Originally Posted by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florrie_Fisher
Florence "Florrie" Fisher (1920(?)- ????) was a motivational speaker in the 1960s and 1970s who traveled to high schools in the United States, speaking about her past as a heroin addict and prostitute, a profession which she took up in order to support her addiction.
In addition to her appearances, Fisher wrote an autobiography, The Lonely Trip Back, which told of her life from childhood up to the point she became a motivational speaker. In 1970, she appeared in The Trip Back, a public service announcement detailing her appearance at a New York high school. Fisher's trollish appearance, thick Brooklyn accent, and larger-than-life tales of prostitution, botched abortions, and lesbian jailhouse encounters turned her into a cult figure in the late 1970s, with bootleg videos of her public service announcement becoming a collector's item in the 1980s. Amongst those who saw the video were Stephen Colbert and Paul Dinello, who saw a resemblance between Fisher and their friend Amy Sedaris. The two men showed Sedaris a copy of the video, and suitably impressed with an impression that Sedaris did of Fisher, they built a television series based around the concept of Florrie Fisher going back to high school. The result was Strangers with Candy.
During her time as a motivational speaker, Fisher was affiliated with the controversial rehabilitation movement Synanon, which she credited with helping her beat her addiction. She also had ties to Phoenix House, a sister organization of Synanon's, and often recommended it to students during her speeches as a reliable means of combatting addictions.
The exact date of Fisher's birth is unknown. In her autobiography she gives conflicting dates, at one point stating that she was 43 in 1963, then later indicating that she was born in 1918. According to the information given by the publisher, Fisher was in fact born in 1920.
Fisher was married at least two times, once to her pimp, whom she identified in her autobiography as David "Davey" Bohm, and once to a repairman named Philip Bocala, whom she met just prior to becoming a motivational speaker.
Following her initial success, Fisher sank into obscurity, with her public service announcement being the arguable high point of her career. She and Bocala disappeared sometime in the mid-1970s, with unsubstantiated rumors claiming that she was either dead after relapsing, or that she and Bocala were involved in a cat burglar training venture in Miami, Florida. In the early 2000s Internet rumors claimed that she was responsible for a burglary at the condo of mafioso Meyer Lansky. As of 2006, the fates of Fisher and her husband remain unknown, although her lifestyle combined with her age has led many to assume that she has probably died.
