Did Elvis realize the difference in salaries from the Hollywood studios?

[jurasic1968]

Elvis was underpaid from Paramount and Wallis.

[Greystoke]

Elvis was underpaid from Paramount and Wallis.

Paramount didn't pay him anything. It was Wallis and associates. I don't think Elvis was underpaid, though. What was agreed and when it was agreed upon was quite fair, in my opinion. And Wallis did widen the financial goalposts through subsequent negotiations. Considering he wasn't always so flexible with actors who were under contract to him. Unless they pushed him for more, or for something else.

Bearing in mind once again, that Hal Wallis wasn't a film studio. He was an independent producer, who had to raise money from his own financial backers whilst relying on the financial success of the films he produced. He also had different financial and business requisites to that of film studios such as MGM.

Elvis also had options outside of his contract with Wallis, which is something Wallis did have the opportunity to match. He didn't, of course, and Elvis made more money elsewhere. But what he was originally afforded by Wallis, and the success he found with Wallis, undoubtedly gave Elvis leverage when other contracts and deals were being negotiated.

[jurasic1968]

Right.

[A. C. van Kuijk]

The Paramount contract from 1956 was one of the few mistakes Parker made. The payment was a joke and even though the Colonel later managed to improve his client's salary, it never even came close to what other companies paid. Elvis certainly knew about the problem, but he couldn't do anything about it. The contract was signed and the movies had to be made. Parker certainly made up for the glitch by dealing out much better contracts afterwards and getting his client into the top10 of the best paid movie stars. The second Paramount contract made him 500k for EASY COME, EASY GO. It still wasn't as much as other studios paid, but I guess there was a time slot and Elvis and Parker thought it would be better to earn half a million by doing the movie than staying at home and earning nothing.

[jurasic1968]

Elvis could return to live concerts earlier. It was Parker's mistake to not do it.

[Greystoke]

Elvis could return to live concerts earlier. It was Parker's mistake to not do it.

This would surely depend on Elvis's motivation to return to live performances. I do think Elvis could and perhaps should have performed on stage during the mid-sixties, although I appreciate that the desire to be in front of a live audience may have left him for a period of time.

Working in Hollywood was his priority for a number of years, and certainly from a financial perspective, Elvis was probably making more money in Hollywood than he would have from concerts. As we've discussed, he was one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood at the time, and this made him one of the highest paid people in the entertainment industry full stop. Actors or singers.

I disagree entirely, however, that he was ever unfairly paid in Hollywood. Elvis was paid fairly from his very first contract with Hal Wallis, whilst, as we've also discussed, his success became leverage to negotiate and renegotiate for more money and better terms. Which is something that wasn't and isn't unusual.

[billy jack]

The Paramount contract from 1956 was one of the few mistakes Parker made. The payment was a joke and even though the Colonel later managed to improve his client's salary, it never even came close to what other companies paid. Elvis certainly knew about the problem, but he couldn't do anything about it. The contract was signed and the movies had to be made. Parker certainly made up for the glitch by dealing out much better contracts afterwards and getting his client into the top10 of the best paid movie stars. The second Paramount contract made him 500k for EASY COME, EASY GO. It still wasn't as much as other studios paid, but I guess there was a time slot and Elvis and Parker thought it would be better to earn half a million by doing the movie than staying at home and earning nothing.

Correct. It took months for Wallis to finally agree to the $500,000 amount, because of every little detail that Parker fussed over. ECEG was also the last under Wallis' care. Wallis had grown tired of both, Parker and Elvis. As mentioned before, it is debatable whether Elvis was actually the highest paid actor. Don't forget Parker's share, plus any "expenses" (!) incurred. Of course also for Parker.

If you look at the quality of the films, it's not done badly financially. What can you expect from an actor who shoots three films a year?