subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite map
Tue, Feb 09 2010 

Resources

print this story   Print this story
email this story   E-mail this story
  Post to del.icio.us

Photos


Globe/Tom Brown Joe Levanti (left), owner of The Horseshoe Theatre in Mount Vernon, introduces The Clayton Singers, Jamie and Joe Clayton. Levanti has had a long career in the entertainment business.
/

Published January 12, 2007 05:23 pm - Next month will mark two years since Ohio native Joe Levanti opened the doors of his new venture in Mount Vernon, where he moved seven years ago after devoting much of his life and love to show business in California.

Theater owner has long career in entertainment biz



By Rich Brown

rbrown@joplinglobe.com

MOUNT VERNON, Mo. — Joe Levanti was all smiles. It was time for another show at The Horseshoe Theatre, and he could hardly contain his excitement.

Scampering down the aisle as he has done two or three nights a week for the last two years, the 70-year-old retired Hollywood performer prepared to introduce another music group to his stage.

Next month will mark two years since the Ohio native opened the doors of his new venture in Mount Vernon, where he moved seven years ago after devoting much of his life and love to show business in California.

And though he is retired, the effervescent Levanti cannot bear to stray far from the stage, even if it means just running the weekly operations of a community theater.

Making a go of it

Levanti’s desire to be in front of an audience goes back to his days as a young boy in Cleveland, where he was born and raised.

“I was 5 years old and played the accordion with my dad, and when I heard the applause I was hooked on show business from then on,” said Levanti, who as a youngster not only played the accordion but also took piano and acrobatic lessons. “By the time I got to high school, I was doing ventriloquism and magic. As I grew older and was about to graduate from high school, I just knew I had to do something in show business or, at least, give it a try and if it didn’t work out that would be it.”

After taking acting lessons in his hometown, Levanti, at age 19, decided the time had come to head for Hollywood and make a go of it.

Realizing it might take longer than he wanted to break into the business, he took a job as a letter carrier.

“What was good about the post office was that I could work from 5 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon, which left the nights open to study acting,” he said. “So I would run home, take about an hour or two nap and then run up to the studio and take acting, tap dancing and acrobatic lessons.”

Determined to succeed, Levanti never flinched from his never-give-up attitude, and it wasn’t long before he got the opportunity to do shows at the Glendale (Calif.) Center Theater where he met Gordon Jump, who went on to be a television star on the weekly series “WKRP-Cincinnati.”

Jump’s face became instantly recognizable through another TV venue, the commercial in which he played the Maytag Appliance repairman.

Following the Glendale performances, Levanti estimated it was about 1969 when he heard of auditions being held at Disneyland.



print this story    email this story    comment on this story   

Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.


Add a comment on this story







autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide

Announcements

Click here!!

: Special Offer For New Subscribers : 32 buy 1 get 1 free offers

Click Here!


Featured Jobs

RECEPTIONIST
busy law office seeking full-time receptionist. Previous experience required, mulit-tasking, computer skills, and great ...>MORE

LPN FOR MDS COORDINATOR
LPN FOR MDS Coordinator, experience required. Apply at Seneca House, 914 Chickesaw, Seneca, MO or call Holly at 417-776...>MORE

FRONT LOADER
driver needed, local routes, experienced driver preferred. Class B license required. Pay $10-$11 per hour. Call for inte...>MORE

See all ads

Featured Transportation

PONTIAC, 1999 SUNFIRE
148,000 miles, $2750. (417)540-9986...>MORE

CHEVROLET, 1999 MONTE CARLO
169,000 miles, $2750. (417)540-9986...>MORE

SATURN, 2001 SC-2
154,000 miles, $2850. (417)540-9986...>MORE

2001 GRAND PRIX
Richard Petty Special Edition Package, $4995/offer. 417-317-2000....>MORE

See all ads

Featured Homes

VALENTINES GIFT
Unique Gorgeous Valentines Gift
1112 W. 5th, Joplin. Approximaitely 2200 sq. ft, could be 4,000 sq. ft. 3 br, 2 ba
...>MORE

See all ads

Other Cool Stuff

FOR SALE DOBERMAN PUPS

6 males and 1 female, date of birth 1-18-2010 all black and rust, mom and dad for more information please call Je
...>MORE

APR FRENCH BULLDOG

14 week old female. Brindle with white markings. $900. 417-540-7490
...>MORE

MINI SCHNAUZER
4 months, male, $75 with papers and accessories. (417)434-8830....>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index

 

 

The Joplin Globe Electronic Edition