At the 46th Academy Awards on April 2, 1974, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, host David Niven was about to introduce Elizabeth Taylor, who was presenting Best Picture, when Robert Opel ran naked across the stage behind him flashing a peace sign. Television viewers saw him only from the waist up. Opel, a photographer, had gotten backstage with a phony press pass.

Niven took a moment to register what had happened, then remarked that probably the only laugh the man would ever get in his life was for stripping off and showing his shortcomings. Opel was found getting dressed backstage and was led away. At an impromptu press conference he described himself, falsely, as an advertising executive and said the stunt was a fine way to launch a career. Whether it was his own idea or a publicity stunt arranged by producer Jack Haley Jr. is still debated. Streaking was a national fad that spring, and…