Alan Abel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alan Abel
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Alan Abel (second from left) in 2005, with his daughter, wife, and Jeff Hockett
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| Born |
Alan Irwin Abel
August 2, 1924 Zanesville, Ohio, U.S.
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| Died | September 14, 2018 (aged 94) Southbury, Connecticut, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Ohio State University |
| Spouse(s) | Jeanne |
| Children | 1 |
Alan Irwin Abel (August 2, 1924 – September 14, 2018) was an American hoaxer, writer, and filmmaker. He became famous for several pranks that got a lot of attention in the news.
Alan was born on August 2, 1924, in Zanesville, Ohio. He studied at Ohio State University. One of Alan's first pranks happened in the late 1950s. He pretended to be a golf teacher. He taught business people to use ballet positions to improve their golf games!
From 1966 to 1967, Alan wrote a funny newspaper column. It was called "The Private World of Prof. Bunker C. Hill." This column appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle and many other newspapers.
Alan also wrote, produced, and directed a movie. It was called The Faking of the President (1976). This film was a mockumentary, which means it looked like a real documentary but was actually a funny fake.
In 1979, Alan played a big trick: he faked his own death! He pretended to die from a heart attack near a ski lodge. A fake funeral director collected his belongings. A woman pretending to be his wife told The New York Times newspaper. The Times even printed a story saying he had died on January 2, 1980. The very next day, Alan held a news conference. He announced that "reports of my demise have been grossly exaggerated." This means the news of his death was very wrong!
Alan Abel passed away on September 14, 2018. He died at his home in Southbury, Connecticut. He had been sick with cancer and heart problems.
A Film About Alan
In 2004, Alan's daughter, Jenny Abel, made a documentary about his life. She worked with Jeff Hockett on the film. The movie was called Abel Raises Cain. It was shown at film festivals like the Boston Independent Film Festival. It also won first prize for Best Documentary at the 2005 Slamdance Film Festival. You can even find it on DVD.
Books by Alan Abel
Alan Abel wrote several books, often with a funny or tricky theme:
- The Great American Hoax (1966)
- The President I Almost Was (1966) - He wrote this with his wife, pretending to be "Mrs. Yetta Bronstein."
- Confessions of a Hoaxer (1970)
- The Fallacy of Creative Thinking (1972) - He wrote this under the name Bruce Spencer.
- The Panhandlers Handbook (1977) - He wrote this as Omar the Beggar.
- Don't Get Mad, Get Even (1983)
- How to Thrive on Rejection (1983)
See Also
- Joey Skaggs, a more recent performer of media hoaxes including Cathouse for Dogs (1976)
