NewEnglandFilm.com

"What does your Dad do for a living?" was a challenging question for Connecticut filmmaker Jenny Abel as a child.

While most kids had simple one word replies such as lawyer, doctor, or businessman, Jenny’s response would require a more lengthy explanation.

How would Jenny’s peers react if she explained that her father promoted a crusade for clothing all animals called the Society for Indecency for Naked Animals; faked his own death in the New York Times obituaries; claimed to be "Deep Throat" from the Watergate scandal; and staged mass fainting sessions on the Phil Donahue show?

Jenny’s Dad, Alan Abel, made his living conducting large-scale media pranks, which in turn led to filmmaking, writing, and comedy gigs.

Abel started toying with the concept of making a documentary featuring her father while a student at Emerson College when a group of fellow students convinced her to pursue the idea. A year after graduation Abel decided to pack up her digital video camera, some of the footage that she shot, and the rest of her belongings, and take the trek to Los Angeles in hopes of gaining more production experience and to secure the funding necessary to complete her film, tentatively titled "The Last Laugh."

"I remember when my Dad faked his own obituary in the New York Times the teacher and all the kids came up to me and said, ‘Jenny, I’m so sorry to hear about your father.’ Thinking that they were crazy, I told them ‘I really don’t know what you’re talking about. My Dad didn’t die. I just played basketball with him yesterday.’ Everyone thought I was nuts. I, in turn, thought everyone else was nuts! In fact, I was usually the last to know when my Dad pulled a big stunt like that. I think my parents were fearful that I would blab around school and sabotage the put-on before it was officially unveiled. But even if I did blab, no one would believe me anyway."

Today, Jenny has a better grasp on her father’s career and she understands the importance of his position in the media world serving in the role of a professional "hoaxer."

"There are two important messages that I want to convey with this documentary," says Abel. "The first point is that Alan Abel is an extraordinary man. With his pranks and stunts, he has pulled the wool over the eyes of the media for over 50 years. This piece will be a celebration of him, his achievements, and his effect on the media. The twist is it will be presented in such a way that it’s also a riotously funny piece of entertainment."

"Secondly, I want to focus on the love story between my mother Jeanne and my father and the unique creative relationship they have shared for the last 42 years. How they live life to the fullest, merely subsisting on the promoting of intellectual nonsense through their books, films, lectures and pranks despite a total lack of financial stability."

Alan Abel continues to pull the wool over the media’s eyes today and has gained such adoring fans as Erma Bombeck and Howard Stern.

"My Dad has lots of fans. He is very passionate about what he does, and he continues to surprise me with each prank he pulls," says Jenny.

Jenny got the opportunity to gain some quality footage this past summer while heading out on a road trip with Mom and Dad from Connecticut to Ohio. Abel’s original intent was to film her father in the town he grew up in, Coshocton, Ohio, but she got more than she bargained for.

"Some of our adventures included getting stuck in the middle of a race riot; visiting the world’s largest basket; attending a family reunion, meeting cousins who I didn’t know existed; and getting mooned by my father. I dropped the camera out of horror when this happened so luckily it’s a quick shot," laughs Abel.

Although Abel agrees that there are plenty of opportunities for documentary filmmakers in Boston she wanted a change and was ready to give L.A. a try.

"L.A. is great because everywhere you go the film industry is in your face. It’s a great motivator," says Abel.

"I’ve learned a lot through my job as an overseas production coordinator at NuImage Films," says Abel. "I started as an office assistant but one day the president of production came in and asked me to find him an octopus. I wasn’t sure what he meant, but I did what he told me. I later find out that we were making a movie about a killer octopus and he needed MOS [Ed. note: meaning "without sound"] of an actual octopus. Anyway, two years have passed and I have gradually been entrusted with growing responsibilities and I’ve helped coordinate 13 movies since I’ve been here."

Abel has received a fiscal sponsorship from Women Make Movies, which in turn made her eligible for a wide range of grants from a broad span of organizations. She is also her own mini-one woman studio, helming most of the tasks surrounding the film herself.

"I’ve fundraised, produced, researched, wrote, and directed everything myself. It’s a bit overwhelming at times but I realize I’m accomplishing a major feat."

As Jenny wraps up editing she is looking ahead to entering the film into the festival circuit and marketing and promoting her film independently.

Media be warned, if Jenny Abel takes after her father in any respect, a unique and powerful promotional campaign for her film containing a few pranks is probably gearing up to be unleashed in the near future.