Alicja Bobrowska. THE FIRST POST-WAR MISS POLONIA
I’ve lately had a great pleasure lately. I talked to Alicja Bobrowska, the first post-war Miss Polonia (1958) and Miss Universe finalist (1959), who was also a theatre actress, TV presenter and, if necessary, builder. And who at the age of 45 bet everything on one card.
“…Even before the Miss Universe finale in California all beauty pageant contestants were taken to business meetings every day and introduced to the producers of film studios. Some of us were offered contracts in films or commercials,” says Alicja. “I was invited to a meeting by Marlon Brando at Paramount Pictures. Right after his call, everyone around me kept saying in excitement, ‘Brando, Brando,’ ‘Do you know what movies he played in?’ I had no idea who they were talking about. I lived on the other side of the iron curtain, how could I know some Brando?
When he offered me a role in the film, I said I didn’t know English. “That’s okay. First you will be playing an immigrant, and after two months, if you stay, you’ll pick up the language,” he was trying to convinced me. I thanked him warmly and rejected the proposal. Similarly, when the representatives of the Max Factor brand offered me a one-year contract and a trip around the world promoting their cosmetics, I wanted to come back. My family, my fiancé, Stanisław Zaczyk and the Prime Minister were waiting for me in Poland…” -84-year-old Alicja says today.
