>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY NEXT GUEST IS A VERY FUNNY GUY YOU
KNOW AS MIKE FROM "MIKE & MOLLY."
PLEASE WELCOME BILLY GARDELL!
♪ ♪ ♪ ( APPLAUSE )
( CHEERS ) >> ALL RIGHT!
>> Stephen: NOW, SIR.
>> WOW.
LOOK AT THIS.
THE ED SULLIVAN THEATER.
SORRY, I'M A LITTLE THROWN.
THIS IS A VERY HISTORIC PLACE.
>> Stephen: YOU KNOW HOW TO HOST ONE OF THESE SHOWS.
I JUST FOUND OUT YOU ACTUALLY HOSTED "LIVE WITH KELLY" WITH
KELLY RIPA.
YOU WERE ONE OF THE COHOSTS.
>> IT WAS THE GREATEST JOB IN THE WORLD.
>> Stephen: IT'S NOT HARD?
>> YOU TALK TO A COOL ACTOR, SOME CHEF COMES IN, YOU EAT, YOU
GO HOME BY NOON.
>> Stephen: BUT YOU HAVE TO GET UP EARLY.
>> I DON'T MIND.
I'M OLD AND I'VE GOT A KID.
I GET UP AT SIX ANYWAY.
I'M RIGHT DOWN THE STREET.
>> Stephen: HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU HAVE?
>> JUST ONE.
THAT'S ALL I WANTED, WAS ONE.
THIS ONE CAME OUT AND HE'S GOT THE PERSONALITY OF HIS MOTHER,
WHEN IS LOVING AND PATHETIC, AND I JUST FIGURED THE SEVEN ONE
WOULD BE JUST CHASING HIM WITH SCISSORS.
SO I THOUGHT WE'LL KEEP THAT D.N.A.-- THAT GARDELL D.N.A. IN
THE POCKET, YOU KNOW, WHAT I MEAN?
>> Stephen: NOW, PEOPLE, EVERYBODY HERE KNOWS YOU FROM
"MIKE & MOLLY."
>> THERE YOU GO.
REMEMBER?
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: "DO YOU REMEMBER?
DO YOU REMEMBER?" THEY'RE NOT GOLD FISH!
, OF COURSE, THEY REMEMBER.
>> BUT IN TODAY'S WORLD YOU KNOW, GONE.
NOT ON YOUTUBE CHASING A CAT, YOU KNOW.
>> Stephen: NOW YOU'RE DOING "SUN RECORDS."
>> I AM.
>> Stephen: ON CMT.
>> VERY EXIEPT GLD WHAT IS THE STORY OF "SUN RECORDS"?
>> THE STORY OF "SUN RECORDS" IS ABOUT SAM PHILLIPS' VISION IN
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, WHICH IS UNBELIEVABLE.
IT'S THE REASON WE HAVE ROCK 'N' ROLL TODAY.
ELVIS, JERRY LEE LEWIS, CHARLES PERKINS, JOHNNY CASH, AND B.B.S
CAN QING, AND IKE TURNER.
AND ALL THESE MUSICIANS CAME TO THIS PLACE BECAUSE HE WAS THE
MAN WHO TOOK EVERYTHING OUT OF THE BOX TO MAKE A NEW SOUND.
AND IT WAS THE FIRST TIME, CIVIL RIGHTS BEING FOUGHT FOR AND HIGH
TENSIONS HERE A MAN WHO SAID I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU LOOK WHAT,
WHAT COLOR YOU ARE, WHAT YOU CAN BRING TO THE TABLE?
YOU GOT THE CHURCH, THE HILLBILLY MUSIC AND WANT BLUES
ALL MIXED TOGETHER TO BECOME ROCK 'N' ROLL.
>> Stephen: AND YOU PLAY COLONEL TOM PARKER.
>> YEAH, MAN.
>> Stephen: ELVIS' MANAGER.
YOU PLAY ELVIS' MANAGER.
>> I DO.
>> Stephen: CORNELL TOM PARKER.
WE HAVE A PHOTO HERE, CORNELL TOM, ELVIS, AND ED SULLIVAN IN
THIS THEATER.
>WOW, HOWNT THAT.
THAT'S VERY COOL.
>> Stephen: THAT'S A RAKISH ANGLE HE'S WEARING THAT HAT.
>> HE'S GOT HIS HAND IN SULLIVAN'S POCKET.
THAT'S WHY.
>> Stephen: WHAT KIND OF A GUY WAS HE?
>> HE WAS A BAD GUY, MAN.
HE WAS A VERY BAD GUY BUT A VISIONARY.
WHAT I FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS GUY, HE WAS AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WHO
CAME OVER HERE FROM HOLLAND, INVENTEDLET CHARACTER TOM --
>> Stephen: HE WAS THERE HOLLAND.
>> HE CAME OVER HERE WITH THIS CHARACTER AND HE WAS A CON MAN,
YOU KNOW.
