --> 00:19:13,120
you know, around the country
to Las Vegas.

322
00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:18,239
Some LA gamblers, they've been
running these casinos

323
00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:21,959
in LA and offshore gambling boats
for quite some time,

324
00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:24,319
see Las Vegas as a safe place to go.

325
00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:27,439
And the leader among them is
a former police

326
00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:29,680
{\an8}vice captain named
Guy McAfee.

327
00:19:30,920 --> 00:19:33,959
{\an8}Guy McAfee comes
in from California,

328
00:19:33,960 --> 00:19:37,399
He had been a gambling and
prostitution racketeer

329
00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:38,959
in Los Angeles.

330
00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:41,519
He's kind of driven out of town,
he moves to Las Vegas,

331
00:19:41,520 --> 00:19:44,479
and he buys a place called
the Paradise Club.

332
00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:48,240
And he does some renovations,
and he turns it into the 91 Club.

333
00:19:49,760 --> 00:19:51,479
But he doesn't stop.

334
00:19:51,480 --> 00:19:54,319
He... a few months later, opens
the Frontier Club

335
00:19:54,320 --> 00:19:57,759
on Fremont Street downtown,
and it's a success.

336
00:19:57,760 --> 00:20:00,159
And within two years
he's opened with

337
00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:03,319
a consortium of other gamblers
from California,

338
00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:04,840
the Pioneer Club.

339
00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:12,159
Once a sleepy desert stopover,

340
00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:15,599
Las Vegas is
becoming unrecognisable.

341
00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:17,719
The mob are turning it into
their own shimmering

342
00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:21,920
kingdom built on crime,
sin and entertainment.

343
00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:32,119
In 1946, it's a huge year

344
00:20:32,120 --> 00:20:36,639
because you see two really iconic
casinos open here.

345
00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:38,240
One, the Golden Nugget...

346
00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:42,960
...and the other one, even more
important was the Flamingo Hotel.

347
00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:47,159
And the Flamingo was built

348
00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:50,839
and operated principally by
Bugsy Siegel,

349
00:20:50,840 --> 00:20:53,599
{\an8}a New York mobster
who came to Las Vegas

350
00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:55,999
{\an8}in a desire to go legit,
if you will,

351
00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:58,919
and to do something
more constructive

352
00:20:58,920 --> 00:21:01,359
with his life than kill people.

353
00:21:01,360 --> 00:21:03,599
And so he builds, with help from

354
00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:07,279
a lot of his partners in the mob,
the Flamingo.

355
00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:10,839
The Flamingo was the breakthrough
hotel in Las Vegas

356
00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:14,359
because it was a real spiffy place

357
00:21:14,360 --> 00:21:16,679
with not kind of an Old West decor,

358
00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:21,279
which the earlier hotels had,
but a real sort of LA, Miami Beach

359
00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:23,479
kind of sophistication.

360
00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:26,919
Really the first of its kind
in Las Vegas.

361
00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:29,239
And it was attracting
the Hollywood crowd,

362
00:21:29,240 --> 00:21:31,759
it was attracting the Los Angeles
crowd in a way

363
00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:34,559
that the other places
in Las Vegas couldn't.

364
00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:37,319
And it looks like it's going
to be a success

365
00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:39,879
because he sells luxury
at a low price,

366
00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:42,079
but most notably, he decides

367
00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:44,639
the best way to bring ever more
customers into

368
00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:48,120
the Flamingo is to offer top
flight entertainment.

369
00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:51,199
Entertainers would continue

370
00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:54,039
to keep people entertained
while they're gambling.

371
00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:56,199
This was a way to keep them
in the showroom,

372
00:21:56,200 --> 00:21:59,319
to keep them spending money,
and it was great,

373
00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:01,999
everywhere you went,
there was entertainment.

374
00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:04,759
So by the late 1940s,

375
00:22:04,760 --> 00:22:07,399
Vegas was beginning to get
a reputation

376
00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:11,080
as a magnet for the top nightclub
stars in America.

377
00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:22,239
With entertainment now a major
draw for tourists,

378
00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:24,399
Las Vegas continues to grow

379
00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:27,720
as hotel casino after hotel
casino sprang up.

380
00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:34,879
The real heyday of Las Vegas

381
00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:36,680
didn't come until the early '50s...

382
00:22:37,800 --> 00:22:41,959
...when the new hotels, the sort
of classic Vegas hotels,

383
00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:43,720
began to open one by one.

384
00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:47,239
The Desert Inn, The Sahara,

385
00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:49,480
The Sands, The Riviera.

386
00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:53,119
In about five, six, seven years,

387
00:22:53,120 --> 00:22:56,359
suddenly you had this strip
of hotels,

388
00:22:56,360 --> 00:22:58,759
one more glamorous than the next.

389
00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:02,560
All of them competing for the top
nightclub stars in America.

390
00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:12,159
What really appeals to these figures
from organised crime is

391
00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:14,559
that when the take is picked

392
00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:16,919
up at the end of the gambling day

393
00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:19,399
and taken to the count room,

394
00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:23,119
virtually all of these mob
owned casinos

395
00:23:23,120 --> 00:23:26,080
will skim off some
of the profit.

