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Hollywood star Bob Hope was broadcasting live from London when 50 protesters sprang into action and pelted the stage with flour bombs, rotten vegetables and ink missiles - marking the beginning of the end for Miss World's reign
By Giulia Crouch
23rd November 2018, 12:05 amUpdated: 23rd November 2018, 12:07 am
THE glamorous audience had taken their seats at the Albert Hall for the biggest show of the year.
But as a global audience of millions tuned in for the live BBC coverage of Miss World, a football rattle sounded and 50 young protesters sprang into action and pelted the stage with flour bombs, rotten vegetables and ink missiles.
Hollywood legend Bob Hope shares the stage with 1970 Miss World winner, Miss Grenada, Jennifer Hosten - but 50 protesters had earlier hurled flour bombs and rotten vegetables at the stage GETTY - CONTRIBUTOR
Enraged by the prospect of swimwear-clad women parading before a panel of mostly male judges, the members of the feminist Women’s Liberation Movement had bought tickets after planning to cause as much disruption as possible after blending in with the audience.
They saw the 1970 contest, being hosted by Hollywood star Bob Hope, as a “cattle market”.
Now the bedlam amid the beauties is being turned into the movie Misbehaviour, starring Keira Knightley and Bodyguard’s Keeley Hawes.
One of the original protesters was Sally Alexander, 27 at the time.
Pro-feminist protesters at the 1970 Miss World contest that took place at London's Albert Hall
She explained: “We’d dressed up because we wanted to fit in with the audience. We went in with our handbags, looking good. There was a sense of exhilaration and excitement that we were making a mark and making ourselves heard. Our argument was, ‘why do you have to be beautiful and looked at like this before you get noticed as a woman?’”
At the time, the Miss World pageant was one of the most watched shows in the world and had 24million viewers in Britain alone.
Sally, now in her late 70s and living in London, added: “We knew it would make an impact if we could disrupt the spectacle going into everyone’s homes.”
Cops quickly detained the protester who rushed for the stage where Bob Hope was presenting to a live global TV audience REX FEATURES
As the bombs rained down on the stage a petrified Bob Hope tried to flee backstage. But convinced the show must go on, formidable and feisty Julia Morley, the wife of Miss World organiser Eric Morley, grabbed him.
Eric said later: “She had hold of his ankle so he couldn’t run away.
“I invited him back on stage and introduced him as a very brave man. But Julia said to me afterwards, ‘Brave man, my foot! I’ve been holding on to the so-and-so to keep him there!’”
As a global audience of millions tuned in for the live BBC coverage of Miss World, a football rattle sounded and 50 protesters sprang into action and pelted the stage with missiles HULTON ARCHIVE - GETTY
Though shut down within minutes by security, the ruckus was a seminal moment for the newly formed Women’s Lib Movement and feminism in general.
And Miss World, once an institution on British TV, was axed from the BBC by the end of the decade.
Protester Sue Finch, said: “It seems incredible that it was even on television.”
It had been claimed at the time that the plan was to target, harm or upset the contestants.
The formidable and feisty Julia Morley, wife of Miss World organiser Eric Morley, was on hand to make sure the show went on after the protest REX FEATURES
But Jo Robinson, now 76 and living in Walthamstow, East London, explained: “Before I got there I wasn’t clear where we were going to meet, so I ended up sitting alone. There are all these families, all these nice people, who have come to see these nice girls and this family entertainment, and there I am, this lone protester.
“I began to think ‘why are we so against it? Everyone else likes it. What’s it all about?’ I had a big dilemma. Then some of the contestants came in and walked through holding their numbers and they were told where to walk, how to walk, to hold themselves up, where to sit, where to stand, how to look.
“And so I could see it for myself — they were beauties under control.”
The Bodyguard's Keeley Hawes will star in a new film Misbehaviour as the feisty Julia Morley GETTY - CONTRIBUTOR
As the show progressed, the commentary and jokes by multi-millionaire host Bob enraged the saboteurs. Jo continued: “He started making jokes about it being a cattle market, saying he’d have to go backstage to check the calves.”
She said the gags grew ever more edgy, with the comedian — a national treasure in the US after entertaining troops in Vietnam — saying “he’d have to take the winners on a tour there to get the boys hot to fight the Viet Cong.”
Jo added: “He went on about Vietnamese people. Racist remarks, slitty eyes . . . he just descended and descended.”
On the sound of the rattle the protesters jumped up as one to scream, howl and create havoc.
Keira Knightley will also take her place in Misbehaviour PA:PRESS ASSOCIATION
Sally said: “It was dark but we could see other women leaping up.
“I had to climb over people who were horrified at what we were doing. I was determined to get onto that stage and disrupt.”
Jo hurled vegetables at the dumbstruck Press. She said: “I was so excited, so scared, so everything. There was a scrum of journalists and we hated the media because they always wrote about women badly, so I thought ‘right, you’ll do, you’re the target’. I selected a great big lettuce and, ‘take that!’ I looked in my bag and got some squashed tomatoes — ‘take that!’”
Of the host trying to scuttle away Sally said: “He looked absolutely horrified and ran backstage terrified. He took a long time to be persuaded to come back.”
Miss Italy Marika De Poi on the street with two cops as protection REX FEATURES
Now nearly 50 years on, Keeley will play feisty Julia Morley in the film. Its producer, Suzanne Mackie, said: “She was a very steely, sophisticated woman inhabiting a tough male world.
“Her husband was front of house running the contest while she quietly got on with it”. As Bob cowered, policeman were already dragging the protesting women out, carrying them by their arms and legs from the hall.
Sally said: “I remember some of the Miss World contestants, the beautiful, beautiful women, in all their bathing costumes and high heels saying, ‘let them go’ to the policeman.”
Julia Morley has modernised the Miss World franchise and is seen here with Zhang Zilin of China, who was crowned in 2007AFP - GETTY
Despite its brevity, the protesters were delighted with their actions.
Sally explained: “We were exhilarated by the demonstration and both astonished and exhilarated by its success. I do see Miss World as one of the most spectacular consciousness-raising episodes and it did leave its mark.”
The protesters were each fined the equivalent today of around £1,500 and many spent a night in police cells. Nor was the Women’s Liberation Movement the only group to protest that night.
Julia Morley still heads the Miss World contest REX FEATURES
Outside the venue a small bomb went off under a BBC broadcast van in an unsuccessful attempt by the left-wing revolutionary group, the Angry Brigade, to prevent the competition being televised.
After the uproar the show did go on and Miss Grenada, Jennifer Hosten, became the first black woman to be crowned Miss World.
Jennifer, now a counsellor, insists the show brought her opportunities that she never would have had otherwise — but for the people of the Women’s Liberation Movement the contest will for ever be a cattle market.
Julia, now 79, went to great lengths to change the perception of the pageant when she took it over from her husband following his death in 2000 NEWS GROUP NEWSPAPERS LTD
She didn’t think women showing off their looks was enough and introduced Beauty With A Purpose, which has raised hundreds of millions for charities over the years.
As for the producers of the new film, scheduled to start production next week, they have had their own battles.
It has been a seven-year slog to get the movie off the ground and they believe that only the #MeToo movement has made it possible.
Co-producer Andy Harries, who also made The Crown for Netflix, said: “It’s an example of a really good story that’s been around for ages, which finds its time.”
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