Mario the chef (september 2 1973 Las Vegas reference)

I own the FTD release of this show and it's certainly diffrent and quite possibly one of the worst performances ever, even Trilogy isn't up to par.

It might be an uglier side of his personality, but also is a look into his state of mind at that time. "Adios you mother, bye bye poppa too. To hell with the Hilton Hotel and the showroom too." Methinks that he was so fed up with performing at the hotel, that he snapped. As far as I recall Mario had a wife, who was dying of cancer and Elvis plus entourage visited her at their home. And when Elvis found out that that he was about to get fired, he got upset. And he used the stage as a podium to let Baron and Conrad know what he thought, especially of the Hilton hierarchy. He could and should have been more professional and talked to them personally and in private. Parker and him fell out after the show, he quit and handed Vernon a bill over was it two or three million?

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This is what Marker Lacker said about the incident. I know some of you don't like him, but he was present at that time and I guess it is a valuable insight:

The Mario fiasco put Elvis finally in the mood, at that moment, to not want to play Vegas anymore. He was tired of it and he was bored with it. He didn't want to be the one to break his contract, he was trying to piss them off to the point, by insulting Baron Hilton and the Hotel execs, that they would break it and ask him not to come back. That's the way he perated. He was in such a bad mood that he didn't care what he said, what or how he sang. He just thought it was totally unfair what they did to Mario who had been there for such a long time and had served Elvis so well. And it was unfair. Mario didn't ask Elvis to come to his house, Elvis insisted. That was when he thought he had healing powers and went out there and tried to heal Mario's wife. He told some of us to stay out of the room as he knew we thought he was disillusioned about his powers, to say the least. We stayed out by the pool. || I don't recall if Elvis did anything for Mario but I do know that Mario knew what Elvis said on the stage that night. I came back to Memphis a few days after going out to his house with Elvis but I don't recall what happened after that as far as Mario is concerned.

Thanks for posting this Melanie, I knew the story.. it's weird to say the least. Would be nice to hear this Mario figure about this situation nowadays..

Cheers, RJ

After the show there was an argue in which Elvis eventually told Parker that he was fired - Parker responded: "You can't fire me, I quit".

However everything remained unaffected, they say that Vernon let himself talk into trying it with the Colonel one more time.

There is a very interesting review on the whole show here:
http://home.online.no/~ov-egela/closingnight73ftd.html

I own the FTD release of this show and it's certainly diffrent and quite possibly one of the worst performances ever, even Trilogy isn't up to par.

It might be an uglier side of his personality, but also is a look into his state of mind at that time. "Adios you mother, bye bye poppa too. To hell with the Hilton Hotel and the showroom too." Methinks that he was so fed up with performing at the hotel, that he snapped. As far as I recall Mario had a wife, who was dying of cancer and Elvis plus entourage visited her at their home. And when Elvis found out that that he was about to get fired, he got upset. And he used the stage as a podium to let Baron and Conrad know what he thought, especially of the Hilton hierarchy. He could and should have been more professional and talked to them personally and in private. Parker and him fell out after the show, he quit and handed Vernon a bill over was it two or three million?

-------------------

This is what Marker Lacker said about the incident. I know some of you don't like him, but he was present at that time and I guess it is a valuable insight:

The Mario fiasco put Elvis finally in the mood, at that moment, to not want to play Vegas anymore. He was tired of it and he was bored with it. He didn't want to be the one to break his contract, he was trying to piss them off to the point, by insulting Baron Hilton and the Hotel execs, that they would break it and ask him not to come back. That's the way he perated. He was in such a bad mood that he didn't care what he said, what or how he sang. He just thought it was totally unfair what they did to Mario who had been there for such a long time and had served Elvis so well. And it was unfair. Mario didn't ask Elvis to come to his house, Elvis insisted. That was when he thought he had healing powers and went out there and tried to heal Mario's wife. He told some of us to stay out of the room as he knew we thought he was disillusioned about his powers, to say the least. We stayed out by the pool. || I don't recall if Elvis did anything for Mario but I do know that Mario knew what Elvis said on the stage that night. I came back to Memphis a few days after going out to his house with Elvis but I don't recall what happened after that as far as Mario is concerned.

The Colonel handing Vernon a bill, what a joke. It probably was to cover his marker at the Hilton. Did EP not have a lawyer who could have helped him sort out his situation with the Colonel?

I wonder why is it the midinght show from the night before is so good. Little no no joking, and he sang flawlessly. I wonder what went on in his room from the night before to the closing show?

Good post, Melanie.

Parker and him fell out after the show, he quit and handed Vernon a bill over was it two or three million?

