Miss Universe 1966
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Miss Universe 1966 | |
|---|---|
 Margareta Arvidsson | |
| Date | 16 July 1966 |
| Presenters | |
| Venue | Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, United States |
| Broadcaster | |
| Entrants | 58 |
| Placements | 15 |
| Debuts |
|
| Withdrawals |
|
| Returns |
|
| Winner | Margareta Arvidsson Sweden |
| Congeniality | Elizabeth Sanchez (Curaçao) Paquita Torres (Spain)[1] |
| Best National Costume | Aviva Israeli (Israel) |
| Photogenic | Margareta Arvidsson (Sweden) |
Miss Universe 1966 was the 15th Miss Universe pageant, held at the Miami Beach Auditorium in Miami Beach, Florida, the United States, on 16 July 1966.
At the conclusion of the event, Apasra Hongsakula of Thailand crowned Margareta Arvidsson of Sweden as Miss Universe 1966. It is the second victory of Sweden in the history of the pageant.
Contestants from fifty-eight countries and territories competed in this edition. The pageant was hosted by Jack Linkletter, while Pat Boone and June Lockhart served as backstage correspondents.[2] This edition of Miss Universe is the first to be broadcast in color.[3]
Selection of participants
Contestants from fifty-eight countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. One candidate was appointed to represent her country to replace the original dethroned winner.
Replacements
Miss Dominion of Canada 1966, Diane Coulter, withdrew for health concerns and was replaced by her first runner-up, Marjorie Schofield.[4]
Debuts, returns, and withdrawals
This edition saw the debut of Guam, and the returns of Lebanon and Singapore which last competed in 1962; Morocco in 1963; and Argentina, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago in 1964.[5][6]
Moomba Queen 1966, Erica McMillan, was scheduled to compete as the Australian representative but died in a car accident. No one was sent as a replacement, forcing the country to withdraw.[7][8] Miss Tunisia, Zeineb Lamine, and Miss Uruguay, Susana Regeden, both withdrew for undisclosed reasons. Hong Kong, Mexico, and Portugal withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.
Miss Honduras 1966, Danira Miralda Buines, and Miss Saint Vincent 1966, Anna Ellis, both withdrew for undisclosed reasons.[9][10]
Results
Placements
| Placement | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Miss Universe 1966 |
|
| 1st Runner-Up |
|
| 2nd Runner-Up |
|
| 3rd Runner-Up |
|
| 4th Runner-Up |
|
| Top 15[12] |
|
Special awards
| Award | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Miss Amity[1] |
|
| Miss Photogenic |
|
| Best National Costume |
|
Pageant
Format
Miss Universe has made several changes to the competition format. Starting with this edition, instead of revealing the 15 semifinalists during the preliminary competition, they were called one by one at the final competition, in no particular order.[12] After announcing their countries, the semifinalists were individually interviewed by Jack Linkletter. Following the interviews, the 15 semifinalists participated in the swimsuit and evening gown competitions. From fifteen, five contestants were shortlisted to advance to the final interview.[12]
Selection committee
- Sigvard Bernadotte – Swedish prince and designer
- Count Jean de Beaumont – French art critic
- Anthony Delano – Foreign correspondent of the Daily Mirror
- Philippe Halsman – American portrait photographer
- Dong Kingman – Chinese-American painter[14]
- Armi Kuusela-Hilario – Miss Universe 1952 from Finland
- Eartha Kitt – American singer and actress[15]
- Sukich Nimmanheminda – Former Ambassador of Thailand to the United States
- Akira Takarada – Japanese actor
- Earl Wilson – American columnist and journalist[16]
Contestants
Fifty-eight contestants competed for the title.[17]
