Miss World 1967
- an amalgam of news reports -

Madeline Hartog-Bel, the 21-year-old daughter of a Peruvian cattle rancher, won the Miss World contest.  Judges handed her a check for $7,000, a big trophy and carte blanche to travel far and wide as “the most beautiful woman in the world.”

Miss Peru was chosen from a field of 54 candidates in the 17th annual contest, a pageant that draws girls from almost every part of the globe

Her vital statistics caught the eyes of the judges.  She stands 5-6, measures 35-23-35, has raven-black hair and works as a photographer’s model.  One of her five sisters was named “The Perfect Secretary of Peru” last year.

She fainted seconds before coming on stage to be crowned Miss World 1967 and had to be revived with smelling salts.

Miss Peru confounded British bookies by leading a Latin American sweep of the top three places in the beauty contest.  The bookmakers favoured European and South African beauties and will have to pay 10-1 odds for guessing wrong.

Miss Argentina, 20-year-old law student Maria Sabaliauskas, came second.

Third was Miss Guyana, stenographer Shakira Baksh, 20, who last week confidently predicted she would get a place in the contest.  A linguist, she wants to be an international interpreter.

The strain of the contest was apparently too much for Miss Hartog-Bel.  She was on the verge of tears at the crowning ceremony.  She shook almost uncontrollably as judges placed the crown on her head and draped the cape of her title over her shoulders.

An estimated 25 million viewers - half of Britain’s population - saw her triumph on television.

Miss Guyana and Miss Argentina, almost in tears, fled from the stage immediately the crowning was over.

All Miss Hartog-Bel wanted after her victory was to make a telephone call to her family in Peru.  But it took hours to get her request as contest officials rushed her from one news to another and finally to the Miss World victory celebration hall.

She could think of nothing but home, even after a newsman placed the call and she talked to her family.

Asked if she wanted to entertain American troops  in Vietnam at Christmas with Bob Hope, she understood only Christmas and bubbled:

 “Yes, yes, I will spend Christmas with my mother and father.”

The $7,000 prize money, she said, would be sent home to her parents except for enough to “buy back my car.”  She sold the auto to pay for her trip to the contest.

Interviewed on nation-wide television later Miss Hartog-Bel said she couldn’t believe she had won the world-wide contest when she heard the result.

The Spanish-speaking beauty, who lives in Paris, said through an interpreter “goodnight to all England.”

‘I feel more English than ever because I too have English ancestors.”

Big surprise of the contest was the elimination of strongly favoured South African secretary Disa Duivenstein in the second eliminating round.

MISS WORLD 1967

1967 November 16
London, England
55 entries