Miss Universe 1977
Encyclopedia
Miss Universe 1977, the 26th annual Miss Universe
pageant was held at the National Theater, in Santo Domingo
, Dominican Republic
on July 16, 1977. 24-year-old Janelle Commissiong
earned Trinidad & Tobago its first Miss Universe crown as well as becoming the first black woman to win the title. The Miss Universe Pageant was held in the Dominican Republic in 1977 in order to promote tourism to the island.
Miss Universe was then owned by Gulf+Western
Industries, an American conglomerate which had large investments in the Dominican Republic, including The Central Romana sugar mill, the Casa de Campo
resort, free trade zone, and Consolidated Cigars among others.
The late Charles Bluhdorn
, G+W's chairman, was involved in several big projects for the Dominican Republic, a country he loved very much. He was also involved in many future projects related to the country, specifically Altos de Chavón
an artists' village located within the Casa de Campo
complex.
Holding Miss Universe, with an estimated 200 million viewers, was the perfect vehicle for boosting the Dominican tourist sector.
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
pageant was held at the National Theater, in Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
, Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
on July 16, 1977. 24-year-old Janelle Commissiong
Janelle Commissiong
Janelle Commissiong was born in Trinidad and Tobago. Commissiong migrated to the United States at the age of 13, and returned to Trinidad and Tobago ten years later...
earned Trinidad & Tobago its first Miss Universe crown as well as becoming the first black woman to win the title. The Miss Universe Pageant was held in the Dominican Republic in 1977 in order to promote tourism to the island.
Miss Universe was then owned by Gulf+Western
Gulf+Western
Gulf and Western Industries, Inc., for a number of years known as Gulf+Western, was an American conglomerate.- History :Gulf and Western's prosaic origins date to a manufacturer named Michigan Bumper Co. founded in 1934, though Charles Bluhdorn treated his 1958 takeover of what was then Michigan...
Industries, an American conglomerate which had large investments in the Dominican Republic, including The Central Romana sugar mill, the Casa de Campo
Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic
In 1975 Gulf+Western developed of its Central Romana sugar mill's land into the Casa de Campo resort. Situated in La Romana on the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic, Casa de Campo is a Ponderosa-style, tropical seaside resort.The first to enjoy the luxuries of this enclave were friends of...
resort, free trade zone, and Consolidated Cigars among others.
The late Charles Bluhdorn
Charles Bluhdorn
Charles Blühdorn was a Vienna, Austria-born American industrialist.-Biography:Per a Who's Who in Ridgefield he was considered such a "hellion" that his father sent the 11-year-old to an English boarding school for disciplining...
, G+W's chairman, was involved in several big projects for the Dominican Republic, a country he loved very much. He was also involved in many future projects related to the country, specifically Altos de Chavón
Altos de Chavón
The biggest attraction in La Romana, Dominican Republic, is Altos de Chavón, a re-creation of a medieval European village conceived from the imagination of Roberto Copa, a former Paramount Studios set designer, and Charles Bluhdorn....
an artists' village located within the Casa de Campo
Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic
In 1975 Gulf+Western developed of its Central Romana sugar mill's land into the Casa de Campo resort. Situated in La Romana on the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic, Casa de Campo is a Ponderosa-style, tropical seaside resort.The first to enjoy the luxuries of this enclave were friends of...
complex.
Holding Miss Universe, with an estimated 200 million viewers, was the perfect vehicle for boosting the Dominican tourist sector.
