Gala UNICEF 67

On December 15, 1967, Elizabeth and Richard took part in a 20th anniversary gala for the children’s charity UNICEF at Paris’s Le Palais de Chaillot. It was recorded by French television for broadcast across 24 European countries on Christmas Eve.

Elizabeth, holding a placard bearing Richard’s name, danced coquettishly across a stage that was dominated by a large, sparsely decorated Christmas tree twinkling with lights, introducing her husband’s performance. She was costumed in a dress that her friend, the designer Vicky Tiel, affixed with a thousand pink ostrich feathers, as well as stockings and high heels, with her hair piled atop her head and adorned with glittering flowers. Elizabeth gazed adoringly at Richard as he performed “How to Handle a Woman” from Camelot. When not on stage, the Burtons were seated in a box garlanded with festive greenery and adorned with flowers.

The Beatles’ John Lennon and George Harrison, as well as Elizabeth’s Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967) co-star Marlon Brando, were also on hand for the UNICEF benefit. It was estimated that 100 million people across Europe would tune in to this festive treat staged for a very important cause.