Unfortunately, .... this is a good example as to how the ignorance of both EP & Vernon ultimately made them incapable of pulling away from The Col.. I dare say, only Gladys would have been able to achieve this, had she lived.

This is what Marker Lacker said about the incident. I know some of you don't like him, but he was present at that time and I guess it is a valuable insight:

The Mario fiasco put Elvis finally in the mood, at that moment, to not want to play Vegas anymore. He was tired of it and he was bored with it. He didn't want to be the one to break his contract, he was trying to piss them off to the point, by insulting Baron Hilton and the Hotel execs, that they would break it and ask him not to come back. That's the way he perated. He was in such a bad mood that he didn't care what he said, what or how he sang. He just thought it was totally unfair what they did to Mario who had been there for such a long time and had served Elvis so well. And it was unfair. Mario didn't ask Elvis to come to his house, Elvis insisted. That was when he thought he had healing powers and went out there and tried to heal Mario's wife. He told some of us to stay out of the room as he knew we thought he was disillusioned about his powers, to say the least. We stayed out by the pool. || I don't recall if Elvis did anything for Mario but I do know that Mario knew what Elvis said on the stage that night. I came back to Memphis a few days after going out to his house with Elvis but I don't recall what happened after that as far as Mario is concerned.

Lacker, IMO, is a wealth of accurate information AND somebody with the rare guts to tell it like it is.

He is also right on the money on this one.

EP was deluded in some of his thinking (eg: Numerology, crystals, etc.). The same susceptibility that made him an easy mark for The Col., ............ also made him an easy mark for Geller (and some others of similar flock-n-feather).

Celebrities are people too, and ................. they can even get star-struck over each other (ie: other celebrities). Elvis was at the top of the chain on this ladder. Keep in mind, ............. sometimes EP wasn't & didn't have to live in the same world as many others.


N8

The "bill incident" is intriguing. But was he conning them? Or did Elvis really own Parker that much money? If so why? Was it a binding contract, that included salary? Was it Boxcar Enterprises and his 40% of profits? I have no idea about what other stars (film/music) did regarding their finances back in the days, but I am assuming most of them had advisors and consultants, that weren't part of their family, who were looking out for them? Anyone? Fact is Parker knew what buttons to push and Elvis came crawling back. Some say he also threatened to release damaging information if Elvis didn't dance to his tune.

I wonder why is it the midinght show from the night before is so good. Little no no joking, and he sang flawlessly. I wonder what went on in his room from the night before to the closing show?

I recall reading somewhere (I forgot the article or book), that Elvis learned about Mario's firing just before he was about to go on stage. He reportedly asked Tom Parker to do something to help. TP reprtedly told Elvis that it was the hotel's business, and that he and Elvis should not "interfere" with business. That reportedly set Elvis off.
Obviously, TP forgot (or wasn't aware of) the fact that when you have bad news to tell a performer, it's best to wait until after the show to mention it.
What Parker could have (and maybe should have) done was to tell Elvis that they would meet with Hilton the next day to straighten it out - and also assure him (EP) that it would be resolved. At least, Elvis would've gone on stage with the idea that the matter would be resolved in the "right" way.


Tom (from Ohio)

Not to possibly derail the thread but is the "Mario" y'all are discussing the same "Mario" that appears in "Elvis: That's The Way It Is" (original 1970 version)??

It's been awhile since I watched the original of "TTWII".
In which scene was "Mario" mentioned.

I'm still curious if anyone has any answers about the '73 incident (mainly about Mario and if he was rehired, etc.).


Tom (from Ohio)

Telling EP about Mario being fired just before he's going on stage, wasn't very smart on the Colonel's part. I'm not justifying EP's behaviour by any means, I just mean it could have been avoided. I'm sure however that there were underlying issues as well as Elvis wasn't happy during this time of his life.

The old crook had him playing extra dates to cover his gambling debt, and then produced a bill of unpaid fees for Elvis if he decided to fire him.

Shame the old carny wasn't turfed out!

It's been awhile since I watched the original of "TTWII".
In which scene was "Mario" mentioned.

I'm still curious if anyone has any answers about the '73 incident (mainly about Mario and if he was rehired, etc.).


Tom (from Ohio)

Mario (if it's the same one we're discussing) appears in a couple of scenes talking 'bout the fans' (particularly female) to Elvis and how they try to get "near him and kiss him" then he's in another scene saying, 'We are getting ready to open the doors to let the people in for dinner".....

It would not surprise me that there were other underlying issues that Elvis wasn't happy about:

His upcoming divorce

The July sessions at Stax (which were reportedly "forced" on to him by RCA. Tom Parker, etc.)

