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Alan Abel - Inside SINA 1959

On: Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Alan Abel
Birth Name
USA
1930 -


Buck Henry
Henry Zuckerman
New York City, New York USA
Dec 9 930 -
Official Site
  G. Clifford Prout (Buck Henry) was a man with a mission, and that mission was to put clothes on all the millions of naked animals throughout the world. To realize his dream, Prout founded an organization, the Society for Indecency to Naked Animals (abbreviated as SINA). It was left unexplained why the society was 'for indecency' not 'against indecency'.
     Prout first appeared before the American public to promote his organization on May 27, 1959 when he appeared on NBC's Today Show. His appearance generated a huge viewer response and soon thousands of letters were pouring in to SINA's headquarters. (Prout had provided a New York mailing address while on the air.)
     More interviews followed after the success of this first appearance. Wherever he went Prout promoted his anti-animal-nudity philosophy and repeated his society's catchy slogans: "Decency today means morality tomorrow" and "A nude horse is a rude horse." Prout also urged SINA members (he claimed there were over 50,000 of them) to take an active role in their communities by handing 'SINA Summonses' to people who shamelessly walked their naked pets down the street.
     Prout's campaign continued for a number of years until it reached a high point on August 21, 1962, when SINA was featured on the CBS News with Walter Cronkite. As the segment was airing, a few CBS employees recognized that Prout was actually Buck Henry, a comedian and CBS employee. SINA was subsequently revealed to be an elaborate hoax. Although Henry played the role of SINA's president, the hoax had been dreamed up and orchestrated by Alan Abel, who played the part of SINA's vice president.
     Abel noted that people had been either outraged by the idea of SINA, or quite supportive of it. One woman in Santa Barbara reportedly tried to donate $40,000 to the cause. Abel politely turned down the money, insisting that the bylaws of SINA forbade him from taking any money from strangers. But surprisingly few called the bluff of Abel and Henry. Apparently almost everyone was willing to accept that such a society could be real.
     Although the SINA hoax was officially exposed following the Walter Cronkite interview, Abel managed to keep the joke going for a few more years by means of a SINA newsletter mailed to the faithful. The newsletter included features such as press releases and sewing patterns for pet clothes.
Source: Museum Of Hoaxes

A Nude Horse Is A Rude Horse
01 An Explanation Of SINA 1:17
02 A History Of The Prout Dynasty 2:03
03 SINA's Emotional Stability Test 3:26
04 What Animals Should Wear 1:31
05 The SINA Marching Song "Wings Of Decency" 2:30
06 Communicating With Animals 2:05
07 The SINA Poem "Ode To Decency" 1:45
08 SINA Popularity And Disaster Areas 1:24
09 The SINA Clothesmobile, Cycle And Summons 2:24
10 A Series Of Questions And Answers About SINA 15:10


Buck and Alan
On The Today Show
At The White House



Sketch
* * *
Thanks Lupine Assassin!
Other material on this blog is tagged at the bottom of this post
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Professor Paradiddle Presents Drums Drollery And Drive
The Best of Crazy Ads 1961
Is There Sex After Death (Video)
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2 comments on "Alan Abel - Inside SINA 1959"

Media Funhouse said...

Abel did this joke on talk shows throughout the last few decades. It's a good joke, but wears thin quickly....

Ed

Professor Longnose said...

I have a 1960 album from Professor Paradiddle, a drum humorist, who turns out to be Alan Abel, before he was a hoaxer, when he made his living as a jazz drummer and lecturer. It's not very good, but it's unique.

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