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Miss Universe 1954

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Miss Universe 1954
Miriam Stevenson
Date24 July 1954 (1954-07-24)
PresentersBob Russell
VenueLong Beach Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach, California, United States
Entrants33
Placements16
Debuts
  • Argentina
  • Brazil
  • Costa Rica
  • El Salvador
  • Honduras
  • New Zealand
  • Singapore
  • South Korea
  • Thailand
  • West Indies
Withdrawals
  • Austria
  • Denmark
  • Hawaii
  • South Africa
  • Switzerland
  • Turkey
  • Venezuela
Returns
  • Chile
  • Cuba
  • Hong Kong
  • Israel
WinnerMiriam Stevenson
United States
CongenialityEfi Androulakakis (Greece)[a]
← 1953
1955 →

Miss Universe 1954 was the third Miss Universe pageant, held at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, United States on 24 July 1954.

At the end of the event, Christiane Martel of France crowned Miriam Stevenson of the United States as Miss Universe 1954.[1][2] It was the first victory of the United States in the history of the pageant. Stevenson became the first Miss Universe to concurrently hold both Miss USA and Miss Universe titles.[3]

Contestants from thirty-three countries and territories competed in this year's pageant. The pageant was hosted by Bob Russell. This edition also featured the Star of the Universe crown, which consisted of one-thousand Oriental cultured and black pearls set in solid gold and platinum, and was worth $500,000 USD.[4] The crowned was also used for the next six editions.[4]

Background

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Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, the venue of Miss Universe 1954

Selection of participants

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Contestants from thirty-three countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. One contestant was selected to replace the original dethroned winner.

Replacements

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Kae Sun-hee, the first runner-up of Miss Korea 1954, was appointed to replace Miss Korea 1954 Pu Rak Hi after the latter's visa was rejected in order to enter the United States due to allegations that she has connections with communist groups.[5][6] The same happened with Rika Dialina, Star Hellas 1954, where she was replaced by her first runner-up, Efi Androulakakis, after she posed for a book by a Greek communist despite having no communist sympathies.[7] However, John Foster Dulles, the then United States Secretary of State, intervened in Dialina's case, and Dialina obtained a temporary entry permit because of this. Dialina arrived in Long Beach a few days before the preliminary competition, causing Androulakakis to withdraw from the competition. The organizers asked Androulakakis to remain in the competition as the representative of Crete, but Androulakakis refused. Although Androulakakis is no longer an official candidate, she was still hailed as Miss Congeniality.[8]

Debuts, returns, and withdrawals

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The 1954 edition saw the debuts of Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and the West Indies, and the returns of Chile, Cuba, Hong Kong, and Israel who last competed in 1952. Gertrude Kapi'olani Miller of Hawaii withdrew due to undisclosed reasons. Berta Elena Landaeta of Venezuela withdrew after the pageant organizers could not disclose her whereabouts.[9] Austria, Denmark, South Africa, Switzerland, and Turkey withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or designate a contestant.

Contestants from Guatemala and Nicaragua were also expected to compete, but was prohibited by their respective governments due to the political instability of Central America.[9] Both countries started competing in the pageant in 1955.

Results

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Placements

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Placement Contestant
Miss Universe 1954
1st runner-up
2nd runner-up
3rd runner-up
4th runner-up
Top 16

Special awards

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Award Contestant
Miss Friendship
Miss Popular Girl

Pageant

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Format

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Same with 1953, sixteen semi-finalists were chosen at the preliminary competition that consists of the swimsuit and evening gown competition. Each of the sixteen semi-finalists gave a short speech during the final telecast using their native languages. Afterwards, the sixteen semi-finalists paraded again in their swimsuits and evening gowns, and the five finalists were eventually chosen.

Selection committee

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Contestants

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Miss Universe 1954 participating countries and territories

Thirty-three contestants competed for the title.