396
00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:29,599
It happened in all the casinos.

397
00:23:29,600 --> 00:23:32,119
There would be people working
in the cash room,

398
00:23:32,120 --> 00:23:33,799
counting up all the cash,

399
00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:36,359
and someone from the mob
would go into

400
00:23:36,360 --> 00:23:40,279
the cash room and start filling
up briefcases with money,

401
00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:42,360
hundreds of thousands of dollars
at a time.

402
00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:46,920
And the people counting the money
pretended not to see this.

403
00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:51,279
This illegally skimmed
money often finds its way

404
00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:53,999
to entertainers paid
under the table

405
00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:56,399
on top of their official earnings.

406
00:23:56,400 --> 00:24:00,199
This lucrative bonus makes Las Vegas
an irresistible draw

407
00:24:00,200 --> 00:24:02,400
for the biggest names
in show business.

408
00:24:03,480 --> 00:24:06,840
You know, it was the logical
place for any entertainer to go.

409
00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:09,919
Perhaps it's the promise
of easy money

410
00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:12,800
that draws Elvis Presley's manager
to Las Vegas.

411
00:24:14,280 --> 00:24:18,359
Once settled in, Colonel Tom begins
to move in powerful circles,

412
00:24:18,360 --> 00:24:21,759
befriending casino bosses
and local kingpins.

413
00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:25,479
Among them Milton Prell,
the visionary behind one of

414
00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:28,560
its most iconic resorts,
The Sahara.

415
00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:31,959
Prell's business partner
is an underworld

416
00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:34,439
{\an8}linked figure called Al Winter.

417
00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:37,159
{\an8}Leading some historians
to speculate over Prell's

418
00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:39,159
{\an8}own possible mob connections...

419
00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:41,160
{\an8}...and his friendship with
Colonel Tom.

420
00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:44,399
{\an8}The Sahara is

421
00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:48,039
a very popular place,
and ever since it opened,

422
00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:51,479
people have tried to puzzle out how
did Prell get the money?

423
00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:54,319
One rumour is that it came from
the Detroit mob,

424
00:24:54,320 --> 00:24:56,239
but we just don't know for sure.

425
00:24:56,240 --> 00:24:59,079
My own conclusion is
that Milton Prell

426
00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:01,080
got his money through
legitimate means.

427
00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:05,159
The relationship between Milton
Prell and the Colonel

428
00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:06,640
is kind of murky.

429
00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:11,360
{\an8}I think Prell was the frontman
for the Detroit mob...

430
00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:16,399
{\an8}...but he was closely involved
with Moe Dalitz.

431
00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:19,719
{\an8}Moe Dalitz was, of course,
Mr Las Vegas.

432
00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:22,839
Moe Dalitz is sort of epitomised
the Las Vegas story

433
00:25:22,840 --> 00:25:26,279
{\an8}in the sense that he
was very much had a dark past.

434
00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:30,359
He had been involved in bootlegging
and illegal gambling for years.

435
00:25:30,360 --> 00:25:32,799
But he comes to Las Vegas
and somehow he is now

436
00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:34,440
one of the leaders
of the city.

437
00:25:41,080 --> 00:25:42,559
Parker was no fool...

438
00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:45,559
...he was aware of
what Las Vegas was like.

439
00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:49,039
So Parker had to know that he was
entering a place

440
00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:51,759
where organised
crime was a fixture.

441
00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:53,559
Well, the colonel spent so much
time in Vegas,

442
00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:55,039
he's meeting everyone.

443
00:25:55,040 --> 00:25:57,319
He's meeting all the casino people,
he's meeting all the people

444
00:25:57,320 --> 00:25:58,759
who run the venues.

445
00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:01,199
Parker had to promote Elvis.

446
00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:03,479
He has this ambitious idea

447
00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:06,239
of how to promote this new star.

448
00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:08,839
And he knows Las Vegas,
he knows Las Vegas

449
00:26:08,840 --> 00:26:12,359
has become ever more popular
for people to go to.

450
00:26:12,360 --> 00:26:15,719
He knows about The Sands, he knows
obviously about The Sahara,

451
00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:18,319
where his friend Milton Prell is.

452
00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:21,359
So he decides to book Elvis
in Las Vegas

453
00:26:21,360 --> 00:26:25,600
at the New Frontier Hotel
in summer 1956.

454
00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:32,879
I think the Colonel
took Elvis into Vegas

455
00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:36,079
in '56 for a number of reasons.

456
00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:38,599
One, it had now become
his playground...

457
00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:40,319
...he wanted to go gamble.

458
00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:43,519
But most important, I think he
wanted to be a big shot.

459
00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:46,720
And people there knew his name
and were taking him seriously.

460
00:26:47,680 --> 00:26:50,879
The 91 Club started Life
as Paradise,

461
00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:54,839
one of the earliest mob affiliated
casinos on the strip.

