Sammy Petrillo Speaks Out on Fame, Exposure, and Hollywood's Golden Years

BLOGGER: Sammy Petrillo
(co-star of the cult film, "Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla

Transcribed and edited by Monroe Mann from a recent 10/24/08 phone interview with Sammy Petrillo

Living through the golden years of Hollywood was absolutely the apex of my life; it was the most marvelous thing to rub shoulders with the biggest stars of the time—the stars who I looked up to as a kid when I used to go the movie theaters. At the time, movie theaters charged only 25 cents or 35 cents a show, and motion pictures enveloped my life because they were my escape. These movies were one of my greatest escapes. They were double features and I would go from one show to the other to escape from the poverty I was living through. At the time, my dad was in the service, and my mom was pregnant through part of this time. They were both trying just to make ends meet.

Well, it was the biggest thrill and biggest accomplishment of my life to see people on screen as a kid, and years later, to discover that they had become my friends! People like Eddie Cantor, who was a classic in those days; Jimmie Durante; and Lou Costello. Milton Berle most of all who became almost a grandfather to me.

I grew up watching these screen legends in the local 25 cent theaters, and then years later—it was amazing—I found myself actually working with them or friends with them! Even Jimmie Durante became a friend of mine. He was a very close friend of my comedy partner Duke Mitchell, and he became a friend of mine as well.

And Step ‘n Fetchit—he is historical. Look him up. You’ll see what I’m talking about. He and I did a review together. A two-man review. This was years later, in the 60s or 70s, we did a two-man review, just he and I, and we traveled around Pittsburgh and we’d drive away in an old jalopy car. Step looked so young; no one believed that he was allowed to drive. One time, he and I were actually kicked out of a club because Step looked so young; the club owner said, “This guy can’t be Step; he’s far too young!” They thought we were impersonators!

Probably the biggest lesson I learned over the years is that your childhood dreams most certainly can come true. I am still in awe: I actually fulfilled my childhood dreams! To have gone from poverty row and childhood dreaming in these theaters to years later actually appearing in those very theaters—how amazing. I learned that success doesn’t necessarily mean money, or being the biggest success in the world, or even sustaining it. For me, just GETTING there has made it all worth it. I can’t believe that my dreams became a reality.

Another lesson I learned from all this (and what I always tell those in the arts) (and this is a popular philosophy among my Hollywood friends) is that you don’t have to become a wealthy international star in order to be considered a success. To me, each show is a success; every show where you entertain an audience is a huge success that you should be hugely proud of. If you have done this—if you have brought entertainment to an audience, no matter how big of an audience—then you should be very proud of yourself; you have become a success. Even if you don’t go any further, you have already become a success because you have successfully entertained people. If you set a higher goal for yourself (money, fame, etc), that’s great, but to me, the highest pinnacle is having brought entertainment to others, even if you remain an amateur.

Now, if someone does want to become a rich and famous, [the formula] is simple: exposure, exposure ,exposure and persistence, persistence, persistence. You need to be more persistent than anyone else in getting as much exposure as you can: get any type of legitimate type of entertainment job; get people in the business to know you and want to use you and work with you; go to auditions; enter amateur shows; get publicity; do anything for exposure and experience. NOTHING replaces exposure and experience.

Today, unlike the golden days of Hollywood, young people want fame over money, and I think that’s smart. Years ago, I was ridiculed for pursuing fame over money by some of my peers, but it was this self-promotion and publicity that helped me to get my role in Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla. This is why I think my friend Monroe is on the right track—he is always promoting himself and his projects, and I know it will serve him well. In fact, that’s how I ended up as a guest on this show, and I am certainly proud to be a part of it.

Well, that brand name recognition that you create for yourself is what is going to lead to your monetary fame. That was why I made some clunker films over the years that people ridiculed; I did it to get experience; to learn how to produce; to direct; to learn the business end; to get more people to know who I was—I wanted to learn every end of the business so I would have some control over my professional career. I wanted people to know who I was—and it worked.

To become a success, you need exposure. Exposure. Exposure. Exposure. Never give up. Learn to take rejection, toss it over your shoulder, and keep going. It’s all sales. It’s a numbers game; 1 out of 40. You get a million rejections, but it’s the one that you GET that matters. All the rejection will all be worth it for that one job you get.

In conclusion, if you want to make it to the top, you must accept all rejections and be prepared for them because you’re digging for that one piece of gold. Every knock is a boost and every knock is a stepping stone to the top. Anybody who has been a little success or a big success will tell you the same thing: you need the exposure, and you need the persistence.

Check out Sammy's on-camera Before the Big Break interview at www.BeforeTheBigBreak.com. A new episode on the 1st and 15th of every month!