Manie Sacks

Emanuel "Manie" Sacks (January 30, 1902 – February 9, 1958) was an American music and television executive who worked for Columbia Records, RCA Victor and NBC. He worked closely with artists such as George Burns, Jack Benny, Dinah Shore, Harry James and others. In 1942, Sacks helped start Frank Sinatra's solo career and became a close friend.

Early life Sacks grew up in Philadelphia in a Jewish household. He enrolled in Pennsylvania Military Preparatory School (PMPS) in 1918 and became a cadet in 1920. He played on the football team and graduated class of 1924. Sacks briefly worked for his father's company as a clothing salesman but left to go into the entertainment business.

Career Sacks worked at WCAU in Philadelphia in public relations and as head of the Artists Bureau. In 1936, he left to become an agent for the Music Corporation of America in New York City. He booked appearances for celebrities and tended to personal and professional issues. In December 1950 he was named Staff Vice President. In January 1953, he was named vice president and general manager of RCA Victor. In August 1953, he was Staff Vice President of NBC (in addition to his two other positions). The two became close friends. In a CBS television tribute, Sinatra said, "There’s a little bit of Manie in everything good that has ever happened to me … Whenever I was in trouble and needed help, I yelled for Manie."

Personal life Sacks was never married. Sacks was president of Beth Israel Synagogue in Philadelphia and on the board of directors of the Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. He was also a trustee of the Pennsylvania Military College. In 1953, he was named Philadelphia's Man of the Year. The performers all worked for union minimum so the excess (over $200,000) could be donated to the Emanuel Sacks Foundation.

In 1959, the Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia dedicated the Emanuel Sacks Hematology Department in his honor.