Miss Universe 1961

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Miss Universe 1961
Marlene Schmidt Miss Universe 1961.jpg
Marlene Schmidt
DateJuly 15, 1961
Presenters Johnny Carson
Venue Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, United States
Broadcaster CBS
Entrants48
Placements15
Debuts
  • Ireland
  • Jamaica
  • Madagascar
  • Republic of China
  • Rhodesia
  • Scotland
  • United States Virgin Islands
  • Wales
Withdrawals
  • Costa Rica
  • Hong Kong
  • Jordan
  • New Zealand
  • Portugal
  • Suriname
  • Tunisia
Returns
  • Ceylon
  • Guatemala
  • Puerto Rico
  • Turkey
Winner Marlene Schmidt
West Germany
CongenialityEleftheria Deloutsi Greece)
Photogenic Sharon Brown (United States)
←  1960
1962  →

Miss Universe 1961 was the tenth Miss Universe pageant, held at the Miami Beach Auditorium in Miami Beach, Florida, United States on July 15, 1961.

Contents

At the end of the event, Linda Bement of the United States crowned Marlene Schmidt of West Germany as Miss Universe 1961. Schmidt was the first representative of Germany to win the contest. [1]

Contestants from forty-eight countries and territories competed in this year's pageant. The pageant was hosted by Johnny Carson.

Background

Selection of participants

Contestants from forty-eight countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant.

Debuts, returns, and withdrawals

This edition saw the debuts of Ireland, Jamaica, Madagascar, the Republic of China, Rhodesia, Scotland, the United States Virgin Islands, and Wales, and the returns of Ceylon, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, and Turkey. [2] Ceylon and Puerto Rico last competed in 1957, while the others last competed in 1959. Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Jordan, New Zealand, Portugal, Suriname, and Tunisia withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.

Helen Tan of Malaya and Julie Koh of Singapore were supposed to compete in the pageant. However, they chose to compete at Miss International in Long Beach, California instead. [3] [4] Koh eventually competed at Miss Universe the following year. [5]

Results

Miss Universe 1961 participating countries and territories Miss Universe 1961 Map.PNG
Miss Universe 1961 participating countries and territories

Placements

PlacementContestant
Miss Universe 1961
1st runner-up
2nd runner-up
  • Flag of Argentina.svg Argentina – Adriana Gardiazábal [6]
3rd runner-up
  • Flag of England.svg England – Arlette Dobson [6]
4th runner-up
Top 15
  • Flag of Chile.svg Chile – María Gloria Silva [7]
  • Flag of France (1794-1815, 1830-1958).svg France – Simone Darot [7]
  • Flag of Iceland.svg Iceland – Kristjana Magnúsdóttir [7]
  • Flag of Israel.svg Israel – Atida Pisanti [7]
  • Flag of Peru.svg Peru – Carmela Stein [7]
  • Flag of the Republic of China.svg Republic of China – Wang Li-Ling [7]
  • Flag of Scotland.svg Scotland – Susan Jones [7]
  • Flag of South Korea (1949-1984).svg South Korea – Seo Yang-hee [7]
  • Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden – Gunilla Knutsson [7]
  • Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland – Liliane Burnier [7]

Special awards

AwardContestant
Miss Congeniality
  • Flag of Greece (1822-1978).svg Greece – Eleftheria Deloutsi [6]
Miss Photogenic

Pageant

Format

Same with 1955, fifteen semi-finalists were chosen at the preliminary competition that consists of the swimsuit and evening gown competition. [7] Each of the fifteen semi-finalists gave a short speech during the final telecast using their native languages. Afterwards, the fifteen semi-finalists paraded again in their swimsuits and evening gowns, and the five finalists were eventually chosen. [6]

Contestants

Forty-eight contestants competed for the title.

