December 10, 2004 - Contact Music reports that Randy Quaid has been cast as the King of Rock n' Roll's manager, "Colonel" Tom Parker, in the forthcoming CBS miniseries Elvis. Filming begins next month in New Orleans under the direction of Jim Sadwith.

The 54-year-old Texan "is the first name to sign up for the project, which will star a newcomer in the lead role," the site claims.

Dutch-born Andreas Cornelius van Kuijk, a former carnival bunker with a mysterious past, renamed himself "Colonel" Tom Parker and began a career as a music promoter. According to Wikipedia, "Parker took over Presley's career in 1955. In 1956 he convinced RCA Records to buy Presley out from Sun Records for $35,000, which at the time was a huge amount of money. Parker held the reins of Presley's singing and acting career for the rest of Presley's life. He was said to be instrumental in virtually every business decision that Presley made, including his decision to quit recording and touring after returning from his stint in the United States Army in 1960 and to concentrate on a lucrative movie career that nonetheless almost smothered Presley's musical creativity."

Details on a new book about Elvis' relationship with Parker can be found here.


The Colonel (L) and Quaid (R).
Randy Quaid is perhaps best known for his roles as "Cousin Eddie" in the Vacation movies, as Randy Weaver in the telepic The Siege at Ruby Ridge, and as former President Lyndon Baines Johnson in LBJ: The Early Years. Quaid also was a cast member of Saturday Night Live for its 1985-86 season. He's also appeared in such classics as The Last Picture Show, The Last Detail and Midnight Express.

Notably, Quaid's brother Dennis portrayed Elvis' rival/contemporary Jerry Lee Lewis in Great Balls of Fire.