Miss World 1961

Miss World 1961
Date	9 November 1961
Presenters	Peter West Michael Aspel
Venue	Lyceum Ballroom, London, United Kingdom
Broadcaster	BBC
Entrants	37
Placements	15
Debuts	Republic of China Suriname
Withdrawals	Australia Burma Canada French Polynesia Jordan Kenya Norway Tanganyika
Returns	Austria Ceylon New Zealand Venezuela
Winner	Rosemarie Frankland United Kingdom
←  1960 1962  →

Miss World 1961 was the eleventh anniversary of the Miss World pageant, held on 9 November 1961 at the Lyceum Ballroom in London, United Kingdom. 37 candidates competed for the Miss World. The winner was Rosemarie Frankland, representing United Kingdom. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Selection of participants

Contestants from thirty-seven countries and territories were selected to participate in the competition. Two contestants were appointed to represent their countries/territories after being runners-up in their national competitions or were selected through a casting process.

Replacements

Miss France 1961, Luce Auger, was initially supposed to represent her country. However, she was dethroned due to already having a child. Auger was replaced by her first runner-up, Michèle Wargnier. ^{[5] [6] [7]} Additionally, the third runner-up of Miss Holland 1961, Rita van Zuiden, was appointed to represent Holland because Miss Holland 1961, Anne Marie Brink, had already participated in another international beauty pageant, and her runners-up, Gita Kamman and Stanny van Baer, did not participate. ^{[8] [9]}

Debuts, returns, and withdrawals

This edition marked the debut of The Republic of China and Suriname. And the return of Austria, Ceylon, New Zealand, and Venezuela. Ceylon, which last competed in 1955, New Zealand in 1956, Venezuela in 1958, and Austria in 1959. While, Australia, Burma, French Polynesia, Canada, Jordan, Kenya, Norway, and Tanganyika withdrew from the competition due to their national organizations failed to hold a national competition or select a contestant. ^[10]

Chriss Leon of Jamaica was originally supposed to participate. However, Her boyfriend did not allow her to go to participate. Chriss Leon participate in Miss World 1962 instead, and she eventually made it into the top 15. ^{[11] [12]}

Results

Placement	Contestant
Miss World 1961	United Kingdom – Rosemarie Frankland [13]
1st runner-up	Republic of China – Grace Li [13]
2nd runner-up	Spain – Carmen Cervera [13]
3rd runner-up	France – Michèle Wargnier [13]
4th runner-up	Denmark – Inge Jörgensen [13]
Top 7	New Zealand – Leone Mary Main [13] United States – Jo Ann Odum [13]
Top 15	Argentina – Susana Pardal Austria – Hella Wolfsgrubej Finland – Ritva Wächter Ireland – Olive White Japan – Chie Murakami South Africa – Yvonne Hulley Turkey – Güler Samuray West Germany – Romy März

Competition

Format

Several changes were implemented in this edition. The number of semi-finalists was reduced to fifteen from eighteen in the previous edition. The fifteen semi-finalists were selected through a preliminary competition held on the day of the final event, which consisted of a swimsuit and evening gown competition. The fifteen semi-finalists were interviewed by Peter West, and from them, seven finalists were chosen to proceed to the final interview. ^[14]

Selection Committee

• Denis Anthony Brian Butler – 9th Earl of Lanesborough ^[15]
• Norman Hartnell – English designer for Queen Elizabeth II ^[15]
• La Countess Ethel Beatty – Member of the English aristocracy ^[15]
• Bob Hope – English-American actor and comedian ^[16]
• Frances Manners – Duchess of Rutland ^[15]
• Bernard Delfont – English impresario ^[15]
• Billy Butlin – English businessman
• Richard Todd – English-Irish actor ^[15]
• John Spencer-Churchill – 11th Duke of Marlborough and nephew of Winston Churchill ^[15]

