BALLAD OF THE OSCAR STREAKER

 

What happened to the man who ran across the screen naked in 1974?

"The streaker was taken not to the
authorities but to the pressroom, where
he appeared in a blue jumpsuit un-
zipped to the waist and posed along-
side a jumbo Oscar. He identified him-
self as Robert Opel, an advertising man.
What he didn’t say was that he actu-
ally worked for the Los Angeles school
system, and that he was gay. “It just oc-
curred to me that it might be an edu-
cative thing to do,” he said. “You know,
people shouldn’t be ashamed of being
nude in public. Besides, it’s a hell of a
way to launch a career.”

 
Nearly half a century later, the “Oscar
streak” is remembered as a blip of
seventies counterculture amid the Holly-
wood glitz. But who was Robert Opel,
and why did he do what he did? Con-
spiracy theories surfaced immediately.
Had Opel been a plant to get ratings?
How had he circumvented the “security
operation of truly royal proportions”?
And how did Niven have such a well-
crafted zinger ready?"

 

READ STORY BY MICHAEL SCHULMAN