1973
Home Up 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Lists A to F Lists G to O Lists P to Z

   

   

Bottom  Africa South, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Bermuda, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Finland, France & Gibraltar

Middle  Greece, Guam, Holland, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius & New Zealand

Top  Norway, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, U.S.A., Venezuela & Yugoslavia

Absent  Mexico

 

Miss World 1973
- an amalgam of news reports -

For the first time in 22 years a United States girl has won the Miss World crown in competitions conducted in London.

Blonde Marjorie Wallace, 19, of Indianapolis, seemed shaky but kept a bright smile on her face as she sat in the throne, accepted the orb of office from the white-wigged attendant and acknowledged the applause of the crowd at the Royal Albert Hall.

Tears glistened in Miss Wallace’s brown eyes as Belinda Green of Australia, last year’s winner, placed the crown on her head.

Marjorie Wallace thought her legs were too short to win but her mother was more optimistic.  She bet $50 that her 19-year-old daughter would become the first American Miss World in the contest’s 22-year history.

At 12-1 odds Mrs. Wallace is $600 richer today and her blonde brown-eyed daughter is the 1973 Miss World after having defeated contestants from 53 other countries Friday night.

“I’m sure pleased with my baby,” said Mrs. Alice Wallace, who along with her daughter lives in Indianapolis, Ind.

Miss Wallace, a 5-foot-7 fashion model who measures 35-24-35 and tips the scales at 112 pounds, was selected from an over-all field of 54 girls from various countries which was narrowed down to seven finalists.

“It’s unbelievable, it’s marvelous,” she said after being crowned before some 3,500 spectators and a television audience estimated at more than 30 million.  “Listen, I want to go and phone my boy friend with the good news.”

The boy friend she said is millionaire racing driver Peter Revson.  “We are not engaged,” she said, “but Peter is my steady.  I have no intention of marrying just yet and I bet a year as Miss World might test our relationship to the full.”

Her boyfriend “doesn’t mind my being a beauty queen - he thinks it’s great,” she said.

The victory brought Miss Wallace a cash prize of $7,200.  And Mecca Limited, the dance hall chain that organizes the beauty contest, guarantees another $25,000 in earnings over the year.  A hard-working queen can earn as much as $100,000, an official said.

The runner-up was Miss Philippines, 18-year-old Evangeline Pascual.  She said she wants to be a painter but in the meantime is studying karate “to fight off unwanted wolves.”

In third place is Miss Jamaica, 21-year-old salesgirl Patricia Yuen.  Miss Israel, 18-year-old Haya Katzir, was fourth and Miss South Africa, Shelley Latham, was fifth.

The other two finalists were Miss Dominican Republic, Clariza Duarte, 18, and Miss United Kingdom, Veronica Cross, 24.

Mecca Limited, the dance hall chain that has organized the contest since it began in 1950, imposed a security clamp-down to avoid disturbances which marred previous competitions. 


Mexico, U.S.A., South Africa & Norway


Israel

Jamaica

U.S.A.

Venezuela

The judges made their final rankings of the seven finalists by assessing each one's personality, stage presence and the ability to speak before an audience.

The Majority Vote System determined the final rankings of the seven finalists.  Odd numbers of judges were always used, to prevent ties from occurring.  Chairman of the judges in 1973 was Peter Dimmock, Head of BBC Outside Broadcasts.

Marjorie Wallace was fired on March 8, 1974, because she had failed to live up to the "first-class public image" of the position.  However, she is still the official titleholder, as the Miss World title was not offered to the runners-up.

 

1973 November 23
London, England
54 entries

Results
1  U.S.A.  Marjorie "Marji" Wallace
2  Philippines  Evangeline Luis Pascual
3  Jamaica  Patricia "Patsy" Teresa Yuen Leung
4  Israel  Chaja Katzir
5  South Africa  Shelley Latham

Finalists
6  Dominican Republic  Clariza Ana Duarte Garrido
7  United Kingdom  Veronica Ann Cross

Semi-finalists
Africa South  Ellen Peters
Brazil  Florence Gambogi Alvarenga
Greece  Katerina Papadimitriou
Holland  Anna Maria Groot
Italy  Marva Bartolucci
Lebanon  Sylva Ohannesian
New Zealand  Pamela King
Seychelles  June Gouthier

Remainder
Argentina  Beatriz Callejón
Aruba  Edwina Diaz
Australia  Virginia Radinas
Austria  Roswitha Kobald
Bahamas  Deborah Louise Isaacs
Belgium  Christiane Devisch
Bermuda  Judy Joy Richards
Botswana  Priscilla Molefe
Canada  Deborah Anne Ducharme
Colombia  Elsa María Springtube Ramírez 
Cyprus  Demetra Heraklidou
Finland  Seija Mäkinen
France  Isabelle Nadia Krumacker
Gibraltar  Josephine Rodríguez
Guam  Shirley Ann Brennan
Honduras  Belinda Handal
Hong Kong  Judy Yung Chu-Dic
Iceland  Nina Breidfjord
Ireland  Yvonne Costelloe
Japan  Keiko Matsunaga
Korea  An Soon-young
Luxembourg  Giselle Anita Nicole Azzeri
Malaysia  Narimah Mohd Yusoff
Malta  Carmen Farrugia
Mauritius  Daisy Ombrasine
Mexico  Roxana Villares Moreno
Norway  Wenche Steen
Peru  Mary Núñez
Portugal  Maria Helena Pereira Martins
Puerto Rico  Milagros García
Singapore  Debra Josephine de Souza
Spain  Mariona Rosell 
Sri Lanka  Shiranthi Wickremesinghe
Sweden  Mercy Nilsson
Switzerland  Magda Lepori
Thailand  Pornpit Sakornujiara
Turkey  Beyhan Kiral
Venezuela  Edicta de los Angeles García Oporto
Yugoslavia  Atina Golubova

Awards
Miss Personality  Seychelles
Miss Photogenic  Holland

Did not compete
Costa Rica  Rossy Mora Badilla


Turkey & Eric Morley


South Africa (4th runner-up), Jamaica (2nd runner-up), U.S.A. (winner), Philippines (1st runner-up) & Israel (3rd runner-up)

Cross-references to some of the other pageants

Austria  Universe 1973 & Europe 1973
Belgium
 Universe 1973 & Europe 1973 (3rd runner-up)
Bermuda 
Universe 1973
Canada 
Universe 1973
Colombia  Coffee 1973 & Ambar 1977 (semi-finalist)
France
 Universe 1973 & International 1975 (semi-finalist & Miss Photogenic)
Greece
  Europe 1974
Holland
  Europe 1973 (winner)
Iceland
  Scandinavia 1974
Ireland
 Europe 1974, Universe 1974 & International 1974
Luxembourg
 Young International 1973, International 1973 & Universe 1974

Mexico
  Universe 1973
New Zealand  Universe 1973
Norway
  Young International 1970, Charming 1972 (winner) & unofficial Europe 1974 (winner)
Singapore
  Universe 1973, Asia-Pacific 1974 (4th runner-up) & Queen of the Pacific 1975
Spain  Young International 1974
Sri Lanka
  Universe 1973
United Kingdom  Universe-England 1973