When Manila hosted Miss Universe ‘74 20th Year Special (First of four stories)

This merry month of May, Remember When? marks its 20th year. Indeed, how time flies. It seems not too long ago when Ricky Lo asked me, who’s not really a journalist, to write a nostalgic Sunday column to be called Remember When? That way, Ricky explained, I would be sharing my movie memorabilia with Philippine STAR readers. In my collections are photos of stars and other celebrities and movie ads, mostly but not exclusively local.

I’m happy to say that the feedback was right away tremendous and favorable. Through the years, friends and strangers alike, tell me they look forward to this column. Understandably, most of my readers are in their 50s and beyond, but it has its fair share of young followers.

With my editor’s indulgence, I am calling the four pieces (starting with this one and those in the next three Sundays in May) Remember When?’s 20th Year Special, kicked off by fond remembrances of the year 1974 when the Philippines hosted the Miss Universe pageant at the newly-built Folk Arts Theater.

I remember rising very early in the morning (Sunday) of July 21 as the invitation said guests should be seated before 9 a.m. My mother (Soledad) and sister (Fe) were being serviced by make-up artists and hair stylists at home.

Dress code was long gown for the ladies and barong for the gentlemen.

The pageant was set early-morning of Sunday so that it would be aired Saturday evening in New York for the benefit of the American audience.

At exactly 9 a.m., the parade of nations started. Early crowd favorites were Miss Puerto Rico (Sonia Stege), Miss Aruba (Maureen Ava Vieira), Miss Spain (Amparo Muñoz). My own bet was Miss Paraguay (Maria Angela Medina), who reminded me of Jackie Kennedy.

Emcees were Bob Barker and Helen O’Connell.

The international board of judges included Spanish flamenco dancer Jose Graco, American singer Leslie Uggams and our very own Foreign Minister Carlos P. Romulo.

After almost four hours, the winners were chosen: Miss Aruba Maureen Ava Vieira (fourth runner-up), Miss Finland Johanna Raunio (third), Miss Colombia Ella Cecilia Escandon (second), Miss Wales Helen Morgan (first) and Miss Spain Amparo Muñoz (Miss Universe).

Margie Moran, the outgoing Miss Universe ’73, crowned Señorita Muñoz.

The Philippine delegate was Guadalupe Sanchez, who made it to the semi-finals.

The Miss Universe delegates were billeted at the Philippine Village Hotel, newly built like Folk Arts Theater. Then one of the hotel’s biggest attractions was Ricky Belmonte, singing with Danny Cruz’s 747 Band at Par Avion.

The contest was spiced by comic relief during the preliminaries and the coronation night. Miss Surinam (Bernadette Werners) had uncontrollable fits of laughter, amusing the audience (live and on TV) no end. Miss Senegal (Thioro Tiam) was “Miss Generous,” giving gifts to her surprised but please co-delegates.

The four winners came back to the Philippines to make moview: Miss Aruba, Miss Wales, Miss Finland and the winer Miss Spain. Miss Aruba stayed the longest as she married the scion of the Ysmael family. But the marriage didn’t last long. Señorita Muñoz, starred opposite Miss Universe ’69 Gloria Diaz in Hayop sa Ganda. But she ended up quarelling with her producer.

Señorita Muñoz failed to crown her successor as her life ended tragically. But that is another story.