Country/Territory Contestant Age[b] Hometown
Alaska Alaska Charlein Lander[14] 18 Fairbanks
 Argentina Ivana Olga Kislinger[15] 22 Temperley
 Australia Shirley Bliss[16] 20 Narrandera
 Belgium Christiane Neckaerts[17] 19 Nodebais
 Brazil Martha Rocha[18] 21 Salvador
Canada Canada Joyce Mary Landry 20 Toronto
 Chile Gloria Leguisos[19] 21 Santiago
 Costa Rica Marian Esquivel 18 San José
 Cuba Isis Finlay[20] 20 Havana
 El Salvador Myrna Ros Orozco[21] 20 San Salvador
 Finland Lenita Airisto[22] 18 Helsinki
 France Jacqueline Beer[23] 21 Bois-Colombes
 West Germany Regina Ernst[24] 18 Bremen
 Greece Rika Dialina[25] 22 Heraklion
 Honduras Lilliam Padilla 21 Tegucigalpa
 Hong Kong Virginia June Lee[26] 20 Hong Kong
 Israel Aviva Pe’er[27] 18 Tel-Aviv
 Italy Maria Teresa Paliani 18 Rome
 Japan Mieko Kondo[28] 18 Nagoya
 Mexico Elvira Castillo[29] 19 Mexico City
 New Zealand Moana Manley[30] 18 Auckland
 Norway Mona Stornes[31] 19 Oslo
 Panama Liliana Torre[32] 18 Panama City
 Peru Isabella León Velarde[21] 18 Lima
 Philippines Blesilda Mueler Ocampo[33] 18 Manila
 Puerto Rico Lucy Santiago[34] 23 San Juan
Singapore Singapore Marjorie Wee[35] 21 Singapore
 South Korea Kae Sun-hee[36] 19 Seoul
 Sweden Ragnhild Olausson[37] 19 Stockholm
 Thailand Amara Asavananda 18 Bangkok
 United States Miriam Stevenson[38] 21 Winnsboro
 Uruguay Ana Moreno[39] 22 Montevideo
 West Indies Evelyn Andrade[40] 18 Kingston, Jamaica

Notes

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  1. ^ Efi did not compete for the Miss Universe title
  2. ^ Ages at the time of the pageant

