The sad story behind the naked man on the Oscar stage

To this day, the naked man on stage is still referred to as one of the craziest moments in the history of the Oscars.

In 1974, when host David Niven was preparing to invite star Elizabeth Taylor on stage at the 46th Academy Awards to announce the winner of the most important award “Best Picture”, a naked man stepped out from the left side of the stage, making a “V” pose, gliding behind Mr. Niven before running into the wings.

The Naked Man rioted on the Oscars stage in 1974.

The unexpected situation made the whole audience stunned for a moment and then burst into laughter. To lighten the mood, Niven joked: “Isn’t it amusing to think that this might be the only laugh this man gets in his life when he undresses and exposes his flaws? “.

After that, the award ceremony continued, Elizabeth Taylor named the production “The Sting” by producer Michael Phillips as the winner. However, the beauty “Cleopatra” at that time was still not “revived” by the previous incident. “She was completely shocked by a naked man. She is afraid of not performing well on stage. We had to reassure her that she was doing well and that everyone had a good laugh,” Phillips told The Hollywood Reporter.

Elizabeth Taylor at the 46th Academy Awards.

Contrary to Niven’s assessment, the incident on the Oscar 1974 stage became a Hollywood “legend” overnight. To this day, it is still considered one of the most memorable and craziest moments of Oscar.

However, it is this popularity that raises the suspicion that the award ceremony organizers staged the whole incident. Robert Metzler, a business manager and Academy Award troubleshooter, told the Los Angeles Times in 1993: “I don’t think it was an incident. My wife was backstage trying on outfits, and David Niven borrowed her pen when we met in the hallway. She gave it to him and he sat down on a step, writing his comment about the man’s omission. He also told my wife that he was very pleased with what he wrote. It was about 2 hours before the uproar on stage happened.”

MC David Niven is said to have known the incident in advance.

Another basis for the suspicion of staging is that the naked man after messing up the most prestigious film awards ceremony in the world was not arrested, but also leisurely dressed and gave interviews to the media. “People should not be ashamed to be naked in public. Also, it’s a way to start a career,” he stated.

That man is Robert Opel (born 1939) is a conceptual artist, photographer and gay rights activist.

The Oscars isn’t the first event Opel has gone nude. He once appeared “naked” at several meetings of the Los Angeles City Council to protest the ban on nudity on beaches in the area. He was also active in the gay liberation movement. He also signed on as a part-time photographer for the gay newspaper The Advocate.

After the 46th Academy Awards, Opel went from unknown to famous both inside and outside the art world. He has been invited to many TV shows and events in Hollywood.

In 1978, Opel founded Fey-Way Studios in San Francisco. It was America’s first openly gay art gallery. Here he welcomes controversial, avant-garde works. He was also an early supporter of the later famous photographer Robert Maplethorpe and Tom of Finland – one of the gay painters who influenced LGBT culture in the late 20th century.

Unfortunately, Opel’s career did not last long. A year later, Opel ended his life at the age of 40. His studio was attacked by two men demanding money and drugs. They tied Opel and two friends in the back room and shot him dead.

The killer who killed Opel and his accomplices was arrested on July 10 of the same year while trying to flee to Miami.

The life of a naked man on the Oscar stage ended in tragedy.

Thirty years later, Opel’s grandson, Robert Oppel, revealed that his uncle dropped a “P” in his last name to save the family from being scandalized by his actions. “He hugged me once, but then he was murdered the same year I was born,” Oppel said.

Robert Oppel filmed a documentary called “Uncle Bob”, released in 2010, about the life and death of Opel. The nephew suspects the murder may be more than a simple robbery even without proof.

Oppel contacted the killers in prison and the two agreed to appear in the nephew’s film. However, prison authorities disagree.

In 2014, Oppel’s nephew held a tribute to Opel’s work at an art gallery in Hollywood.