462
00:26:54,840 --> 00:26:57,079
Now renamed
The New Frontier,

463
00:26:57,080 --> 00:27:00,759
it's where Elvis Presley makes
his Las Vegas debut,

464
00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:03,799
but Las Vegas isn't ready
for him yet.

465
00:27:03,800 --> 00:27:06,879
When Elvis played Las Vegas in 1956,

466
00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:09,240
he was too new to play Vegas.

467
00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:13,199
He had just come on
the national scene,

468
00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:14,840
and he was 21 years old.

469
00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:18,439
And you can hear his jokes,
they're just almost

470
00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:20,319
painful to listen to.

471
00:27:20,320 --> 00:27:22,519
His accent is very Deep South.

472
00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:24,119
He's mush mouthed.

473
00:27:24,120 --> 00:27:26,480
He's kind of embarrassing.

474
00:27:28,080 --> 00:27:31,919
The people who came to Vegas then
were an older crowd.

475
00:27:31,920 --> 00:27:34,599
They were raised on
very different kinds

476
00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:36,480
of music than rock and roll.

477
00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:39,799
And Elvis was just too green.

478
00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:41,759
He was too young.

479
00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:45,360
He was too unsophisticated
for the Vegas audience.

480
00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:48,679
One local later recollected

481
00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:52,480
that she went to one of the shows
and found it vulgar.

482
00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:01,279
Elvis first appearance in Las Vegas

483
00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:03,039
was not successful.

484
00:28:03,040 --> 00:28:04,199
Yet...

485
00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:06,239
...he loved being in Las Vegas.

486
00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:08,199
He loved the whole atmosphere
of the city.

487
00:28:08,200 --> 00:28:11,999
He loved staying at The Sahara,
Milton Prell's hotel.

488
00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:15,599
He liked the entertainment
possibilities in Las Vegas.

489
00:28:15,600 --> 00:28:18,239
He loved the restaurants, and he met

490
00:28:18,240 --> 00:28:20,720
an awful lot of attractive women.

491
00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:25,919
Indeed, the one thing
that Colonel Parker

492
00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:28,479
got really upset
about the following year

493
00:28:28,480 --> 00:28:30,719
is that there were photos snapped
of Elvis with

494
00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:33,040
a famed stripper named
Tempest Storm.

495
00:28:34,120 --> 00:28:36,759
Parker said, "No, you can't do it,

496
00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:38,599
"we're trying to create
an image of you,

497
00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:40,639
"and that's not going to be
helpful at all."

498
00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:42,719
Tempest storm is famous because
she has affairs

499
00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:45,039
{\an8}with so many famous people.

500
00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:46,639
{\an8}Sammy Davis Jr...

501
00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:48,279
{\an8}Mickey Rooney.

502
00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:50,319
{\an8}And she also has an affair
with Mickey Cohen,

503
00:28:50,320 --> 00:28:52,480
{\an8}who was one of the most
notorious mobsters of the era.

504
00:28:53,920 --> 00:28:56,079
So it shows that Elvis was
dating people

505
00:28:56,080 --> 00:28:58,160
who were certainly connected
to the mob.

506
00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:11,319
Elvis Presley revels in the neon
buzz of Las Vegas

507
00:29:11,320 --> 00:29:13,839
its glamour, its danger...

508
00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:15,399
...its sin.

509
00:29:15,400 --> 00:29:18,079
His first show in the city may
have fallen flat,

510
00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:20,800
but his fame keeps rising
around the world.

511
00:29:21,960 --> 00:29:25,199
He stars in films like
Jailhouse Rock...

512
00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:26,759
...and King Creole.

513
00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:30,520
movies that utilise his raw charisma
to powerful effect...

514
00:29:31,960 --> 00:29:34,159
...and he records more
classic singles

515
00:29:34,160 --> 00:29:36,759
like Love Me Tender,
Shake, Rattle and Roll,

516
00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:38,959
and Tryin' To Get To You.

517
00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:41,439
Elvis seems unstoppable.

518
00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:44,960
But soon his rise will come
to a screeching halt.

519
00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:55,319
In the middle of the
most spectacular

520
00:29:55,320 --> 00:29:57,999
show business rise in history,

521
00:29:58,000 --> 00:29:59,840
Elvis had to drop out.

522
00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:04,840
In 1958, Elvis was drafted.

523
00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:09,600
He went to Germany and spent
two years in the Army.

524
00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:14,159
It's possible Colonel Tom could
have kept Elvis out of

525
00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:16,359
the Army if he had wanted.

526
00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:19,000
But military service is good
for business.

527
00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:22,839
It scrubs Elvis' image clean,

528
00:30:22,840 --> 00:30:26,360
turning the rebellious rocker
into an all-American boy.

529
00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:32,360
Elvis time in the army doesn't just
stall his career...

530
00:30:34,120 --> 00:30:36,480
...it ends his Vegas escapades, too.

531
00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:42,840
Meanwhile, the city is hitting
its stride.

532
00:30:44,360 --> 00:30:46,960
Pulsing to a rhythm all
its own.