Country/TerritoryContestantAge [a] Hometown
Flag of Argentina.svg ArgentinaAdriana Gardiazábal [8] 18 Buenos Aires
Flag of Austria.svg AustriaIngrid Bayer [9] 20 Vorarlberg
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg BelgiumNicole Ksinozenicki [10] 18 Saint-Gilles
Flag of Bolivia.svg BoliviaGloria Soruco [11] 19 Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Flag of Brazil (1889-1960).svg BrazilStaël Maria da Rocha Abelha [12] 19 Caratinga
Flag of Burma (1948-1974).svg Burma Khin Myint Myint [13] 18 Daik-U
Canadian Red Ensign (1957-1965).svg CanadaWilda Reynolds [14] 19 Toronto
Flag of Ceylon (1951-1972).svg CeylonRanjini Jayatilleke [15] – Colombo
Flag of Chile.svg ChileMaría Gloria Silva [16] 22 Santiago
Flag of Colombia.svg ColombiaPatricia Whitman [17] 21 Medellín
Flag of Cuba.svg CubaMartha García Vieta25 Miami, Florida
Flag of Denmark.svg DenmarkJette Nielsen [18] 18 Copenhagen
Flag of Ecuador (1900-2009).svg EcuadorYolanda Palacios [19] 18 Guayaquil
Flag of England.svg EnglandArlette Dobson18 Surrey
Flag of Finland.svg FinlandRitva Wächter [20] 20 Naantali
Flag of France (1794-1815, 1830-1958).svg FranceSimone Darot [21] 19Paris
Flag of Germany.svg West Germany Marlene Schmidt [22] 24 Stuttgart
Flag of Greece (1822-1978).svg GreeceEleftheria Deloutsi [23] 18 Athens
Flag of Guatemala.svg GuatemalaAnabelle Sáenz– Guatemala City
Flag of the Netherlands.svg HollandGita Kamman [24] 22 Amsterdam
Flag of Iceland.svg IcelandKristjana Magnúsdóttir [25] 21 Reykjanesbær
Flag of Ireland.svg IrelandJean Russell21 Lisburn
Flag of Israel.svg IsraelAtida Pisanti [26] 19 Haifa
Flag of Italy.svg ItalyVivianne Romano21 Lazio
Flag of Jamaica (1957-1962).svg Jamaica Marguerite LeWars 20 Kingston
Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg JapanAkemi Toyama20Tokyo
Flag of Lebanon.svg LebanonLeila Antaki [15] 22 Beirut
Flag of Luxembourg.svg LuxembourgVicky Schoos18 Luxembourg City
Flag of Madagascar.svg MadagascarJacqueline Robertson22 Antananarivo
Flag of Morocco.svg MoroccoIrene Gorsse– Rabat
Flag of Norway.svg NorwayRigmor Trengereid19 Bergen
Flag of Paraguay (1954-1988).svg ParaguayMaría Cristina Osnaghi– Asunción
Flag of Peru.svg PeruCarmela Stein20 Lima
Flag of Puerto Rico (1952-1995).svg Puerto RicoEnid del Valle20 Aguadilla
Flag of the Republic of China.svg Republic of ChinaWang Li-Ling19 Taipei
Flag of Southern Rhodesia (1924-1964).svg RhodesiaJonee Sierra19 Salisbury
Flag of Scotland.svg ScotlandSusan Jones20 Aberdeen
Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg South AfricaMarina Christelis20 Johannesburg
Flag of South Korea (1949-1984).svg South KoreaSeo Yang-hee21 Seoul
Flag of Spain (1945-1977).svg SpainPilar Gil Ramos19 Madrid
Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden Gunilla Knutsson 20 Ystad
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  SwitzerlandLiliane Burnier19 Geneva
Flag of Turkey.svg TurkeyGülseren Uysal– Istanbul
Flag of the United States.svg United States Sharon Brown [27] 18 Minden
 United States Virgin IslandsPriscila Bonilla– Charlotte Amalie
Flag of Uruguay.svg UruguaySusanna Ferrari [16] – Montevideo
Flag of Venezuela (1954-2006).svg VenezuelaAna Griselda Vegas20 Caracas
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Wales Rosemarie Frankland 18 Lancashire

