Miss Universe 1954

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Miss Universe 1954
Miriam Stevenson Miss Universe 1954.jpg
Miriam Stevenson
Date24 July 1954 (1954-07-24)
Presenters Bob Russell
Venue Long 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
Winner Miriam 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, the United States on 24 July 1954.

Contents

At the conclusion 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

Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, the venue of Miss Universe 1954 LBarena.jpg
Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, the venue of Miss Universe 1954

Selection of participants

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

Replacements

Sun-hee Kae, first runner-up of Miss Korea 1954, was appointed to replace Miss Korea 1954 Rak Hi Pu after the latter's visa was denied due to alleged communist ties. [5] [6] Similarly, Rika Dialina, Star Hellas 1954, was initially replaced by first runner-up Efi Androulakakis after Dialina posed for a book by a Greek communist, despite having no communist sympathies. [7] However, U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles intervened, allowing Dialina temporary entry. Dialina arrived days before preliminaries, causing Androulakakis to withdraw. Organizers asked Androulakakis to remain as representative of Crete, but she declined. Though not an official candidate, she was still named Miss Friendship. [8] Amara Asavananda, runner-up of Miss Thailand 1953, replaced Miss Thailand 1953 Anong Atchawatthana due to financial issues. [9] [10]

Debuts, returns, and withdrawals

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, which last competed in 1952.

Gertrude Kapi'olani Miller of Hawaii withdrew due to undisclosed reasons. Berta Elena Landaeta of Venezuela also withdrew after pageant organizers were unable to determine her whereabouts. [11] 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 expected to compete but were prohibited by their respective governments due to political instability in Central America. [11] Both countries debuted in the following edition.

Results

Placements

PlacementContestant
Miss Universe 1954
1st Runner-Up
2nd Runner-Up
  • Flag of Hong Kong (1876-1955).svg Hong Kong – Virginia June Lee [12]
3rd Runner-Up
  • Flag of Germany.svg West Germany – Regina Ernst [12]
4th Runner-Up
  • Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden – Ragnhild Olausson [12]
Top 16 [13]
  • Flag of Argentina (1818-1819, 1820-1829, 1861-2010).svg Argentina – Ivana Kislinger
  • Flag of Chile.svg Chile – Gloria Leguisos
  • Flag of Costa Rica.svg Costa Rica – Marian Esquivel
  • Flag of France (1794-1815, 1830-1958).svg France – Jacqueline Beer
  • Hellenic Kingdom Flag 1935.svg Greece – Rika Dialina
  • Flag of Italy (1946-2003).svg Italy – Maria Paliani
  • Flag of Norway.svg Norway – Mona Stornes
  • Flag of Panama (1925-2017).svg Panama – Liliana Torre
  • Flag of Peru.svg Peru – Isabella Dancourt
  • Flag of the Philippines (navy blue).svg Philippines – Blesilda Ocampo
  • Flag of Uruguay.svg Uruguay – Ana Moreno

Special awards

AwardContestant
Miss Friendship
  • Hellenic Kingdom Flag 1935.svg Greece – Efi Androulakakis [14]
Miss Popular Girl

Pageant

Format

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. [13]

Selection committee

Contestants

Miss Universe 1954 participating countries and territories Miss Universe 1954 Map.PNG
Miss Universe 1954 participating countries and territories

Thirty-three contestants competed for the title.

Country/TerritoryContestantAge [b] Hometown
Flag of Alaska.svg Alaska Charlein Lander [16] 18 Fairbanks
Flag of Argentina (1818-1819, 1820-1829, 1861-2010).svg Argentina Ivana Kislinger [17] 22 Temperley
Flag of Australia.svg Australia Shirley Bliss [18] 20 Narrandera
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium Christiane Neckaerts [19] 19 Nodebais
Flag of Brazil (1889-1960).svg Brazil Martha Rocha [20] 21 Salvador
Canadian Red Ensign (1921-1957).svg Canada Joyce Landry [21] 20 Toronto
Flag of Chile.svg Chile Gloria Leguisos [22] 21 Santiago
Flag of Costa Rica.svg Costa Rica Marian Esquivel [23] 18 San José
Flag of Cuba (1902-1906).svg Cuba Isis Finlay [24] 20 Havana
Flag of El Salvador.svg El Salvador Myrna Orozco [25] 20 San Salvador
Flag of Finland.svg Finland Lenita Airisto [26] 18 Helsinki
Flag of France.svg France Jacqueline Beer [27] 21 Bois-Colombes
Hellenic Kingdom Flag 1935.svg Greece Rika Dialina [28] 22 Heraklion
Flag of Honduras (1949-2022).svg Honduras Lilliam Padilla [29] 21 Tegucigalpa
Flag of Hong Kong (1876-1955).svg Hong KongVirginia June Lee [30] 20Hong Kong
Flag of Israel.svg Israel Aviva Pe'er [31] 18 Tel-Aviv
Flag of Italy (1946-2003).svg Italy Maria Paliani18 Rome
Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Japan Mieko Kondo [32] 18 Nagoya
Flag of Mexico (1934-1968).svg Mexico Elvira Castillo [33] 19 Mexico City
Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand Moana Manley [34] 18 Auckland
Flag of Norway.svg Norway Mona Stornes [35] 19 Oslo
Flag of Panama (1925-2017).svg Panama Liliana Torre [36] 18 Panama City
Flag of Peru.svg Peru Isabella Dancourt [25] 18 Lima
Flag of the Philippines (navy blue).svg Philippines Blesilda Ocampo [37] 18 Manila
Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Puerto Rico Lucy Santiago [38] 23 San Juan
Flag of Singapore (1946-1952).svg Singapore Marjorie Wee [39] 21Singapore
Flag of South Korea (1949-1984).svg South Korea Sun-hee Kae [40] 19 Seoul
Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden Ragnhild Olausson [41] 19 Stockholm
Flag of Thailand (non-standard colours).svg Thailand Amara Asavananda [42] 18 Phra Nakhon
Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg United States Miriam Stevenson [43] 21 Winnsboro
Flag of Uruguay.svg Uruguay Ana Moreno [44] 22 Montevideo
Flag of Germany.svg West Germany Regina Ernst [45] 18 Bremen
Flag of Jamaica (1906-1957).svg West Indies Evelyn Andrade [46] 18 Kingston