HE WAS JUST A CON MAN.
AND I TALKED TO FOUR OR FIVE PEOPLE THAT KNEW HIM IN MEMPHIS,
AND NOBODY COULD DESCRIBE HIM THE SAME WAY.
SO THE WAY I STARTED BUILDING HIM WAS HE WAS WHATEVER THE
SITUATION WAS TO GET THE MONEY.
SO I WAS THINKING HOW DO I DO THAT?
HOW DO I MAKE IT?
I GAVE HIM THE SCRUPLES OF WALTER WHITE AND TRIED TO MAKE
HIM SOUND LIKE FOGHORN LEG HORN.
THE C.E.O. OF GRACELAND SAID YOU HAVE TO PLAN WITH A TWINKLE IN
YOUR EYE BECAUSE HE WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN AWAY WITH ALL THAT
STUFF IF HE WASN'T CHARISMATIC AND HE WAS VERY MUCH A HUCKSTER.
HE GOT HIS HANDS ON EDDIE ARNOLD AND EVENTUALLY ELVIS.
>> Stephen: DID HE RUN ANY CONS ON ELVIS?
>> YEAH, I'M SURE.
HE TOOK A LOT OF SIDE PAY WITH ELVIS.
BUT HE WAS THE ONE GUY IT'S OTHER SIDE OF THE SWORD WAS HE
TOOK TOO MUCH OF ELVIS' MONEY BUT HE SAW WHAT ELVIS COULD BE.
EVERYBODY WANTED TO BOOX HIM INTO BEING JUST A COUNTRY SINGER
AND HE SAW THIS GUY COULD BE ROCK 'N' ROLL.
HE SAW HE COULD MUCH BIGGER.
HE HAD THE VISION FOR THAT.
AND HE HAD A COO DEPENDENT RELATIONSHIP.
IN ISOLATING ELVIS IN AN UNHEALTHY WAY MADE HIM FEEL VERY
SAFE.
>> Stephen: SO HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR ELVIS' HOWARD
HUGHES RETREAT.
>> YES, BECAUSE THE CORNELL DIDN'T WANT ANYBODY AROUND HIM.
HE DIDN'T WANT HIM TO TOUR EUROPE BECAUSE HE WAS AFRAID IF
HE WENT OVER HE WOULD GET DEPORTED-- WHICH MIGHT HAPPEN
TODAY-- OR SOMEBODY MIGHT SCOOP ELVIS UP AND HE DIDN'T WANT THAT
TO HAPPEN, EITHER.
SO HE KEPT HIM HERE IN AMERICA.
THERE'S A STORY, AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S LEGEND OR MYTH BUT
THE MORE I PLAY HIM, I BELIEVE IT'S TRUE.
THERE WAS A TIME EARLY ON WHEN ELVIS WANTED TO FIRE HIM AND HE
PAID AN AMBULANCE DRIVER, TO TAKE HIM TO THE HOSPITAL AND
FAKE A HEART ATTACK SO ELVIS WOULD FEEL BAD FOR HIM.
ALL HE WAS ABOUT WAS GETTING THE MONEY.
>> Stephen: WAS ELVIS IMPORTANT TO YOU GROWING UP?
TO SOME PEOPLE HE'S AN ENORMOUS FIGURE.
>> OF COURSE.
MY DAD IS AN ELVIS WHACK JOB.
HE HATES THE BEATLES BECAUSE HE THINKS THEY TOOK ELVIS' CROWN SO
HE'S AGAINST THE BEATLES.
HE LOVED HIM.
THAT WAS HISIDE.
HE SAID THAT WAS WHEN ROCK 'N' ROLL HAD NO POINT OTHER THAN TO
GET A GIRL OR FIX YOUR CAR.
WHEN ELVIS DIED I REMEMBER HIM COMING INTO THE ROOM AND SAID,
SON, THE KING IS DEAD," AND HE CALLED IN SICK FOR THREE DAYS.
THAT'S A TRUE STORY.
WHEN I GOT "MIKE & MOLLY," MY WIFE AND I DECIDED WE WERE GOING
TO TAKE THE PARENTS ON A BUCKET LIST TRIP, ANYWHERE YOU WANTED
TO GO.
MY MOM WANTED TO GO TO VEGAS AND BE TREATED TO THE TOP OF THE
NIENS.
MY WIFE'S PARENTS WANTED TO GO TO HAWAII.
AND HIGH DAD WANTED TO GO TO THE PEABODY HOTEL AND SEE GRACELAND.
HEESMS THE CHEAPEST DATE.
>> Stephen: IT WAS LOVELY TO MEET YOU.
>> PLEASURE, MY FRIEND.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: "SUN RECORDS"
PREMIERES TOMORROW NIGHT ON CMT.
BILLY GARDELL, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A PERFORMANCE BY THE LEMON TWIGS.
STICK AROUND.