Podcast: Play in new window | Download
This is long but worth it. Watching this, it’s easy to see where Amy got her inspiration for Jeri, at least partially.
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The Origin of Jeri Blank
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
This is long but worth it. Watching this, it’s easy to see where Amy got her inspiration for Jeri, at least partially.
12 replies on “The Origin of Jeri Blank”
Yes! I’ve been looking for this forever! I had an mp3 of it but this is awesome. Thanks alot.
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wow
Wow is right…the IMDB.com entry for her says that she dropped out of sight after she did these speaking tours. Amazing to think she’d be about 83 yrs. old now if she’s still alive…
She even looks a little like Jeri Blank (minus the goofy look on her face). It almost makes “Strangers With Candy” seem a little too light hearted when you hear what this woman really went through.
Actually, Jeri Blank WAS modelled directly from this lady, and the resemblance was deliberate…the creators of the show thought Amy Sedaris looked a little like Florrie, so they showed her the film, and from there the concept was born (from Wikipedia article).
Like all comedy, they took a serious concept and spun it into something over-the-top and wacky for satirical purposes. I notice that Jeri Blank looks like Florrie but TALKS with a high-school girl type voice. (It probably would have been dubbed pretty offensive if she spoke with Florrie’s accent.)
Also interesting to hear how much Synanon helped this woman, in contrast with their heavy-handed tactics that eventually led to their downfall in the 70s…
i’ve always called the laminectomy story the greatest story ever told. florrie fisher is one smart cookie!
“…i was thrown from a horse and i had a laminectomy and i ended up in the san fransico general hospital. i was operated on by the same doctor who operated on the late jayne mansfield’s son, zoltan, when he was mauled by the lion…”
HOLY SHIT!
That IS Jerry!
by they Richard — I love the little insanefilms.com thing that flys in every once in a while. it fits the period of the piece.
Congratulations. This video blog has single handedly renewed my interest in video blogs in general. Your curatorial skills are exceptional. This woman is posessed and probably on drugs, but it’s kind of amazing to hear her speak. It makes you realize that a lot of people just don’t talk much like this anymore. She has the posession of a preacher. It’s really fascinating. Thanks so much for sharing.
I am one of the most cynical people I know and have done copious amounts of pot and other drugs. I am still an unrepentant and recalcitrant pot smoker. I have laughed until I cried reading David Sedaris and have watched Strangers with Candy and laughed out loud as well, but there is something about this woman that makes me ashamed that anyone ever considered parodying her.
Thank you for posting this! I’ve been looking for the full-length PSA forever. You are awesome.