{"product_id":"your-time-is-now-the-sammy-petrillo-story-9781627311861","title":"Your Time Is Now: The Sammy Petrillo Story","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"I think Sammy Petrillo is fucking Amazing! If he was starring in \u003cem\u003eThe Jerry Lewis Story\u003c\/em\u003e, he would deserve an Academy Award. This is not hyperbole!\" -- Quentin Tarantino\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"This book will save America.\" --Patton Oswalt\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYour Time Is Now: The Sammy Petrillo Story\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e is the first full-scale biography of the legendary Jerry Lewis look-alike whose strange, funny, and often heartbreaking life unfolded in the long shadow of one of America's most famous comedians. With a foreword by award-winning screenwriter \u003cstrong\u003eScott Alexander\u003c\/strong\u003e, this deeply researched work of comedy history delivers a rare dual portrait: a parallel biography of Sammy Petrillo and Jerry Lewis, two performers bound together by imitation, rivalry, resentment, and an uneasy mutual awareness that lasted decades. Drawing on original interviews with Petrillo, Lewis, family members, show-business insiders, and surviving mid-century comedy figures, the book reconstructs the improbable life of a journeyman comic who both benefited from and was trapped by his uncanny resemblance to a superstar.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eBlending biography, film history, and cultural criticism, \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYour Time Is Now\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e explores the strange ecosystem of postwar show business--from live television and burlesque stages to poverty-row film studios and cult movie houses. Readers discover the bizarre making and afterlife of \u003cem\u003eBela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla\u003c\/em\u003e, Petrillo's complicated relationship with Jerry Lewis, and previously untold connections to figures such as Barbara Loden and the early development of television comedy culture. The result is a richly detailed, often darkly comic examination of identity, fame, imitation, and failure in American entertainment.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor readers of classic Hollywood biography, stand-up and comedy history, cult film culture, and mid-century pop culture, this book is a major addition to the field--a rare, meticulously sourced account that finally gives Sammy Petrillo his due while reframing the legacy of Jerry Lewis through a revealing and unexpected lens. Both a cautionary show-business tale and a trove of entertainment lore, \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYour Time Is Now \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eis an essential volume for anyone interested in comedy history, Hollywood outsiders, and the strange afterlives of celebrity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe cover features an original illustration by \u003cstrong\u003eDrew Friedman\u003c\/strong\u003e and filled with dozens of archival images. Foreword by acclaimed and award-winning screenwriter Scott Alexander.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Dave Abramson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Feral House\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/22\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.14lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781627311861\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAbramson, Dave:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eDave Abramson\u003c\/b\u003e, also known as Dave the Spazz, is a New\u003cbr\u003eYork City-based writer, radio personality, and cultural historian whose work\u003cbr\u003edocuments the margins of American entertainment, underground music, and\u003cbr\u003eoutsider show business. Since 1987, he has hosted \u003cb\u003eMusic to Spazz By\u003c\/b\u003e on\u003cbr\u003elegendary freeform radio station WFMU, where his deep knowledge of pop\u003cbr\u003eephemera, novelty records, comedy, and cult culture has earned a devoted\u003cbr\u003einternational following. Abramson is the editor of \u003ci\u003eThe Best of LCD: The Art\u003cbr\u003eand Writing of WFM\u003c\/i\u003eU, published by Princeton Architectural Press, and a\u003cbr\u003elongtime contributor to WFMU's influential program guide and media ecosystem.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAbramson's writing blends obsessive research, firsthand\u003cbr\u003ereporting, and dark humor, focusing on forgotten figures, near-misses, and\u003cbr\u003ecultural detours that reveal how fame, imitation, and failure operate in\u003cbr\u003eAmerican media. He has written for\u003ci\u003e LCD\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHarper's\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Village\u003cbr\u003eVoice\u003c\/i\u003e, and numerous underground publications, and has been interviewed\u003cbr\u003ewidely on radio and podcasts about music history, cult films, and comedy. \u003ci\u003eIn Your\u003cbr\u003eTime Is Now: The Sammy Petrillo Story\u003c\/i\u003e, Abramson brings decades of archival\u003cbr\u003edigging and personal encounters to bear on a singular outsider biography, \u003cbr\u003eestablishing himself as a sharp-eyed chronicler of American show business at\u003cbr\u003eits strangest and most revealing edges.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAlexander, Scott:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eScott Alexander \u003c\/b\u003eis an American screenwriter, producer, and director best known for his long-running collaboration with Larry Karaszewski on films that explore outsider figures and American subculture. Their credits include \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eEd Wood\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe People vs. Larry Flynt\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eMan on the Moon, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eDolemite Is My Name\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e, and the Emmy-winning television series \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e. Alexander's work is noted for blending meticulous research with dark humor and empathy for unconventional subjects.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFriedman, Drew:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Drew Friedman's work has appeared in \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMad\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eRolling Stone\u003c\/i\u003e, and many other magazines. He is the author of several collections of comics and cartooning, including \u003ci\u003eAll the Presidents\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMaverix and Lunatix: Icons of Underground Comix\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eOld Jewish Comedians\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eAny Similarity to Persons Living or Dead is Purely Coincidental\u003c\/i\u003e. He resides in Pennsylvania with his wife and collaborator, Kathy Bidus, and their beagles.","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Dave Abramson \/ Paperback \/ English","offer_id":67804848259229,"sku":"9781627311861","price":41.94,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_16ce9b79-e6cc-4c0f-ba0b-db25d7ffafa6.jpg?v=1794384954","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/your-time-is-now-the-sammy-petrillo-story-9781627311861","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}