Contestants

Thirty-seven contestants competed for the title. ^{[17] [18]}

Country	Contestant	Age [a]	Hometown
Argentina	Susana Pardal	22	Buenos Aires
Austria	Hella Wolfsgrubej	18	Salzburg
Belgium	Jacqueline Oroi [19]	20	Brussels
Bolivia	Nancy Justiniano	19	Santa Cruz
Brazil	Alda Coutinho [20]	23	Guanabara
Ceylon	Sushila Perera [21]	19	Colombo
Cyprus	Andreava Polydorou	21	-
Denmark	Inge Jörgensen	19	Odense
Ecuador	Magdalena Dávila [22]	-	Pichincha
Finland	Ritva Wächter [23]	20	Helsinki
France	Michèle Wargnier [24]	19	Paris
Greece	Efstathia Karaiskaki [25]	22	Athens
Holland	Ria van Zuiden [26]	21	-
Iceland	Jóhanna Kolbrún Kristjánsdóttir	-	Reykjavik
India	Veronica Torcato [27]	25	Maharashtra
Ireland	Olive White [28]	17	Dublin
Israel	Er'ela Hod	18	-
Italy	Franca Cattaneo [29]	20	Genova
Japan	Chie Murakami [30]	19	Osaka
Lebanon	Leila Antaki	22	Beirut
Luxembourg	Vicky Schoos	18	Luxembourg City
Madagascar	Jeanne Rakatomahanina	20	Diego-Suárez
New Zealand	Leone Mary Main	20	Auckland
Nicaragua	Thelma Arana	22	Granada
Republic of China	Grace Li [31]	19	Taipei
Rhodesia and Nyasaland	Angela Moorcroft [32]	19	Salisbury
South Africa	Yvonne Hulley	19	Overberg
South Korea [b]	Hyun Chang-ae [33]	19	Seoul
Spain	Carmen Cervera [34]	18	Barcelona
Suriname	Kitty Essed [35]	18	Paramaribo
Sweden	Ingrid Lundquist	21	-
Turkey	Güler Samuray [36]	20	Istanbul
United Kingdom	Rosemarie Frankland [37]	18	Lancashire
United States	Jo Ann Odum [38]	19	Huntington
Uruguay	Roma Spadaccini Aguerre	25	Montevideo
Venezuela	Bexy Romero	18	Caracas
West Germany	Romy März [39]	20	Munich