533
00:30:48,400 --> 00:30:50,359
At this time, there's
a different entertainer

534
00:30:50,360 --> 00:30:51,800
who's associated with Las Vegas.

535
00:30:54,160 --> 00:30:55,960
And that man is Frank Sinatra.

536
00:30:57,080 --> 00:30:59,239
Frank Sinatra was the leading

537
00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:01,559
Vegas entertainer in the 1950s.

538
00:31:01,560 --> 00:31:02,920
He was a superstar.

539
00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:07,359
Early 1960, Frank Sinatra came
to Las Vegas

540
00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:10,399
to shoot Ocean's 11,

541
00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:13,719
a film that he had helped produce,
and enlisted a lot

542
00:31:13,720 --> 00:31:17,239
of his Hollywood friends
in the cast.

543
00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:21,119
Peter Lawford, Dean Martin,
Sammy Davis Jr...

544
00:31:21,120 --> 00:31:23,119
...and Joey Bishop.

545
00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:27,319
They decide, why don't we perform
at The Sands,

546
00:31:27,320 --> 00:31:30,039
two shows a night, while
during the day

547
00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:31,680
we film Ocean's 11?

548
00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:36,719
That show became known
as The Rat Pack shows.

549
00:31:36,720 --> 00:31:41,159
Those five performers came onstage
and just tore up the place.

550
00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:43,519
It becomes a phenomenon.

551
00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:47,360
All those guys were really the kings
of Las Vegas in those years.

552
00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:52,159
While Elvis is in the Army,
Frank Sinatra cements his

553
00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:53,800
reign over Las Vegas.

554
00:31:54,880 --> 00:31:57,159
To the crowds who flocked
to Las Vegas,

555
00:31:57,160 --> 00:32:00,080
Sinatra and his crew are
the ultimate entertainers.

556
00:32:05,680 --> 00:32:07,879
Yet underlining Sinatra's
many years at

557
00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:10,239
the top of the entertainment
industry are

558
00:32:10,240 --> 00:32:12,559
the friendships
and alliances he's built

559
00:32:12,560 --> 00:32:16,640
over decades with
a web of organised crime figures.

560
00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:20,319
One of the more intriguing
aspects of The Rat Pack

561
00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:23,879
performances is that comedian
Joey Bishop,

562
00:32:23,880 --> 00:32:26,399
when he would bring
on Frank Sinatra,

563
00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:28,919
he would say, "Frank,
why don't you come on

564
00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:31,279
"and say something positive
about the Mafia?"

565
00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:34,720
And Sinatra inevitably would say,
"Ah, it's a good group."

566
00:32:35,800 --> 00:32:38,559
Yet if he downplays
his connection onstage,

567
00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:41,199
Sinatra's buddies include some
of the most

568
00:32:41,200 --> 00:32:43,120
vicious mobsters of the era.

569
00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:48,519
While he's performing at The Sands,

570
00:32:48,520 --> 00:32:52,679
Sinatra is maintaining a strong
friendship with

571
00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:55,240
a Chicago gangster named
Sam Giancana...

572
00:32:56,560 --> 00:33:00,039
{\an8}...who was the head of
the Chicago outfit.

573
00:33:00,040 --> 00:33:03,599
{\an8}He had met Giancana
in the early 1950s.

574
00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:05,239
{\an8}They became friends.

575
00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:07,519
Sinatra would claim that he was
friends with them,

576
00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:10,079
but he had nothing to do
with their business.

577
00:33:10,080 --> 00:33:12,359
But definitely it was
always something

578
00:33:12,360 --> 00:33:14,480
that tainted Sinatra's reputation.

579
00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:20,880
Elvis, stuck in the Army misses
the rise of The Rat Pack,

580
00:33:22,040 --> 00:33:24,719
But when he's finally discharged
in 1960,

581
00:33:24,720 --> 00:33:28,040
Colonel Tom sets the stage
for their worlds to collide.

582
00:33:41,400 --> 00:33:44,239
Elvis did a Welcome
Home special with

583
00:33:44,240 --> 00:33:46,640
Frank Sinatra when he came home
from the Army.

584
00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:51,319
Sinatra and Elvis
were pretty odd couple.

585
00:33:51,320 --> 00:33:54,279
During the mid '50s,
Sinatra was one of the people

586
00:33:54,280 --> 00:33:56,679
who really badmouthed rock and roll.

587
00:33:56,680 --> 00:34:00,599
Frank was the epitome of
the classic nightclub singer,

588
00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:03,479
and this new music, this crazy
rock and roll,

589
00:34:03,480 --> 00:34:05,799
was something that was kind
of a threat

590
00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:09,359
to the traditional pop,
jazz singers.

591
00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:13,359
But by 1960, when Elvis came out
of the army,

592
00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:15,119
Frank Sinatra realised

593
00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:17,359
that this was going to be
the biggest comeback,

594
00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:19,839
probably in American
show business history.

