Elvis Presley regrets turning down 'A Star Is Born' book
Joel Brokaw, the son of the late Hollywood agent Norman Brokaw, wrote a biography about his father, “Driving Marilyn.'' Brokaw told how Elvis Presley wanted to co-star with Barbra Streisand but was forced to turn down the role.
One of Elvis Presley's biggest regrets was not being able to share the screen with Barbra Streisand.
The claim was made by Norman Brokaw's son, Joel Brokaw, who wrote the biography about the late Hollywood agent, “Marilyn's Driving”
Brokaw, who represented Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Clint Eastwood and other top stars, died in 2016 at the age of 89.
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Elvis Presley would have turned 90 on January 8th. (Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images)
“I once interviewed Priscilla Presley, who was a client of my father's,” Joel told Fox News Digital. “I asked her about her relationship. [his manager] colonel [Tom] hoodie. She said there was only one disagreement between them. ”
According to Joel's book, Presley had the opportunity to co-star with Streisand in 1976's A Star Is Born. However, Parker was “dissuaded from it” believing that “Barbra might disrespect him”.
“It was a decision Elvis regretted,” Joel wrote.
Joel Brokaw's book “Driving Marilyn” is available now. (Lions Press)
Joel told Fox News Digital that at the time, Presley was anxious to be taken seriously as a Hollywood actor. He looked to Rebel Without a Cause star James Dean as inspiration. However, Parker wanted Presley to prioritize performance, even if it meant taking on a mediocre musical.
“Elvis wanted to branch out into more meaty…acting roles,” Joel said. ”[But] Colonel Parker loved the fact that Elvis was producing movies with soundtracks. A lot of songs came out of the movie. [And the films] It was fun and light. It complemented the original residency that artists were doing in Las Vegas…I think Elvis was one of the first to do that. ”
Watch: Elvis Presley regrets turning down 'A Star Is Born': Book
“It was a very useful … marketing strategy,” Joel said. “But Elvis wanted to develop himself as an actor. So Col. Parker turned down Elvis' offer to star in A Star Is Born with Barbra Streisand…He thought Elvis was in Barbra's shadow.” “I didn't want to see her hiding in the background,” Streisand said. ”
Barbra Streisand played Esther Hoffman in the romantic drama A Star Is Born. (FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images)
“Priscilla says that was the only downside to their relationship,” Joel added.
The author had his own theory as to why Parker was adamant that Streisand would overshadow Presley.
“Perhaps some of Colonel Parker's misgivings about the combination of Barbra Streisand and Elvis may have to do with their current trajectories and careers,” he explained.
“Elvis wanted to develop himself as an actor and… [his manager] Colonel Parker turned down Elvis' offer to star in A Star Is Born with Barbra Streisand…he didn't want to see Elvis overshadowed by Barbra Streisand. ”
Joan Blackman and Elvis Presley in 1961's “Blue Hawaii.” The singer was deeply dissatisfied with his career in Hollywood. (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)
“Elvis was at the top for a long time, and in the 1960s, with the onset of the British invasion and the arrival of the Beatles, Elvis began to lose much of his luster and popularity.
“Barbra Streisand was on her way to standing up,” he noted. “I think so. [Parker] I felt that the momentum was probably on her side at that time. ”
The original 1930s film starred Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, while the 50s remake co-starred Judy Garland and James Mason. Streisand co-starred with Kris Kristofferson in her version.
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Kris Kristofferson starred opposite Barbra Streisand in A Star is Born. (Screen Archive/Getty Images)
In 2018, the fourth installment, which depicts the romance between an up-and-coming young actor and a young actor on the decline, was released for the first time. The film starred Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, and was directed by Cooper.
In November, Priscilla admitted that Streisand had Presley in mind for the role of her on-screen lover, but Parker told him not to take the role.
Presley's ex-wife said, “Barbra offered him the role.” people magazine In November. “The colonel told him to stop it. 'Oh, that's not going to work. She's in charge, not you. It's her movie, not yours.' .”
Norman Brokaw (left) was a popular talent agent who represented Elvis Presley. Here he is pictured with Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker. (Brokaw family collection)
“Elvis regrets it because he felt he could have played that role,” the 79-year-old added.
In 2023, Streisand wrote in her memoir, My Name is Barbra, that Presley was considered for the role in the music-centered drama before the role went to Kristofferson. She flew to Las Vegas to meet with Presley to persuade him.
“We talked about the movie and Elvis was interested,” the 82-year-old wrote. USA Today. “But obviously it didn't work out, Marty. [Erlichman, her manager] Colonel Parker says he asked for more money than we could afford. and [producer] john [Peters] The colonel says he wanted to make a movie. I'm not sure about that. ”
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Priscilla Presley also admitted that her ex-husband would like to work with Barbra Streisand. (Oscar Aboulafia/TPLP/Getty Images)
“I know that Elvis still had a big audience, but he had gained a lot of weight and was no longer at the top level,” she shared. “Maybe the colonel talked him out of it because it was a little too close to his own life.”
Presley and Parker's complicated relationship is explored in Netflix's new documentary, “Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley.” Among other things, it features interviews with Priscilla and his close friend/business partner Jerry Schilling.
In the film, Presley can be heard talking about how frustrated he was making money-making musicals versus playing more serious roles.
Barbra Streisand wrote that she traveled to Las Vegas in hopes of wooing Presley. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
“Hollywood's image of me was wrong, and I knew it, but there was nothing I could do about it,” Presley said. “I didn't know what to do. I just felt like I had to do something that I didn't fully believe in.”
“They couldn't have paid me any more to make me feel satisfied inside,” Presley added.
Presley's Hollywood career was at such a low ebb that the Grammy Award winner sang the children's melody “Old Man McDonald Had a Farm” in the 1967 film Double Trouble. was heard.
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Elvis Presley opposite Annette Day in “Double Trouble” circa 1967. (FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images)
“To me, that's a crime,'' Priscilla says in the film, as she watches the scene.
“It's a crime,” she stressed. “To put him in that situation and sing that song. It made him a laughing stock. And he knew it.”
Film director Jason Hehir said Presley felt overwhelmed and trapped by his film career, which at times made him “physically ill.”
The Netflix documentary “The Return of the King: The Decline and Rise of Elvis Presley” is now available to stream. (Netflix)
“He was very unhappy. He couldn't get out of bed,” Mr Hehir said. “A lot of people…don't realize how much of a disappointment he was…he was taking these movie roles and seemingly taking the easy way out and cashing a huge check. But , that was not his ambition as an artist.”
“It was always frustrating for him,” Hehir said. “…he couldn't even get out of bed because he was starved for artistic challenge. But he had locked himself into these movie contracts, and his management told him that he was not allowed to get out of these movie contracts. allowed to be confined.”
“It highlighted what was really important to him: performance,” Hehir continued. “And I think it was the frustration of not being able to stand in front of a live audience for seven years, only to film increasingly mediocre films on a movie set, that a lightbulb went off over his head. Masu.
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Filmmaker Jason Hehir told Fox News Digital that Elvis Presley aspired to make his mark as a star, like his idols James Dean and Marlon Brando. (Netflix)
“He wanted to do something for himself, not for management. And not for the movie audience. He wanted to go back to being the Elvis he wanted to be.”
Presley died in 1977 at the age of 42.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
