Attention Must Be Paid To Joey Levitch!
Good afternoon,
I was reminded by my assistant Jeanine (not Rachel - who is worthless) that 50 years ago today Manka Bros. signed a lifetime contract with the great Joey Levitch. Joey Levitch is the reason Manka Bros. still exists today. If it weren't for the enormous success of The Guy-brarian in 1964 this studio would have gone bankrupt. But he was just getting started. Throughout the 1960s, Mr. Levitch produced, directed, edited and starred in an unprecedented string of hits:
- The Shy-anne Warrior (1964)
- King of the Amazons (1965)
- The Try-Athlete (1966)
- Al, Quiet on the Western Front (1966)
- The "M"-Ephant (1967)
- The Not-zi (1967)
- Who's That Knoxing At My Fort (1968)
An amazing... amazing run of hits. And per his lifetime contract, he made every one of them on a salary of $650 a week. Some say it was a ridiculous contract for a star of his magnitude to sign but you must remember, he was just coming off an incredible scandal in which he (allegedly) punched Sylvia Plath in the face on his late night talk show. At that point, he would have paid us to keep him employed (he married quite a few golddiggers during the 1950s and needed all the scratch he could put together).
After The Gastronaut (1980) failed to reignite his career (or the fortunes of Manka Bros. during the difficult early 1980s), it was Manka Bros. who renegotiated Joey's lifetime contract - lowering his weekly amount to $350 a week (a decent chunk of change in 1981 - and, may I say, a decent chunk of change today).
Joey Levitch is a legend and attention must be paid! He's done everything for this studio from being a legitimate film legend to Broadway (Gulag: A New Musical) to Audio Books (Finnegan's Wake) to Television (several guest appearances on MBS television shows - most recently as crazy Uncle Kasi on Baker's Dozen). We almost named the Manka Legends Channel - the Joey Levitch Channel because so much of it is dedicated to his work (but he wanted a piece of the revenue and that's not in his lifetime contract).
We wish him the best of luck in whatever else he chooses to do for this glorious studio - a studio that wouldn't exist if it weren't for him.
Khan Manka, Jr. - Chairman & CEO - Manka Bros. Studios
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About Khan Manka, Jr.
Khan Manka, Jr. assumed the title of Chairman of the Board of Manka Bros. Studios - The World's Largest Media Company - following his father Harry Manka's death in 1976. Before that he was the member of several Southern California rock bands.
Is Joey really still alive or do you just keep propping him up like "weekend at Bernies". I mean, he must be 125 years old. Maybe it's all the booze and pills keeping him alive.
Joey is still alive and a great talent for Manka Bros. The Manka Legends Channel is going to show a live performance of Joey in Gulag: A New Musical that was taped just last year.