595
00:34:19,840 --> 00:34:21,799
And he managed to negotiate that

596
00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:24,799
Elvis would make his
first appearance on TV

597
00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:27,359
after getting out of the Army on
a special

598
00:34:27,360 --> 00:34:30,240
that Frank Sinatra
was doing for American TV.

599
00:34:31,480 --> 00:34:34,279
It was really a weird sort of
get together of

600
00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:38,479
these two icons of two different
styles of American music.

601
00:34:38,480 --> 00:34:40,879
Pairing Elvis with Frank Sinatra,

602
00:34:40,880 --> 00:34:44,719
he was signalling that Elvis
was now a respectful character.

603
00:34:44,720 --> 00:34:48,320
He was not that hooligan who used
to wiggle around on the stage.

604
00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:51,960
He was the boy next door, come home.

605
00:34:58,160 --> 00:35:01,199
Thanks to his appearance on
Frank Sinatra's TV special,

606
00:35:01,200 --> 00:35:05,079
Elvis Presley is now tied
to the old guard of Las Vegas.

607
00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:08,359
But after Elvis' disastrous
first shows there,

608
00:35:08,360 --> 00:35:11,440
Colonel Tom is reluctant
to bring Elvis back to the city.

609
00:35:14,280 --> 00:35:16,879
He had an offer from Milton Prell

610
00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:20,879
at $75,000 a week to play
Las Vegas...

611
00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:22,639
...and the Colonel turned it down.

612
00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:26,479
He couldn't risk sending Elvis
back to Las Vegas yet,

613
00:35:26,480 --> 00:35:30,800
after that really embarrassing
bombing in 1956.

614
00:35:32,760 --> 00:35:35,559
In 1961, Elvis Presley
retreats from

615
00:35:35,560 --> 00:35:37,679
live performing entirely.

616
00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:40,759
Instead, the Colonel steers
him into acting,

617
00:35:40,760 --> 00:35:43,759
and across the 1960s, Elvis
stars in dozens

618
00:35:43,760 --> 00:35:47,080
of mostly mediocre Hollywood films.

619
00:35:48,360 --> 00:35:50,519
With names like Speedway,

620
00:35:50,520 --> 00:35:52,799
{\an8}Clambake, Change of Habit,

621
00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:54,399
{\an8}Double Trouble.

622
00:35:54,400 --> 00:35:56,639
Yet whenever Elvis is not filming,

623
00:35:56,640 --> 00:35:59,759
he's back in Las Vegas, indulging
in the city's

624
00:35:59,760 --> 00:36:02,599
endless temptations
with his entourage,

625
00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:05,639
who have picked up a playful
new nickname.

626
00:36:05,640 --> 00:36:08,079
He would bring his pals
along with him,

627
00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:11,759
they would travel around town in
their dark suits and sunglasses,

628
00:36:11,760 --> 00:36:14,000
and they became known
as the Memphis Mafia.

629
00:36:15,960 --> 00:36:17,439
Elvis loved Las Vegas.

630
00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:20,119
He loved to go and play
and see shows,

631
00:36:20,120 --> 00:36:21,839
and he wasn't a big gambler,

632
00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:23,839
but he loved the freedom
of Las Vegas.

633
00:36:23,840 --> 00:36:26,600
He loved it as an adult playground.

634
00:36:28,560 --> 00:36:30,319
There were hookers there.

635
00:36:30,320 --> 00:36:34,560
There are beautiful showgirls,
and the mob runs these places.

636
00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:38,719
The mob might have its hands
in every corner of the city,

637
00:36:38,720 --> 00:36:41,839
but if Elvis notices,
he doesn't seem to care.

638
00:36:41,840 --> 00:36:44,200
And he is about to play with fire.

639
00:36:46,200 --> 00:36:49,239
Elvis was having an affair
with Phyllis McGuire,

640
00:36:49,240 --> 00:36:51,479
who was one of the McGuire sisters.

641
00:36:51,480 --> 00:36:54,799
It was a big pop singing group
from the '50s and '60s.

642
00:36:54,800 --> 00:36:58,759
Her boyfriend was Sam Giancana,
a well-known mob figure,

643
00:36:58,760 --> 00:37:00,679
and when Elvis met Phyllis,

644
00:37:00,680 --> 00:37:02,879
she was carrying a gun...

645
00:37:02,880 --> 00:37:05,079
...and said that Sam Giancana,

646
00:37:05,080 --> 00:37:07,079
her boyfriend wanted her
to carry a gun.

647
00:37:07,080 --> 00:37:10,760
And Elvis says, "Well you tell Sam
that I carry two guns."

648
00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:18,999
At the height of it all, Elvis
makes a movie

649
00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:22,039
in the city that has become
his playground.

650
00:37:22,040 --> 00:37:24,840
A glittering love letter to
Las Vegas itself.

651
00:37:27,760 --> 00:37:32,399
Viva Las Vegas was one of the better
films that Elvis made.

652
00:37:32,400 --> 00:37:36,959
What Viva Las Vegas did was really
showcase Las Vegas.