Notes

1. Ages at the time in the pageant
2. Competed as Korea in the pageant

References

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2. "Miss U.K. wins title in Miss World contest". The Singapore Free Press. 10 November 1961. p. 1. Retrieved 11 April 2025– via National Library Board.
3. "Miss United Kingdom is winner of Miss World title". The Daily News. 10 November 1961. p. 2. Retrieved 11 March 2025– via Newspapers.com.
4. "She's chosen, feathers fly". Press and Sun-Bulletin. 10 November 1961. p. 1. Retrieved 11 March 2025– via Newspapers.com.
5. Davies, Lizzy (15 February 2009). "Miss France's iron lady goes to court over winner's allegations of 'topless exploitation'". The Observer. ISSN   0029-7712 . Retrieved 11 April 2025– via The Guardian.
6. Mathieu, Clement (4 December 2022). "Miss France 1961 : "Son bébé lui a coûté sa couronne"". Paris Match (in French). Retrieved 11 March 2025.
7. "FRANKRIJK heeft een nieuwe schoonheidskoningin 1961" [FRANCE had to choose a new beauty queen in 1961]. Het Parool (in Dutch). 8 February 1961. p. 5. Retrieved 11 April 2025– via Delpher.
8. "Oud-leerlinge AKI Enschede werd miss-Holland 1961 Anne Marie Brink leest graag" [Former student AKI Enschede became Miss Holland 1961 Anne Marie Brink likes to read]. Twentsch dagblad Tubantia (in Dutch). 18 May 1961. p. 27. Retrieved 11 March 2025– via Delpher.
9. "Nederlandse schone naar Miss World verkiezing" [Dutch beauty to Miss World pageant]. De waarheid (in Dutch). 3 November 1961. p. 39. Retrieved 24 March 2025– via Delpher.
10. "60 ans de Miss Tahiti : (re)découvrez toutes les lauréates du concours". Polynésie la 1ère (in French). 27 April 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
11. "Romance Rankles Chaperone; Sends Beauty Home". Jet. Chicago, Illinois: Johnson Publishing Co. Inc. 16 November 1961. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
12. Thomas, Marcia (7 January 2020). "Jamaica at Miss World: A 60-year success story". The Gleaner. Retrieved 11 March 2025– via PressReader.
13. "Miss World". "Nieuw Suriname (in Dutch). 10 November 1961. p. 4. Retrieved 11 April 2025– via Delpher.
14. "Lacrime e litigi fra le "superbelle per la scelta di "Miss Mondo 1961" [Tears and quarrels between the "super-beauties" for the choice of "Miss World 1961]. La Stampa (in Italian). 10 November 1961. p. 3. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
15. "Stasera nel salone del "Lyceum", il comico Bob Hope incorona la prescelta" [Tonight in the Lyceum hall, comedian Bob Hope crowns the chosen one]. La Stampa (in Italian). 9 November 1961. p. 4. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
16. "«Miss Mondo» è un'inglese di 18 anni fa l'indossatrice ed aspira al cinema" ["Miss World" is an 18-year-old Englishwoman, works as a model and aspires to a film career]. La Stampa (in Italian). 10 November 1961. p. 3. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
17. "37 beauties prepare for Miss World contest". The Daily News. 9 November 1961. p. 1. Retrieved 11 April 2025– via Newspapers.com.
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19. "Erelijst Miss België". De Morgen (in Dutch). 11 January 2010. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
20. ""Miss" Minas Gerais e a nova "Miss" Brasil". Jornal do Brasil (in Portuguese). 19 June 1961. p. 1. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
21. "La chioma di Miss Ceylon" [Miss Ceylon's hair]. La Stampa (in Italian). 8 November 1961. p. 3. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
22. "Candidale ai massimi titoli di bellezza" [Nominee for top beauty titles]. La Stampa (in Italian). 1 July 1961. p. 5. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
23. Lehtikanto, Katariina (29 December 2020). "Kun kuvankaunis Ritva pyrki lentoemännäksi vuonna 1963, raati mietti pitkään, kelpaako hän työhön". Iltalehti (in Finnish). Retrieved 11 April 2025.
24. "Qui a falsifié l'acte de candidature de Mlle Auger au titre de miss France 1961 ?". Le Monde (in French). 18 March 1967. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
25. "Preoccupati gli organizzatori del concorso per "Miss Mondo,," [The organizers of the contest for "Miss World" are concerned]. La Stampa (in Italian). 6 November 1961. p. 11. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
26. "Miss Holland nummer vier, Rita van Zuiden, is gisteravond van Schip- hol naar Londen vertrokken voor de verkiezing van Miss World" [Miss Holland number four, Rita van Zuiden, left Schiphol for London last night for the Miss World pageant.]. Leeuwarder courant (in Dutch). 4 November 1961. p. 1. Retrieved 11 April 2025– via Delpher.
27. "... Tomorrow the World". Daily News. 9 November 1961. p. 684. Retrieved 11 April 2025– via Newspapers.com.
28. "Model Olive White Marries". RTÉ Archives. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
29. Balzarotti, Leda (7 September 2016). "Miss Italia: tutte le reginette dal 1939 a oggi". IO Donna (in Italian). Retrieved 11 April 2025.
30. "Queenly trio". The Windsor Star. 26 June 1961. p. 39. Retrieved 11 April 2025– via Google Books.
31. "Grace takes No. 2 place". The Straits Times. 11 November 1961. p. 3. Retrieved 11 April 2025– via National Library Board.
32. "On This Day In Photos – Rhodesia In Crisis: Ian Smith Issues A Unilateral Declaration of Independence |". Flashbak. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
33. "Three hope to be Miss World". The Straits Times. 7 November 1961. p. 20. Retrieved 11 April 2025– via National Library Board.
34. De los Rios, Elena (21 June 2021). "Miss España a los 18, viuda a los 30, madre soltera a los 37 y baronesa Thyssen a los 42: así pasó Carmen Cervera de los concursos de belleza a convertirse en la mujer más poderosa (y rica) del arte en España". Mujer Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 April 2025.
35. "Ook Surinaamse naar Miss World-verkiezing" [Also Surinamese to Miss World pageant]. Leeuwarder courant (in Dutch). 3 November 1961. p. 15. Retrieved 11 April 2025– via Delpher.
36. Tarihi, Güncelleme (4 May 2020). "Güzeller canlı yayında buluştu" [Beauties met on live broadcast]. Hürriyet (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 2 January 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
37. "Untitled". The Vancouver Sun. 22 September 1961. p. 16. Retrieved 11 April 2025– via Newspapers.com.
38. "Miss U.S.A. is Southern Brunette, 19". The Spokesman-Review. 28 August 1961. p. 3. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
39. ""Miss Mondo" sarà eletta domani" ["Miss World" will be elected tomorrow]. La Stampa (in Italian). 8 November 1961. p. 5. Retrieved 11 April 2025– via Delpher.

External links

• Miss World official website