Placements
| Final results | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Miss Universe 1977 |
|
| 1st runner-up |
 Austria - Eva Maria Düringer |
| 2nd runner-up |
 Kingdom of Scotland - Sandra Bell |
| 3rd runner-up |
 Colombia - Aura María Mojica Salcedo |
| 4th runner-up |
 Germany - Marie-Luise Gassen |
| Top 12 |
 Argentina - Maritza Elizabet Jurado Dominican Republic - Blanca Aurora Sardiñas Nicaragua - Beatriz Obregón Lacayo Spain - Luz María Polegre Hernández United States - Kimberly TomesKimberly Tomes Kimberly Louise Tomes is a beauty queen from Texas who has held Miss USA title.Tomes won the Miss Texas USA title in 1976, and later represented Texas in the Miss USA 1977 pageant held in Charleston, South Carolina. In the nationally televised pageant, Tomes won the Miss USA title, becoming the...  Venezuela - Cristal MontañezCristal Montañez Cristal del Mar Montañez Arocha is a pageant titleholder, was born in Caracas, Venezuela on February 8, 1960. She is the Miss Venezuela titleholder for 1977, and was the official representative of Venezuela to the Miss Universe 1977 pageant held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on July 16,... |
Special Awards
| Award | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Best National Costume |
|
| Miss Congeniality |
 Canada - Pamela Mercer |
| Miss Photogenic |
Janelle Commissiong Janelle Commissiong was born in Trinidad and Tobago. Commissiong migrated to the United States at the age of 13, and returned to Trinidad and Tobago ten years later... |
Contestants
- ' - Sheryl Ann Gibbons
- Argentina – Maritza Elizabet Jurado
Aruba – Margareth Eldrid Oduber
Australia – Jill Maree Minaham- Austria - Eva Maria Duringer
The Bahamas - Paulette Rosetta Ogylvie Borghardt
Barbados - Margaret Sonia Rouse
Belgium - Claudine Marie Vasseur
Belize - Dora Maria Phillips
Bermuda - Connie Marie Frith
Bolivia - Liliana Gutiérrez Paz
Brazil - Cássia Janys Moraes Silveira
British Virgin Islands - Andria Dolores Norman- Canada - Pamela Mercer
Chile - Priscilla Raquel Brenner- Colombia - Aura María Mojica Salcedo
Costa Rica - Claudia Maria Garnier Arias
CuraçaoCuraçaoCuraçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
- Regine Tromp
Denmark - Inge Eline Erlandsen- Dominican Republic - Blanca Aurora Sardiñas
Ecuador - Lucía del Carmen Hernández Quiñones
El Salvador - Altagracia Arévalo
Kingdom of England - Sarah Louise Long
Finland - Armi Anja Orvokki AavikkoArmi AavikkoArmi Anja Orvokki Aavikko was a Finnish beauty queen and singer.She was chosen as Miss Finland in 1977 and was best known for her duets with singer Danny...
Early Modern France - Véronique Fagot
French Guiana - Evelyne Randel- Germany - Marie-Luise Gassen
Greece - Maria Spantidaki
Guadeloupe - Catherine Reinette
Guam - Lisa Ann Caso
Haiti - Françoise Elie- ' - Ineke Berends
Honduras - Carolina Rosa Rauscher Sierra
Hong Kong - Loletta Chu Ling-Ling
Iceland - Kristjana Þrainsdóttir
India - Bineeta Bose
Indonesia - Siti Mirza Nuria Arifin
Republic of Ireland - Jakki Moore
Israel - Zehava Vardi
Italy - Paola Biasini
Japan - Kyoko Sato
South Korea - Kim Sung-Hee
Lebanon - Hyam Saadé
Liberia - Welma Albertine Wani Campbell
Malaysia - Leong Li Ping
Malta - Jane Benedicta Saliba
Mauritius - Danielle Marie Françoise Bouic
Mexico - Felicia Mercado Aguado
New Zealand - Donna Anne Schultze- Nicaragua - Beatriz Obregón Lacayo
- ' - Margarita Benavente Camacho
Norway - Åshild Jenny Ottesen
Panama - Marina Valenciano
Papua New Guinea - Sayah Karakuru
Paraguay - María Leticia Zarza Perriet
Peru - María Isabel Frías Zavala
Philippines - Anna Lorraine Tomas Kier
Puerto Rico - Maria del Mar Rivera
Réunion - Yolaine Morel- ' - Virginia Caroline Suka
- Kingdom of Scotland - Sandra Bell
Singapore - Marilyn Choon May Sim
South Africa - Glynis Dorothea Fester- Spain - Luz María Polegre Hernández
Sri Lanka - Sobodhini Nagesan
St. Kitts - Annette Emelda Frank- ' - Iva Lua Mendes
- St. Maarten - Marie Madeleine Boirard
- ' - Marlene Roesmienten Saimo
Sweden - Birgitta Lindvall
Switzerland - Anja Kristin Terzi- TahitiTahitiTahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
- Donna Aunoa 
Thailand - Laddawan In-Yah- ' - Janelle Penny CommissiongJanelle CommissiongJanelle Commissiong was born in Trinidad and Tobago. Commissiong migrated to the United States at the age of 13, and returned to Trinidad and Tobago ten years later...