Notes

  1. ↑ Ages at the time of the pageant

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References

  1. ↑ "German engineer starting plush Miss Universe year". The Spokesman-Review . July 17, 1961. p. 1. Retrieved October 18, 2023– via Google News Archive.
  2. ↑ ""Miss V.I." off to Miami Beach". The Virgin Islands Daily News . July 7, 1961. p. 1. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Beauties on way to US get warm welcome during stop in Manila". The Singapore Free Press. July 4, 1961. p. 7. Retrieved November 11, 2022– via National Library Board.
  4. ↑ "K.L. girl wins the Miss Malaya title". The Straits Times . May 11, 1961. p. 16. Retrieved December 9, 2022– via National Library Board.
  5. ↑ "Miss Singapore flies to California next month". The Straits Times . May 20, 1961. p. 9. Retrieved November 11, 2022– via National Library Board.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Miss Germany wins contest". Daytona Beach Morning Journal . July 15, 1961. pp. 1–2A. Retrieved October 18, 2023– via Google News Archive.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "15 girls reach final beauty test". Youngstown Vindicator . July 15, 1961. p. 3. Retrieved October 18, 2023– via Google News Archive.
  8. ↑ "Loveliest girl in the world to become "Miss Universe"". Simpson's Leader-Times . July 15, 1961. p. 1. Retrieved November 28, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Beauties at the White House". Sarasota Herald-Tribune . July 6, 1961. p. 13. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  10. ↑ "In Knokke is Nicole Ksinozenicki uit Sint Gillis (Brussel) tot miss België uitgeroepen" [In Knokke, Nicole Ksinozenicki from Sint Gillis (Brussels) was proclaimed Miss Belgium.]. Leeuwarder courant (in Dutch). May 25, 1961. p. 3. Retrieved October 18, 2023– via Delpher.
  11. ↑ "El título les dio alegrías, trabajo y fama que aún saborean" [The title gave them joy, work and fame that they still savor.]. El Deber (in European Spanish). July 29, 2017. Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Stael Abelha, primeira mineira eleita Miss Brasil, é vítima de Alzheimer". Estado de Minas (in Brazilian Portuguese). January 11, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  13. ↑ Htwe, Nien Ei Ei (September 28, 2009). "Former 'Miss Burma' winner passes away". The Myanmar Times . Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Former 'Miss Canada' weds army man here". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . July 11, 1962. p. 12. Retrieved December 9, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  15. 1 2 "Universal beauty displayed at Miami". Herald-Journal. July 13, 1961. p. 1. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  16. 1 2 "Latin beauties in native costume". Herald-Journal. July 7, 1961. p. 18. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Sensación en Miami por Trajes Típicos de Srta. Colombia". El Tiempo (in Spanish). July 11, 1961. pp. 1, 21. Retrieved October 18, 2023– via Google News Archive.
  18. ↑ "Untitled". Atuagagdliutit (in Kalaallisut). June 29, 1961. p. 28. Retrieved December 6, 2022– via Tímarit.is.
  19. ↑ "Candidale ai massimi titoli di bellezza" [Nominee for top beauty titles]. La Stampa (in Italian). July 1, 1961. p. 5. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  20. ↑ Himberg, Petra (November 18, 2009). "Miss Suomi 1961 Ritva Wächter". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  21. ↑ Lo, Ricky (February 1, 2017). "France 1st grand slam winner in world beauty pageants". Philippine Star . Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Beauties parade for title tonight". The Gadsden Times. July 14, 1961. p. 1. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Downfall of Greece". Philadelphia Daily News. July 15, 1961. p. 3. Retrieved February 19, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ "Ene miss Holland is voor ons in Florida". Het Parool (in Dutch). July 12, 1961. p. 1. Retrieved February 19, 2024– via Delpher.
  25. ↑ "Íslensk fegurð '61". Fálkinn (in Icelandic). June 14, 1961. pp. 18–20. Retrieved February 19, 2024– via Tímarit.is.
  26. ↑ "Untitled". The American Jewish World. July 21, 1961. p. 11. Retrieved February 19, 2024– via National Library of Israel.
  27. ↑ "Louisiana lass is 'Miss U.S.A.'". The Tuscaloosa News . July 14, 1961. pp. 1–2. Retrieved July 22, 2023– via Google News Archive.
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