653
00:37:36,960 --> 00:37:40,199
There were scenes in the hotels
and the showrooms

654
00:37:40,200 --> 00:37:42,199
up and down the strip.

655
00:37:42,200 --> 00:37:46,079
This film is just almost a perfect
promotional film for Las Vegas,

656
00:37:46,080 --> 00:37:48,919
because what you see is
what Las Vegas

657
00:37:48,920 --> 00:37:50,999
promoters want you to see.

658
00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:52,759
You don't see organised crime.

659
00:37:52,760 --> 00:37:56,120
You see how spectacular
a resort city it is.

660
00:37:57,240 --> 00:38:00,639
Glitz and glamour and fun
and desert vistas

661
00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:03,199
and everything that's portrayed
in the movie.

662
00:38:03,200 --> 00:38:05,360
And you have Elvis in his peak.

663
00:38:07,800 --> 00:38:11,279
That film did a lot to sort of
raise people's consciousness

664
00:38:11,280 --> 00:38:14,360
of Vegas and maybe attract
more people there.

665
00:38:21,240 --> 00:38:25,279
Viva Las Vegas shows a sparkling,
cleaned up version of the city.

666
00:38:25,280 --> 00:38:30,599
No gangsters, no crime, just music,
glamour and fun.

667
00:38:30,600 --> 00:38:33,479
In real life, the mob is everywhere,

668
00:38:33,480 --> 00:38:36,999
woven into the very
fabric of Vegas life.

669
00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:39,720
But somehow Elvis keeps
his hands clean.

670
00:38:42,360 --> 00:38:47,319
The guys in Elvis' entourage were
puzzled by the fact that

671
00:38:47,320 --> 00:38:49,479
they really didn't see the Mafia

672
00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:51,559
around Elvis very much.

673
00:38:51,560 --> 00:38:55,679
And they wondered how the Colonel
was able to keep them away

674
00:38:55,680 --> 00:38:57,639
from Elvis as much as he did.

675
00:38:57,640 --> 00:39:00,080
But it was clear that they were
there and watching.

676
00:39:02,640 --> 00:39:04,839
One day, Elvis' friend Marty Lacker

677
00:39:04,840 --> 00:39:07,280
was in the coffee shop at
The Thunderbird.

678
00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:11,599
This obvious mafioso
looking figure

679
00:39:11,600 --> 00:39:14,119
stopped by and he asked
how Elvis was.

680
00:39:14,120 --> 00:39:17,359
Marty told him he was doing fine
and he said, "He's a good boy."

681
00:39:17,360 --> 00:39:19,039
"It's good to hear, but tell him

682
00:39:19,040 --> 00:39:21,560
"if he ever needs anything,
let me know."

683
00:39:23,400 --> 00:39:25,839
Working tirelessly behind
the scenes,

684
00:39:25,840 --> 00:39:28,199
Colonel Tom's old friend
Milton Prell

685
00:39:28,200 --> 00:39:31,719
helps keep Elvis' image
squeaky clean.

686
00:39:31,720 --> 00:39:34,679
Milton Prell's main role
with Colonel Parker

687
00:39:34,680 --> 00:39:37,879
was an arrangement
by which Milton protected

688
00:39:37,880 --> 00:39:39,639
Colonel and Elvis from

689
00:39:39,640 --> 00:39:42,360
the more malignant figures
in the Mafia.

690
00:39:44,480 --> 00:39:47,080
That, I believe, was the key
to that relationship.

691
00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:52,919
So he wouldn't allow Elvis
to be photographed

692
00:39:52,920 --> 00:39:55,399
with most of the players.

693
00:39:55,400 --> 00:39:59,039
And by that I mean the Mafia
figures in Las Vegas.

694
00:39:59,040 --> 00:40:01,440
He kept it all on the hush-hush.

695
00:40:04,720 --> 00:40:06,599
Yet Colonel Tom isn't above using

696
00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:09,519
the threat of the mob
to keep control,

697
00:40:09,520 --> 00:40:12,079
especially when Elvis begins
to grow restless

698
00:40:12,080 --> 00:40:14,839
with his endless string
of film roles.

699
00:40:14,840 --> 00:40:17,359
And the Colonel uses
the recent homicide

700
00:40:17,360 --> 00:40:19,840
of a famous soul singer
to his advantage.

701
00:40:26,760 --> 00:40:30,799
By the mid '60s, Elvis was just
fed up with the movies.

702
00:40:30,800 --> 00:40:32,719
He wanted to be a Brando.

703
00:40:32,720 --> 00:40:34,879
He wanted to be James Dean.

704
00:40:34,880 --> 00:40:37,159
He wanted to win an Oscar.

705
00:40:37,160 --> 00:40:40,359
Instead, he ended up making
the string

706
00:40:40,360 --> 00:40:42,919
of formulaic movies,

707
00:40:42,920 --> 00:40:45,159
and he was embarrassed by them,

708
00:40:45,160 --> 00:40:47,000
and he didn't want to do
them any more.

709
00:40:48,080 --> 00:40:51,079
And he got to where he would
show up late.