Uruguay - Adriana María Umpierre Escudero- United States - Kimberly Louise TomesKimberly TomesKimberly Louise Tomes is a beauty queen from Texas who has held Miss USA title.Tomes won the Miss Texas USA title in 1976, and later represented Texas in the Miss USA 1977 pageant held in Charleston, South Carolina. In the nationally televised pageant, Tomes won the Miss USA title, becoming the...
- Venezuela - Cristal del Mar Montáñez ArochaCristal MontañezCristal del Mar Montañez Arocha is a pageant titleholder, was born in Caracas, Venezuela on February 8, 1960. She is the Miss Venezuela titleholder for 1977, and was the official representative of Venezuela to the Miss Universe 1977 pageant held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on July 16,...
- ' - Denise Naomi George
Wales - Christine Anne Murphy
Kingdom of Yugoslavia - Ljiljana Sobajić
Trivia
- Two contestants from this pageant were disqualified. Miss Martinique, Patricia Vatble and Miss Turkey, Manolya Onur, who was not allowed to compete twice.
- Janelle "Penny" Commissiong was the first black contestant to ever win the Miss Universe title.
- Singer Dionne Warwick, one of the judges, broke into tears when Miss Trinidad & Tobago's name was announced as the winner and said later to the press, "I felt as I had won".
- On a biographical sheet prepared for each contestant, Miss Trinidad & Tobago chose Marlon Brando as the greatest living person. Asked why, she said "because of his dedication to the Indian cause".
- Many of the 16 black contestants had complained during the two-week prelimenaries that they were ignored by photographers who concentrated on the white competitors.
- The contestant from Nicaragua, Beatriz Obregón Lacayo was the winner of the Reina Internacional Del Coco in 1973.
- 13 contestants from this pageant went on to compete in the Miss World Pageant that same year, they were:Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Ecuador, France, Holland, Indonesia, Liberia, Nicaragua, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Peru and Uruguay.
- 4 contestants competed at Miss World the previous year, they were: Canada, Ireland, Malta and Spain.
- France, Véronique Fagot, competed in the Miss International pageant the following year.
The Panel of Judges
- Armando Bermudez
- Roberto CavalliRoberto CavalliRoberto Cavalli is an Italian fashion designer from Florence.-Biography:Roberto Cavalli was born in Florence, Tuscany. His grandfather, Giuseppe Rossi, was a member of the Macchiaioli Movement, whose work is exhibited in the Uffizi Gallery. Cavalli decided to enroll at the local Art Institute,...
- Linda CristalLinda CristalLinda Cristal is an Argentine actress. She is currently retired....
- Robert EvansRobert EvansRobert Evans may refer to:*Bob Evans , American football and basketball coach*Robert Harding Evans*Robert Wilson Evans, archdeacon and author*Bob Evans , Welsh international football goalkeeper...
- Oscar de la RentaOscar de la RentaOscar de la Renta is one of the world's leading fashion designers. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1973.-Career:...
- Yuri Geller
- Howard W. KochHoward W. KochHoward Winchel Koch was an American director and producer of motion pictures and television.Born in New York City, he attended DeWitt Clinton High School and the Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey...
- Marisol MalaretMarisol MalaretMarisol Malaret Contreras was the very first Puerto Rican woman to be crowned Miss Universe.-Biography:She started to work from an early age due to the death of her father and chronic illness of her mother...
- Gordon ParksGordon ParksGordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks was a groundbreaking American photographer, musician, poet, novelist, journalist, activist and film director...
- Vidal SassoonVidal SassoonVidal Sassoon, CBE is a widely recognised British hairdresser, credited with creating a simple geometric, "Bauhaus-inspired" hair style, also called the bob...
- Dionne WarwickDionne WarwickDionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
- Wilhelmina CooperWilhelmina CooperWilhelmina Cooper was a model who began with Ford Models and, at the peak of her success, founded her own agency, Wilhelmina Models, in New York City in 1967.-Life:...