Notes

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

References

  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. 1 2 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. ↑ "วันนี้ 83 ปี "อมรา อัศวนนท์" สาวไทยคนแรกไป "มิสยูนิเวิร์ส"" [Today is 83 years old, "Amara Asavanant" is the first Thai woman to go to "Miss Universe".]. Nation TV (in Thai). 2020-05-06. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
  10. ↑ "การประกวดนางสาวไทยประจำปี 2496 ความงาม ความดี และหลักอนามัย" [Miss Thailand 1953 beauty, goodness and hygiene]. SILPA-MAG (in Thai). 2022-07-20. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
  11. 1 2 "Miss Venezuela disappears in beauty contest". Courier-Post. Camden, New Jersey. 15 July 1954. p. 35. Retrieved 16 July 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "Freckled Southener tops Universe field". Nashville Banner . Nashville, Tennessee. 24 July 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 11 May 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  13. 1 2 "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.
  14. ↑ "Miss Universe contest reaches climax tonight". St. Joseph News-Press . 23 July 1954. p. 8. Retrieved 24 July 2023– via Google News Archive.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 "U.S. has Miss Universe". The Sunday Times . Perth, Western Australia. 25 July 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 24 July 2023– via Trove.
  16. ↑ "Royal group set to greet Miss Alaska". The Bulletin . Bend, Oregon. 30 June 1954. p. 1. Retrieved 25 July 2023– via Google News Archive.
  17. ↑ 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.
  18. ↑ ""Miss Universe" Contest". Cairns Post. Queensland, Australia. 15 July 1954. p. 5. Retrieved 11 May 2023– via Trove.
  19. ↑ "Ah, go on, try it". Waco Tribune-Herald . Waco, Texas. 11 July 1954. p. 8. Retrieved 11 May 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ 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.
  21. ↑ "Miss Universe?". Times Colonist. 12 July 1954. p. 10. Retrieved 24 March 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ "Miss Chile– Miss Universe". The Daily News. Perth, Western Australia. 7 April 1954. p. 9. Retrieved 11 May 2023– via Trove.
  23. ↑ "Giant wave slams youth onto beach". Los Angeles Times . July 13, 1954. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2025. From left: Marta Rrocha, 21, Brazil; Myrna Orozco, 20, Miss San Salvador; and Marian Esquivel, 18, who will compete as Miss Costa Rica.
  24. ↑ "Miss Universe pageant brings complications". Belvidere Daily Republican . Belvidere, Illinois. 16 July 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 11 May 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  25. 1 2 "Miss Universe hopefuls arrive". Albuquerque Journal . Albuquerque, New Mexico. 13 July 1954. p. 9. Retrieved 11 May 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  26. ↑ 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.
  27. ↑ "Here's Jacqueline– the girl that France chose". The Straits Times . 15 July 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 11 May 2023– via National Library Board.
  28. ↑ Strickland, Edwin (9 July 1954). "Miss Greece eliminated". The Birmingham News . Birmingham, Alabama. p. 1. Retrieved 25 July 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  29. ↑ Rodríguez, Fernanda (27 October 2022). "Ellas son las mujeres más bellas de Honduras que nos representan en el Miss Universo". Televicentro (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  30. ↑ "Hong Kong beauty reaches California". The Clarion-Ledger . Jackson, Mississippi. 15 July 1954. p. 24. Retrieved 24 July 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  31. ↑ 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.
  32. ↑ "Miss Japan of 1954". The Beverley Times . Beverley, Australia. 5 August 1954. p. 1. Retrieved 24 July 2023– via Trove.
  33. ↑ ""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.
  34. ↑ "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.
  35. ↑ "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.
  36. ↑ "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.
  37. ↑ Lo, Ricky (12 February 2010). "Misses RP for Miss U pageant, 1952-'63". Philippine Star . Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  38. ↑ 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.
  39. ↑ "I was so". The Singapore Free Press . 30 June 1954. p. 1. Retrieved 25 July 2023– via National Library Board.
  40. ↑ "Beauty contest peaceful as United Nations meeting". The Arizona Republic . Phoenix, Arizona. 17 July 1954. p. 6. Retrieved 25 July 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  41. ↑ "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.
  42. ↑ เจริญยิ่ง, ภาวีณีย์ (6 May 2024). "'อมรา อัศวนนท์' ย้อนอดีตกับ 'จอมพลสฤษดิ์ ธนะรัชต์'". Matichon Weekly (in Thai). Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  43. ↑ "Coed named Miss U.S.A." Reading Eagle. 22 July 1954. p. 21. Retrieved 16 July 2023– via Google News Archive.
  44. ↑ 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.
  45. ↑ "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.
  46. ↑ "Former Miss Jamaica dies". The Gleaner . 30 May 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
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