After pulling off the "Aloha From Hawaii" concert, he wound up going back to the same stuff again (Vegas, touring only in the USA only) - especially when something like touring outside of the USA would've kept him challenged and occupied.
Heck, if Elvis had done two or three shows in Canada (Toronto, Montreal, Vancouvier) in '73, it could've done some good (and maybe he would've been happy with that one). Another country, slightly different audience, venue, atmosphere.

With these things going on, it's not surprising that Elvis was in the mood he was in on Closing Night. The Mario incident was probably the straw that broke the camel's back.


Tom (from Ohio)

Very true.

It's just if only Elvis had forced a World Tour himself, he may still be with us.

It's been awhile since I watched the original of "TTWII".
In which scene was "Mario" mentioned.

I'm still curious if anyone has any answers about the '73 incident (mainly about Mario and if he was rehired, etc.).


Tom (from Ohio)

Mario (if it's the same one we're discussing) appears in a couple of scenes talking 'bout the fans' (particularly female) to Elvis and how they try to get "near him and kiss him" then he's in another scene saying, 'We are getting ready to open the doors to let the people in for dinner".....

Are you sure you're not talking about Emilio the maitre'd? I don't believe Mario is shown in TTWII.

Are you sure you're not talking about Emilio the maitre'd? I don't believe Mario is shown in TTWII.

Uh...yeah....that's the guy!

Y'all just ignore me....

The "bill incident" is intriguing. But was he conning them? Or did Elvis really own Parker that much money? If so why? Was it a binding contract, that included salary? Was it Boxcar Enterprises and his 40% of profits? I have no idea about what other stars (film/music) did regarding their finances back in the days, but I am assuming most of them had advisors and consultants, that weren't part of their family, who were looking out for them? Anyone? Fact is Parker knew what buttons to push and Elvis came crawling back. Some say he also threatened to release damaging information if Elvis didn't dance to his tune.

The Col. was just one of the legions that manipulated Elvis, but he was also the biggest, best, and most harmful of them all. Not only did he do it for EP's entire mortal life, but he also succeeded in achieving (ie: taking bigger portions of the pie) more post-'77.

Parker's entire life was a con, to the very end, when EPE forced The Col.'s torch out of his hands just so they coud carry it on for themselves. Even then, .......... Parker still had the right cards up his sleeves to manipulate in return (eg: non US citizenship, making EPE pay him for his collection, etc.).

In the beginning, EP was manipulated by his gratitude, which is how The Col. pulled him in (It's also how he kept Vernon on his side from start to finish). Later on, The Col. did indeed use various threats to keep EP on a short leash (some of them involved his relationship with Priscilla, others involved various other situations that The Col. was called in to help clean up to protect Elvis from over the years).

In short, Elvis was own his own worst enemy, but The Col. was also brilliant at what he did best. Ultimately, each deserved one another, with each party happy to let the other do as they pleased so long as it served / satisfied everyone's desires / interests (ie: $$$$, on both sides).

The Col. was also more than happy to step in and fill the void right after Gladys' passing (which also secretly suited Parker just fine, as it was in his own interests), at a time when EP was the most vulnerable in his own life both personally, and professionally (ie: Army service).

There's also another word for it, it's called codependency: each party dependent on the other for their needs (EP's self-destructive tendencies & The Col.'s chronic gambling). Ironically, ........ as the years progresssed, ............ that codependency became increasingly more & more pathological. It's also critial to note that only one party managed survived the process & the other was destroyed by it.

Ultimately, Elvis didn't have the strength to resist The Col., ............. and the agrument can be made that only person capable of ever pulling that strength out of him was his mother Gladys (with whom E also shared another pathological relationship with, ............... but that's another story).

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Hope this helps.

All my best.


N8

N8, what a perfect summation of that complex and tragic union.

In a related note, one of the most shocking photos in Ernst and Peter's "Elvis - Day By Day" is of "colonel" Parker holding newborn Lisa Marie.

Of the thousands of images of the Dutchman, that is the ONLY one where he looks genuinely warm and, dare I say it, human. The ONLY one.

N8,

Elvis must have thought he was caught between a rock and a hard place.

This makes me furious that he was manipulated as he obviously was.

You hint at plain ol' blackmail. This is what I would have guessed the

reason why Elvis put up with it for so long.

If this is true, what could Elvis really do? He didn't want certain

controversial items released to the press. So the only thing he could do

was play along and be miserable about it.

Whether the colonel threatened or whether he would have actually

followed through or not, is moot at this point, because Elvis would have

had to take it seriously at the time. The colonel served his purpose by

1958 IMO. Elvis should have shopped around. And even if he kept the

colonel, the smart thing would have been to hire a real financial manager.

Someone that actually knew about money, investments, taxes, and the

like. Man I hate this topic.

DJC -

My thanks for your kind words on this thread & support on others.

