Miss Universe 1975 was the 24th Miss Universe pageant, held at the National Gymnasium in San Salvador, El Salvador, on 19 July 1975.
At the conclusion of the event, Miss Universe 1972, Kerry Anne Wells of Australia crowned Anne Pohtamo of Finland as Miss Universe 1975. The previous winner, Amparo Muñoz of Spain, did not attend the pageant after she resigned the previous year.
Contestants from seventy-one countries and territories participated in this year's pageant. The pageant was hosted by Bob Barker in his ninth consecutive year, while Helen O'Connell provided commentary and analysis throughout the event.
Background
Location and date On 3 August 1971, the Miss Universe Organization and the Government Economic Development Administrator of Puerto Rico signed a contract to bring Miss Universe and Miss USA to San Juan from 1972 to 1976. However, the Puerto Rican government canceled the agreement in February 1973 because, according to Puerto Rican government officials, the agreement was allegedly illegal. On 31 December 1974, Miss Universe Inc. president Harold Glasser announced that the Miss Universe 1975 pageant would be held in San Salvador, El Salvador on 19 July 1975.
On the day of the competition, several groups of armed soldiers with submachine guns surrounded the competition site to stop student demonstrations protesting the El Salvadoran government's spending of $1 million on the competition. Hours before the competition, a bomb exploded in the center of San Salvador in protest against the Miss Universe pageant, injuring a civilian, and damaging the National Tourist Office of El Salvador, which organized the pageant.
A week after the competition, protests broke out in the cities of Santa Ana and San Salvador, resulting in the 1975 Salvadoran student massacre. According to the military government of El Salvador, one person was killed, five were injured, and eleven were imprisoned, while according to students who participated in the protests, approximately twelve people were killed, twenty were injured, and forty were imprisoned.
Selection of participants Contestants from seventy-one countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. Two candidates were selected to replace the original dethroned winner.
Replacements Miss Spain 1974 first runner-up, Consuelo Martin, was appointed as the candidate of Spain after Miss Spain 1974, Natividad Rodriguez, relinquished her title after joining Miss World. Miss Thailand Universe 1975 third runner-up, Wanlaya Thonawanik, was appointed as the representative of Thailand after Miss Thailand Universe 1975, Sirikwan Nantasiri, chose to pursue her film career.
Debuts, returns, and, withdrawals This edition saw the debuts of American Samoa, Belize, Mauritius, and Micronesia, and the returns of Guatemala which last competed in 1961; Morocco which last competed in 1966; Haiti and South Africa which last competed in 1968; Ecuador and Peru which last competed in 1972; and Denmark which last competed in 1973.
Mavis Slengard of Suriname withdrew because she was ill. Cyprus, Honduras, Portugal, and Senegal withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate. Eva Arni of Papua New Guinea withdrew after winning an international pageant. Arni competed in the following year.
Results
Placements Placement Contestant Miss Universe 1975 – Anne Marie Pohtamo 1st Runner-Up – Gerthie David 2nd Runner-Up – Summer Bartholomew 3rd Runner-Up – Catharina Sjödahl 4th Runner-Up – Rose Marie Brosas Top 12 – Ingrid Budag – Martha Lucia Echeverri – Carmen Figueroa – Vicki Harris – Julie Farnham – Orit Cooper – Sachiko Nakayama
Special awards Award Contestant Miss Photogenic – Martha Lucia Echeverri – Summer BartholomewMiss Congeniality – Christine JacksonBest National Costume – Emy Abascal
Pageant
Format Same with 1971, twelve semi-finalists were chosen at the preliminary competition that consists of the swimsuit and evening gown competition. The twelve semi-finalists participated in the casual interview, swimsuit, and evening gown competitions. From twelve, five finalists were shortlisted to advance to the final interview.
Selection committee
Maribel Arrieta – Miss El Salvador 1955, first runner-up at Miss Universe 1955 Ernest Borgnine – American actor Aline Griffith, Countess of Romanones – American-born Spanish aristocrat and socialite Kiyoshi Hara – President of the Asahi Broadcasting Corporation in Japan Jean Claude Killy – French alpine skier Peter Lawford – British actor Max Lerner – American journalist and educator Susan Strasberg – American actress and author Leon Uris – American author Sarah Vaughan – American jazz singer and pianist Luz Marina Zuluaga – Miss Universe 1958 from Colombia
Contestants Seventy-one contestants competed for the title. Country/Territory Contestant Age Hometown Darlene Schwenke 18Pago-Pago Rosa Del Valle 19Tucumán Martica Brown 21San Nicolaas Jennifer Matthews 20Pymble Rosemarie Holzschuh 21Vienna Sonia Chipman 18Nassau Christine Delmelle18Liège Lisa Longsworth17Belmopan Donna Wright22St. David's Jacqueline Gamarra19Cochabamba Ingrid Budag18 Blumenau Sandra Campbell23Leamington Raquel Argandoña17Santiago Martha Lucia Echeverri18 Tuluá Maria de Los Angeles Picado18San José Jasmin Fraites 19Willemstad Berit Fredriksen20Stevns Milvia Troncoso 18Santiago de los Caballeros Ana Maria Wray18Guayaquil Carmen Figueroa20 San Salvador Vicki Harris22 London Anne Marie Pohtamo19 Helsinki Sophie Perin18Talange Afroditi Katsouli19Athens Deborah Naqui22Hagåtña Emy Abascal22Guatemala City Gerthie David21 Port-au-Prince Linda Snippe17Amsterdam Mary Cheung22Hong Kong Helga Jonsdottir22Reykjavík Meenakshi Kurpad21Bangalore Lydia Arlini Wahab22Jakarta Julie Farnham18 Dublin Orit Cooper18 Tel Aviv Diana Salvador 22Udine Gillian King17Kingston Sachiko Nakayama19 Hokkaido Suad Nachoul 19Beirut Aurelia Sancho20Monrovia Marie Therese Manderschied19Tétange Alice Cheong20Kuala Lumpur Frances Ciantar 20Valletta Nirmala Sohun 19Port Louis Delia Servin18Sinaloa Elena Tomokane19Saipan Salhi Badia19Rabat Barbara Kirkley20Auckland Alda Sanchez20Managua Anina Horta19Panama City Susana Viré18Asuncion Olga Berninzon17Lima Rose Marie Brosas18 Manila Lorell Carmona 18San Germán Mary Kirkwood19Glasgow Sally Tan20Singapore Gail Anthony17Cape Town Young-ok Seo18Daegu Consuelo Martin18Canary Islands Shyama Algama20Colombo Catharina Sjödahl 17 Örebro Beatrice Aschwanden21Zürich Wanlaya Thonawanik23Bangkok Christine Jackson 23Tunapuna–Piarco Sezin Topçuoğlu 18Istanbul Summer Bartholomew23 Merced Julia Wallace18Saint Croix Evelyn Rodriguez23Montevideo Maritza Pineda19Caracas Georgina Kerler18Cardiff Sigrid Klose21Saarland Lidija Manić 22Belgrade
Notes
References
External links
Miss Universe official website