Strange Country Ep. 240: Howard Hughes Hoax
Sep 22, 2022
In 1971, middling author Clifford Irving was able to convince a giant publisher that he landed the white whale—the autobiography of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes. This was a guaranteed best seller. Problem was, Irving had made the whole thing up. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly discuss this literary con and how it all came crashing down.
Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands
Cite your sources:
Grimes, William. “Clifford Irving, Author of a Notorious Literary Hoax, Dies at 87 (Published 2017).” The New York Times, 20 December 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/20/obituaries/clifford-irving-author-of-a-notorious-literary-hoax-dies-at-87.html. Accessed 4 September 2022.
Irving, Clifford. “The Movie.” Clifford Irving, 2006, https://web.archive.org/web/20071224024956/http://www.cliffordirving.com/movie.php.
Linklater, Magnus, et al. Hoax: The Inside Story of the Howard Hughes - Clifford Irving Affair. Viking Press, 1972. Accessed 4 September 2022.
Loria, Kevin. “What Motivates Con Artists?” Business Insider, 12 February 2016, https://www.businessinsider.com/what-motivates-con-artists-2016-2. Accessed 9 September 2022.
Smith, Harrison. “Clifford Irving, whose 'autobiography' of Howard Hughes nearly fooled the nation, dies at 87.” The Washington Post, 21 December 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/clifford-irving-whose-autobiography-of-howard-hughes-nearly-fooled-the-nation-dies-at-87/2017/12/21/83c7f9ba-e662-11e7-833f-155031558ff4_story.html. Accessed 29 August 2022.