EL SALVADOR became the first Central American nation to host the Miss Universe pageant. Bob Barker introduced President Molina as the first head of state to ever attend the Universal event. The gargantuan Gimnasio Nacional in the capital city of San Salvador was the venue in which the telecast kicked off with the Parade of Nations. This was the very last year in which the semi-finalists competing during the live telecast were announced wearing their cumbersome national costumes. The tradition of conducting the semi-final interviews took its final bow in this twenty-fourth edition of the pageant. How can you take a contestant seriously if she is still wearing a piñata on her head?

      Miss Finland promoted her country as a land of lakes. Miss Colombia was sister to a foster child. Miss England was asked by Bob Barker if she actually spoke English. Miss Israel was a soldier in the Israeli army. Miss Brazil took ballet and piano lessons. Miss USA had sold five-dollar kisses for charity. Miss Sweden's goal was to study medicine in the United States. Miss Ireland gabbed about the Irish "gift of the gab". Miss Japan replied 'yes' to all of Barker's questions. Miss Philippines had been an usherette at the previous pageant in Manila. Miss El Salvador gave a speech in both Spanish and English. And Miss Haiti discussed Haitian folklore and superstitions.

      The musical number featured all of the seventy-one delegates in brightly-colored native Salvadoran dress singing "Everybody Loves Saturday Night" in English, Spanish, German, French, and Japanese! Evening gowns in the 1970s were rather loose and not very distinctive, but colors ranged from riotous magenta (Philippines) and salmon (USA) to calm and serene off-white (Finland, Sweden). Miss Haiti was daring by sporting a white feather boa around her neck. The five finalists participate in a tedious session of questions and answers. The four runners-up were announced: the Philippines, Sweden, USA, and Haiti. Miss Finland, Anne-Marie Pohtamo, was named Miss Universe 1975.

      Since the reigning Miss Universe (Amparo Muñoz of Spain) was dropped from the Universal sisterhood, there was no incumbent queen to perform the all-important task of crowning her successor. The crowning formalities were stretched to the maximum for this reason. Two former Miss El Salvador titleholders (bearing the Universal crown and sash on cushions) approached Pohtamo so that Miss Universe 1972 Kerry Anne Wells of Australia could physically place the crown on the new queen's head. Kerry also read the Miss Universe Creed during Pohtamo's victory walk. The four runners-up were seated on lesser thrones as the new queen was led to the high throne on Bob Barker's arm. In absentia, Miss Universe 1973 Margarita Moran of the Philippines presents a gift of jewelry housed in a box topped with a chubby doll dressed as a coffee plantation worker.

      1975 is also the last year we see a Universal scepter accorded the winner. I will take this opportunity to mention the various styles of scepters used while the Universal tiara remained the "Big Crown" we came to revere (1963-2001). Corinna Tsopei's scepter resembled a giant honey-pot ladle, though cute. Gloria Diaz was presented with a scepter depicting a quill or an ostrich feather. Georgina Rizk won a scepter rod topped with a circular "crown". Margarita Moran's scepter was capped with a flowering "rose." Anne Marie Pohtamo clutched a wand crowned with a glittering "snowflake" - very appropriate for a Finnish finish at the 1975 coronation.

by Juan Prado

The 12 Semi-finalists

• ANNE MARIE POHTAMO, Finland
• GERTHIE DAVID, Haiti
• SUMMER BARTHOLOMEW, USA
• CATHARINA SJODAHL, Sweden
• ROSEMARIE BROSAS, Philippines
• INGRID BUDAG, Brazil
• SACHIKO NAKAYAMA, Japan
• MARTHA ECHEVERRY, Colombia
• CARMEN FIGUEROA, El Salvador
• VICKI HARRIS, England
• JULIE FARNHAM, Ireland
• ORIT COOPER, Israel

Photo courtesy of The Miss Universe Organization

Text by Rafael Robert Delfin.

---

2006 CRITICAL BEAUTY. All rights reserved.