My respect to you in return for having the guts to speak up and try to battle the ignorance - which is very pervasive - on this MB.

(Re: The Ignorance here on this MB: Some will eventually understand, others will via sheer dumb luck stumble upon the "truth" & realize, ............ yet others will not or cannot ever learn.)

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ekenee -

You are entirely justified in having some anger regarding this topic, because it is one of the keys to understanding some of the tragedy behind EP's life, story, & career.

I will also add that codependency often has genuine clinical depression as an additional component. EP was treated for the same in the 70's and it became progressively worse as that decade wore on. This can be explained by EP succumbing to the sheer frustration, hoplessness, and / or sadness due to being unable (or not knowing how) to make changes his own life. (This also explains some of his increasing odd beliefs - alluded to above - and susceptibility to psuedoscience / magical thinking, which was also encouraged by yet other manipulators ----> Geller & others).

Incidently, anti-depressants were heavily implicated in his January of 1975 drug crash and were also part of the equation on that fateful Summer day in '77 (very easy to mistakenly mix a lethal brew, as did indeed occur).

EP resented The Col. increasingly as the years wore on, much as he had come to resent Pris. & her parents for the threats they made (don't believe The Beaulieu-EPE white-wash) in earlier years. Like I said, The Col. was just one of legions that manipulated Elvis for their own gain / reasons (let us not forget, that EP allowed it, too); as the years progressed, there was a cumulative effect, from multiple sources / causes ....... and in the case of The Col. the dependency only became stronger with time.

--------------------------------------

Once again, ........ all my best.


N8

N8 quote: Incidently, anti-depressants were heavily implicated in his January of 1975 drug crash and were also part of the equation on that fateful Summer day in '77 (very easy to mistakenly mix a lethal brew, as did indeed occur).

*********************************

This maybe a little off topic but I just read something recently that made me think of Elvis' last drug or lethal brew as you call it.

I read that if the user has other outside stresses that sleeping medications have a harder time working.

Anxiety or panic attacks is what we now call it but back then it was breakdown or just plain nerves.

Here Elvis was about to face his fans for the first time since the bodyguard book and the butterflies and anxiety must have been at an all-time high for him. One of the Stanley brothers says that Elvis took the "attack packets" which, with all the stress and anxiety he was under, evidently were not working.
They may not have been working, but they were going to kill him.

I, myself don't relate to drug use/abuse but when you look at all that what was happening at the time, it was almost expected. Of course, some on the inside did expect it.

I am not sure if anything could have safely calmed Elvis down that night.

I still have the headline that filled my town's newpaper the next morning.

"Heart attack claims Elvis at 42".

As usual, this terrific messageboard continues to fascinate and have the best discussions going, by and large. Don't ever change, folks!

As Jordan wrote elsewhere today, "This forum is to enjoy Elvis. And I am sure that is and always be the reason the admins continue to provide this service. " Keep that going, gang.


Piers is on-target with his review of FTD's CLOSING NIGHT (often dismissed on FECC as wretched when issued), where he writes:

His angry mood continues into a fascinating & powerful 'Mystery Train/Tiger Man. Elvis really lays down the gauntlet - stimulating the band to a driving performance - and halfway through states, "This next song is dedicated to the hierarchy and the staff of the Hilton Hotel." Elvis then defiantly & ferociously asserts, "I'm the King of The Jungle..." There is no doubt that he's warning everyone not to mess with Elvis.

The odd appeal of this show ( meltdown notwithstanding) is the rare display of anger by Elvis, as captured on tape. This fuels "Mystery Train" to a level we didn't often see. And we can imagine for a moment that it could have been the permanent break with the Colonel that we all wish happened.

Fantastic posts as ever, N8.

Where have I seen this Machiavellian relationship before...?



Sad that the fictional guy was able to conquer his fears eventually and "overthrow" his master (pun intended), but the real person was not.

I think Gladys is the critical variable. Elvis' life collapsed a piece at a time without her. Things could -- and almost certainly would -- have been different if she'd lived.

Very true. Even for a few more years, maybe the mid 60's even.

Guralnick and others seem to take a more positive take on Larry Geller.

I'm under the impression that if anything, Geller (and whatever his excesses) was attempting to pull the guy out from the good old boy, "don't rock the boat" / "don't think too hard" mentality that eventually engulfed him - and kept him in tow with the Colonel.


*********************

On another note, I have to be plain that I'm not a huge fan of this disc but as a chapter in his life, it's quite a revealing document. And you don't hear trainwreck versions of the "Suspicious Minds / Bridge Over Troubled Water "Medley" very often.


I find all of the FTD's that chart (or "document") each season to be a terrific way to follow the King's career.