Aviator glasses, Hawaiian print shirt, Bermuda shorts, a cigarette, and some kind of full-brimmed hat or a poker visor, and you’re Hunter S. Thompson.
Hmmm. Hunter S. Thompson, you say…
And I get to act crazy, too, right?
Batshit.
[del]Bo[/del] [del]Luke[/del] Daisy Duke.
Someone beat me to HST; but you could refine it a little and be Raoul Duke, American Ambassador to Samoa:
hawaiian shirt (not too garish, though–black or dark blue with palm trees, for instance);
white “Gilligan” hat;
big wire-rimmed shades;
cigarette holder with Dunhill King Size (doesn’t need to be lit, remember!)
small, expensive leather case with ether can, bag of white powder, red capsules, blotting paper.
Mumbled gibberish speech delivery, and you’re there!
D’oh! Of course, Mr. Duke was Governor of American Samoa.
Yeah – just make sure your “attorney” is with you, though.
Go as David Gilmore - 1970’s basketball player.
Get yourself an afro wig and sideburns, a tight-fitting basketball uniform and knee-high socks pulled all the way up, and you will be the hit of the party.
Ummm - duh. That would be Artis Gilmore. I don’t know where I got “David” from. 
If you go as Elton John put some small round dots at the front of your head for his “doll hair” hair plug transplants.
If you can play the piano and if there will be a piano present, then I definitely think you should go as Elton John (if going stag) or as the Captain & Tenielle (with your wife). Although with the latter, I don’t know what will prove more difficult to obtain, a captain’s nautical jacket and a classic Greek sailor’s cap, or a dippy '70’s sundress for your wife…
Bayley Quarters from WKRP in Cincinnati
Governor Brown or Jimmy Carter.
Friend of mine did this years ago, and bought a Mr. Clean bottle. Cleaned it out REALLY REALLY good - and filled it with Mountain Dew. Spent the night taking swigs out of it.
(Need big gold earring as well).
You’re the right age, height, build and hairstyle to go as Gerald Ford. Wearing a WIN button would be a nice touch.
Don’t wear your glasses. The slightly befuddled look and tripping over everything are perfectly in character.
Why Fonzie? He was a fifties character created in the seventies… I think.
If you really need the glasses, get a blond pageboy wig and a denim jacket–John Denver!
If you’ve got the voice and imitative gifts, with the right wig, fake sideburns, sport jacket and mic, you could be How-ard Co-sell! You could circulate through the party, maintaining an annoyingly pretentious constant stream of play-by-play and commentary on the procedings, pissing people off…
Wow! Thanks for all the great suggestions, everyone.
I’m leaning toward the Rainbow Man, although Wikipedia says he didn’t get religion until 1980. (He jumped in front of cameras in the '70s, but he didn’t hold up the John 3:16 signs until the '80s. And the John 3:16 sign is a key prop for this costume.)
Mr. Clean sounds doable – I do have a gold loop earring. But what’s the 1970s connection?
Hunter S. Thompson and Kojak are also strong possibilities … and I could switch throughout the evening: If I have a cigarette in a holder and say “Gonzo!” then I’m Hunter; if I have a lollypop and say “Who loves ya, baby!” then I’m Kojak.
However, if I do find a suitable wig, I *will * go as Elton John, complete with hair plugs. (Thanks, peri!)
An update:
I went as The Rainbow Man (the John 3:16 guy). I wore a rainbow wig and a T-shirt with “Believe in Jesus Christ” on the front and “Repent your sins” on the back (just like the real-life guy). And of course, a large “John 3:16” sign.
I did not carry the sign around, but instead I attached a lanyard to it and wore it around my neck. Hey, I had to have my hands free to eat, drink, dance, etc.
I also did not try to duplicate the very bushy beard and mustache of the real Rainbow Man .
The reactions I got throughout the evening generally went one of two ways:
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Immediate recognition that led to many smiles, thumbs up, and high fives! These came from the older folks. Several of the people who “got” the costume said it was the best costume of the night. I really did stand out from all the other folks dressed as hippies.
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On the other hand … I got plenty of quizzical looks from the younger folks that led to me trying to explain the Rainbow Man as simply and as quickly as I could. This is not easy to do!
One woman from Japan (we are a very international company) made a beeline for me, shook my hand and said “Good advertising!” while pointing to my sign. I was unprepared for this type of reaction, obviously from a devout Christian who was unaware of the history of the Rainbow Man.
I also learned that many Christians have memorized John 3:16. I was asked a few times if I knew the verse, and I was only able to come up with the paraphrase “If you accept Jesus as your savior you go to heaven.” (FYI, I’m not a Christian.)
And on that note, very early in the evening after explaining the Rainbow Man to a woman, she asked if I were a believer. When I said no, she said that I should be careful about that.
I guess what she meant was that some Christians might take offense about me possibly mocking their religion by dressing up as a religious nut-job. I had not thought about that angle.
That made me a little nervous, but I was greatly relieved when the CEO of my company spotted me, laughed heartily and gave me two thumbs up (which I returned, of course).
Anyhoo, thanks for all the suggestions. It was a great night!