References

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  1. ^ "Miss Brazil loses out by a hip bulge". Youngstown Vindicator. 25 July 1954. pp. A6. Retrieved 16 July 2023 – via Google News Archive.
  2. ^ "South Carolina's Miriam Stevenson Wins "Miss Universe"; Miss Brazil Second". The Dispatch. 24 July 1954. pp. 1, 5. Retrieved 16 July 2023 – via Google News Archive.
  3. ^ "Miss USA captures Miss Universe title". The Day. New London, Connecticut. 24 July 1954. p. 1. Retrieved 25 July 2023 – via Google News Archive.
  4. ^ a b Tayag, Voltaire E. (16 May 2021). "Miss Universe crowns: Sentimental favorites, all-time greats". Rappler. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  5. ^ ""Miss Universe" loses her U.N." The Advocate. Burnie, Tasmania. 17 July 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 11 May 2023 – via Trove.
  6. ^ "Miss Universe entrants prepare for pageant". The Examiner. Launceston, Tasmania. 15 July 1954. p. 22. Retrieved 11 May 2023 – via Trove.
  7. ^ "America bars another Miss Universe beauty". The Sun. Sydney, Australia. 14 July 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 16 July 2023 – via Trove.
  8. ^ "Sportieve "miss" in Long Beach" [Sporty "miss" in Long Beach]. De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 22 July 1954. p. 7. Retrieved 16 July 2023 – via Delpher.
  9. ^ a b "Miss Venezuela disappears in beauty contest". Courier-Post. Camden, New Jersey. 15 July 1954. p. 35. Retrieved 16 July 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Freckled Southener tops Universe field". Nashville Banner. Nashville, Tennessee. 24 July 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 11 May 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Miriam Stevenson (VS) gekozen tot Miss Universe 1954" [Miriam Stevenson (USA) elected Miss Universe 1954]. De locomotief (in Dutch). 26 July 1954. p. 1. Retrieved 11 May 2023 – via Delpher.
  12. ^ "Miss Universe contest reaches climax tonight". St. Joseph News-Press. 23 July 1954. p. 8. Retrieved 24 July 2023 – via Google News Archive.
  13. ^ a b c d e "U.S. has Miss Universe". The Sunday Times. Perth, Western Australia. 25 July 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 24 July 2023 – via Trove.
  14. ^ "Royal group set to greet Miss Alaska". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. 30 June 1954. p. 1. Retrieved 25 July 2023 – via Google News Archive.
  15. ^ Martínez, Adolfo C. (16 December 2005). "Murió Ivana Kislinger, una diva sensual". La Nacion (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 23 May 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  16. ^ ""Miss Universe" Contest". Cairns Post. Queensland, Australia. 15 July 1954. p. 5. Retrieved 11 May 2023 – via Trove.
  17. ^ "Ah, go on, try it". Waco Tribune-Herald. Waco, Texas. 11 July 1954. p. 8. Retrieved 11 May 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Astor, Michael (10 July 2020). "Martha Rocha, 87, Dies; to Brazil, a Beauty Queen Denied a Crown". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  19. ^ "Miss Chile– Miss Universe". The Daily News. Perth, Western Australia. 7 April 1954. p. 9. Retrieved 11 May 2023 – via Trove.
  20. ^ "Miss Universe pageant brings complications". Belvidere Daily Republican. Belvidere, Illinois. 16 July 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 11 May 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ a b "Miss Universe hopefuls arrive". Albuquerque Journal. Albuquerque, New Mexico. 13 July 1954. p. 9. Retrieved 11 May 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Lehtkanto, Katariina (6 December 2018). "17-vuotiaana maailmalle lähtenyt Lenita Airisto: Lapsuus sodan varjossa" [Lenita Airisto, who left the world at the age of 17: Childhood in the shadow of war]. Iltalehti (in Finnish). Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  23. ^ "Here's Jacqueline– the girl that France chose". The Straits Times. 15 July 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 11 May 2023 – via National Library Board.
  24. ^ "Wie wordt miss Universe 1954? Duits meisje Regina Ernst favoriet" [Who will be Miss Universe 1954? German girl Regina Ernst favorite]. De vrije pers (in Dutch). 17 July 1954. p. 1. Retrieved 11 May 2023 – via Delpher.
  25. ^ Strickland, Edwin (9 July 1954). "Miss Greece eliminated". The Birmingham News. Birmingham, Alabama. p. 1. Retrieved 25 July 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Hong Kong beauty reaches California". The Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. 15 July 1954. p. 24. Retrieved 24 July 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ Romano, Elio (30 July 1954). "Israeli entry in Miss Universe contest shows beauty of character". B'nai B'rith Messenger⁩. p. 8. Retrieved 11 May 2023 – via National Library of Israel.
  28. ^ "Miss Japan of 1954". The Beverley Times. Beverley, Australia. 5 August 1954. p. 1. Retrieved 24 July 2023 – via Trove.
  29. ^ ""La Srita. Mexico" es una muchacha culta" [The "Miss Mexico" is a cultured girl]. La Opinión (in Spanish). 18 July 1954. pp. 5B. Retrieved 25 July 2023 – via Google News Archive.
  30. ^ "Heat too much for Miss New Zealand". The News-Press. Fort Myers, Florida. 21 July 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 24 July 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ "Miss Norway of 1954 files suit for divorce". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. 25 February 1958. p. 2. Retrieved 24 July 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "Estas son las panameñas que participaron de Miss Universo" [These are the Panamanians who participated in Miss Universe]. Telemetro (in Spanish). 7 January 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  33. ^ Lo, Ricky (12 February 2010). "Misses RP for Miss U pageant, 1952-'63". Philippine Star. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  34. ^ Belser, Emily (16 July 1954). "Miss Universe candidates draw many wolf calls". Corsicana Daily Sun. Corsicana, Texas. p. 2. Retrieved 25 July 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ "I was so". The Singapore Free Press. 30 June 1954. p. 1. Retrieved 25 July 2023 – via National Library Board.
  36. ^ "Beauty contest peaceful as United Nations meeting". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. 17 July 1954. p. 6. Retrieved 25 July 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ "Not As Much ro Whistle At, Europe's Beauties Not As Attractive as American". Panama City News-Herald. Panama City, Florida. 12 July 1954. p. 5. Retrieved 25 July 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  38. ^ "Coed named Miss U.S.A." Reading Eagle. 22 July 1954. p. 21. Retrieved 16 July 2023 – via Google News Archive.
  39. ^ Nemser, Sandra (10 August 1954). "6 Beauties in contest favor "long hair"". Gettysburg Times. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. p. 10. Retrieved 11 May 2023 – via Google News Archive.
  40. ^ "Former Miss Jamaica dies". The Gleaner. 30 May 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
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