710
00:40:51,080 --> 00:40:53,679
And of course, the Colonel
would be furious with him.

711
00:40:53,680 --> 00:40:57,079
He told him that his fellow
RCA artist,

712
00:40:57,080 --> 00:41:00,199
Sam Cooke, that the mob
had gotten to him

713
00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:03,039
because he was stepping
out of line,

714
00:41:03,040 --> 00:41:06,359
and the Colonel threatened Elvis
that these very kinds

715
00:41:06,360 --> 00:41:09,039
of things could happen to him.

716
00:41:09,040 --> 00:41:13,119
The Mafia wasn't just gangsters
in the streets any more...

717
00:41:13,120 --> 00:41:15,040
...it was the heads of corporations.

718
00:41:16,920 --> 00:41:19,879
These were men whose names ended
in vowels.

719
00:41:19,880 --> 00:41:23,520
Men with uncles with names like
Jimmy the Thumb.

720
00:41:24,720 --> 00:41:28,439
So Elvis needed to keep it
all squeaky clean

721
00:41:28,440 --> 00:41:31,800
and do it as he is told
and earn money.

722
00:41:38,440 --> 00:41:39,640
The mid '60s...

723
00:41:40,760 --> 00:41:42,639
...music tastes are changing

724
00:41:42,640 --> 00:41:45,959
and psychedelic rock is
the new sound.

725
00:41:45,960 --> 00:41:48,560
The king of rock
and roll's crown is slipping.

726
00:41:51,080 --> 00:41:54,039
Colonel Tom needs a way to get
the nation talking about

727
00:41:54,040 --> 00:41:56,960
Elvis again, and he has
the perfect occasion.

728
00:42:04,880 --> 00:42:08,039
The wedding of Elvis and
his girlfriend Priscilla

729
00:42:08,040 --> 00:42:11,040
at Milton Prell's new hotel,
The Aladdin.

730
00:42:14,000 --> 00:42:17,319
Elvis hadn't planned
on getting married in 1967,

731
00:42:17,320 --> 00:42:20,439
nor had he planned on
getting married at all.

732
00:42:20,440 --> 00:42:22,119
But this is a way to get him

733
00:42:22,120 --> 00:42:25,039
in front of the national
media again.

734
00:42:25,040 --> 00:42:27,999
They marry inside Milton Berle's
private suite at The Aladdin.

735
00:42:28,000 --> 00:42:30,199
And of course, it gives the
Colonel another chance

736
00:42:30,200 --> 00:42:33,120
to go to his favourite city,
where once again he can gamble.

737
00:42:37,280 --> 00:42:39,519
There are very few people
at the wedding.

738
00:42:39,520 --> 00:42:42,599
Most of the people there are
photographers...

739
00:42:42,600 --> 00:42:44,239
...and news folks.

740
00:42:44,240 --> 00:42:46,079
The Beaulieu-Presley wedding

741
00:42:46,080 --> 00:42:48,840
was really
the Parker-Prell wedding.

742
00:42:50,240 --> 00:42:54,159
Parker and Prell are able
to pull off this remarkable event

743
00:42:54,160 --> 00:42:56,240
that captured the
nation's attention.

744
00:42:58,920 --> 00:43:02,719
Elvis wedding closes one chapter
and opens another.

745
00:43:02,720 --> 00:43:04,479
And as his life evolves,

746
00:43:04,480 --> 00:43:07,640
so too does the ever changing
face of Las Vegas.

747
00:43:14,000 --> 00:43:16,280
A new era is dawning in Las Vegas.

748
00:43:18,400 --> 00:43:20,759
As outside investment pours in,

749
00:43:20,760 --> 00:43:23,560
the mob's grip on the city
starts to slip.

750
00:43:26,000 --> 00:43:29,159
In the mid-'60s, Vegas was
starting to change.

751
00:43:29,160 --> 00:43:31,599
The mob controlled hotels
were still there,

752
00:43:31,600 --> 00:43:34,919
but suddenly, in 1966,

753
00:43:34,920 --> 00:43:38,519
billionaire Howard Hughes moved
into Las Vegas.

754
00:43:38,520 --> 00:43:42,199
He and his entire
entourage took over the top

755
00:43:42,200 --> 00:43:46,320
two floors of the Desert Inn,
which was owned by Moe Dalitz.

756
00:43:48,480 --> 00:43:51,359
And they were all Mormons...

757
00:43:51,360 --> 00:43:53,120
...so they neither drank nor gambled.

758
00:43:54,800 --> 00:43:56,799
They wanted him to leave
because they needed

759
00:43:56,800 --> 00:43:59,199
those penthouse suites
for the big high rollers

760
00:43:59,200 --> 00:44:01,640
that they would bring
in around Christmas-time.

761
00:44:03,160 --> 00:44:06,839
Hughes refused to leave,
and he bought the hotel instead.

762
00:44:06,840 --> 00:44:09,119
Then he goes and buys The Sands

763
00:44:09,120 --> 00:44:11,879
and three or four other hotels.

