Alan Irwin Abel (August 2, 1924 â€" September 14, 2018) was an
American hoaxer, writer, and mockumentary filmmaker famous for several
hoaxes that became media circuses.Born on August 2, 1924 in
Zanesville, Ohio, Abel graduated from Ohio State University with a
B.S. in Education. One of Abel's earliest pranks took place in the
late 1950s. Abel posed as a golf pro who taught Westinghouse
executives how to use ballet positions to improve their game.Beginning
May 27, 1959, with a story on the Today Show, the Society for
Indecency to Naked Animals (SINA), was Abel's most elaborate hoax.
SINA's mission was to clothe naked animals throughout the world. They
are best known today for their tagline: "A nude horse is a rude
horse". As a spokesman for the group, Buck Henry appeared as "G.
Clifford Prout" on television and radio several times, including the
CBS Evening News on August 21, 1962. The hoax began as a satire of
media censorship but took on a life of its own with sympathizers
offering unsolicited contributions (always returned), citizen
summonses for walking naked dogs, and sewing patterns for pet clothes.
American hoaxer, writer, and mockumentary filmmaker famous for several
hoaxes that became media circuses.Born on August 2, 1924 in
Zanesville, Ohio, Abel graduated from Ohio State University with a
B.S. in Education. One of Abel's earliest pranks took place in the
late 1950s. Abel posed as a golf pro who taught Westinghouse
executives how to use ballet positions to improve their game.Beginning
May 27, 1959, with a story on the Today Show, the Society for
Indecency to Naked Animals (SINA), was Abel's most elaborate hoax.
SINA's mission was to clothe naked animals throughout the world. They
are best known today for their tagline: "A nude horse is a rude
horse". As a spokesman for the group, Buck Henry appeared as "G.
Clifford Prout" on television and radio several times, including the
CBS Evening News on August 21, 1962. The hoax began as a satire of
media censorship but took on a life of its own with sympathizers
offering unsolicited contributions (always returned), citizen
summonses for walking naked dogs, and sewing patterns for pet clothes.
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