Week of March 29-April 4, 1974

Raw Deal
When Robert Opal, 33, ran nude across the Academy Awards stage (The Sting took Best Picture), host David Niven quipped that the streaker would be remembered for his "shortcomings," and conductor Henry Mancini's orchestra played "Sunny Side Up." After a brief comedy career, Opal was murdered in his San Francisco sex paraphernalia shop in 1979.

Vice President Gerald Ford, 60, hoped Richard Nixon remained in office. "I think the President is a great guy," Ford said of his boss, adding, "I don't want to be President because I want him to be President."

A Director's First Take
Steven Spielberg, 27, made his feature film debut March 31 with The Sugarland Express, starring Goldie Hawn (above) as a small-time crook searching for her son.

THE HOTTEST!
John Denver, 30, sang about "Sunshine on My Shoulders"—it made him happy—and made it a No. 1 hit. Before his 1997 death, he recorded more than 30 albums.

Capitol Idea
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, 50, honeymooned in Acapulco with Nancy Maginnes, 39, an aide to former governor Nelson Rockefeller. The couple married March 30 in Arlington, Va.