764
00:44:11,880 --> 00:44:15,239
As Howard Hughes snaps
up properties across the strip,

765
00:44:15,240 --> 00:44:17,280
his money brings respectability.

766
00:44:23,440 --> 00:44:26,679
As Vegas changes, Elvis stagnates.

767
00:44:26,680 --> 00:44:28,319
By the late 1960s,

768
00:44:28,320 --> 00:44:31,999
Elvis hasn't performed live
for over seven years.

769
00:44:32,000 --> 00:44:35,319
Trapped in a Hollywood film career
he no longer believes in,

770
00:44:35,320 --> 00:44:37,879
he's been overshadowed by bands
like The Beatles

771
00:44:37,880 --> 00:44:39,839
and The Rolling Stones.

772
00:44:39,840 --> 00:44:43,039
But in 1968, a visionary TV producer

773
00:44:43,040 --> 00:44:45,039
gives him the push he needs,

774
00:44:45,040 --> 00:44:47,800
relaunching Elvis
for a new generation.

775
00:44:49,800 --> 00:44:52,479
Steve Binder was a fan of
rock and roll,

776
00:44:52,480 --> 00:44:55,039
a young guy, and he really wanted

777
00:44:55,040 --> 00:44:58,200
to reintroduce Elvis
to the American public.

778
00:44:59,360 --> 00:45:03,359
So he created a special
that really showcased Elvis

779
00:45:03,360 --> 00:45:05,119
as a live performer in a way

780
00:45:05,120 --> 00:45:07,480
that people hadn't seen
for almost a decade.

781
00:45:08,640 --> 00:45:11,999
And it's the most watched programme
on American

782
00:45:12,000 --> 00:45:14,879
television in 1968.

783
00:45:14,880 --> 00:45:17,919
And after that special,
the Colonel decided,

784
00:45:17,920 --> 00:45:20,039
OK, now it's time maybe

785
00:45:20,040 --> 00:45:22,360
to get Elvis back
to live performing.

786
00:45:23,520 --> 00:45:27,439
Back in Las Vegas, the strip
continues to change.

787
00:45:27,440 --> 00:45:29,400
More corporate figures are arriving.

788
00:45:30,640 --> 00:45:33,439
The next mogul seduced
by Las Vegas' allure

789
00:45:33,440 --> 00:45:36,960
{\an8}is a powerful businessman
named Kirk Kerkorian.

790
00:45:38,920 --> 00:45:41,079
Kerkorian was someone who,

791
00:45:41,080 --> 00:45:45,519
like Howard Hughes,
saw Las Vegas as an opportunity.

792
00:45:45,520 --> 00:45:48,039
He decided to start investing here.

793
00:45:48,040 --> 00:45:52,119
He decided to build a brand-new
hotel in Las Vegas,

794
00:45:52,120 --> 00:45:55,519
the biggest hotel in Las Vegas.

795
00:45:55,520 --> 00:45:58,479
In fact, the biggest hotel
in the world...

796
00:45:58,480 --> 00:46:00,399
...the International Hotel.

797
00:46:00,400 --> 00:46:03,919
Getting ready for an opening
in the summer of 1969,

798
00:46:03,920 --> 00:46:07,199
he was looking for
the biggest act he could find

799
00:46:07,200 --> 00:46:09,200
in America to open the hotel.

800
00:46:10,240 --> 00:46:12,080
They focused on Elvis Presley.

801
00:46:18,960 --> 00:46:22,319
Elvis is back, and for
the first time in years,

802
00:46:22,320 --> 00:46:24,480
he's returning to the stage.

803
00:46:26,720 --> 00:46:30,280
But behind the scenes,
there's a darker motive at play.

804
00:46:33,360 --> 00:46:37,119
Colonel Tom's choice of venue
may have less to do with music,

805
00:46:37,120 --> 00:46:39,319
and more to do with
the mob connections

806
00:46:39,320 --> 00:46:41,559
that still shape the city,

807
00:46:41,560 --> 00:46:44,840
and his own entanglements
with organised crime.

808
00:46:46,880 --> 00:46:50,079
The Colonel's gambling debts
and all the things

809
00:46:50,080 --> 00:46:51,959
that he owed to the mob

810
00:46:51,960 --> 00:46:54,080
and the control that
they had over him...

811
00:46:55,440 --> 00:46:57,519
...completely and totally shaped

812
00:46:57,520 --> 00:46:59,520
the last third of
Elvis Presley's career.

813
00:47:02,600 --> 00:47:07,079
What should be a thrilling comeback
for the King of Rock and Roll

814
00:47:07,080 --> 00:47:08,679
will soon fall apart.

815
00:47:08,680 --> 00:47:11,199
Fuelled by drugs, paranoia,

816
00:47:11,200 --> 00:47:13,560
and the dark underbelly
of Las Vegas...

817
00:47:15,120 --> 00:47:18,920
...what comes next will rewrite
the legend forever.

818
00:47:36,240 --> 00:47:38,920
Subtitles by Red Bee Media