Miss Universe 1955

Last updated
Miss Universe 1955
Hillevi Rombin Miss Universe (cropped).jpg
Hillevi Rombin
Date22 July 1955 (1955-07-22)
Presenters Bob Russell
Venue Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach, California, United States
Broadcaster CBS
Entrants33
Placements15
Debuts
  • Ceylon
  • Ecuador
  • England
  • Guatemala
  • Lebanon
  • Nicaragua
Withdrawals
  • Australia
  • Hong Kong
  • New Zealand
  • Panama
  • Peru
  • Singapore
  • Thailand
Returns
  • Venezuela
Winner Hillevi Rombin
Sweden
Congeniality Maribel Arrieta (El Salvador)
←  1954
1956  →

Miss Universe 1955 was the fourth Miss Universe pageant, held at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, United States on 22 July 1955. [1] This is the first time that the pageant was televised.

Contents

At the end of the event, Miriam Stevenson of the United States crowned Hillevi Rombin of the Sweden as Miss Universe 1955. [2] It is the first victory of Sweden in the history of the pageant. [3]

Contestants from thirty-three countries and territories competed in this edition. The pageant was hosted by Bob Russell.

Background

Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, the venue of Miss Universe 1955 LBarena.jpg
Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, the venue of Miss Universe 1955

Selection of participants

Contestants from thirty-three countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. The age requirement in this edition is still from eighteen to twenty-eight, where women who are married and have children can also participate. [4]

Debuts, returns, and withdrawals

The 1955 edition saw the debuts of Ceylon, Ecuador, England, Guatemala, Lebanon, and Nicaragua, and the return of Venezuela who last competed in 1953. [5] Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Panama, Peru, Singapore, and Thailand withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.

Expected to compete are Karin Rasmussen of Denmark, Gladir Leopardi of Egypt, Angelina Kalkhoven of Holland, and Suna Soley of Turkey. However, these women withdrew due to undisclosed reasons. [6]

Results

Miss Universe 1955 and her court (from left to right): Margit Nunke, Maribel Arrieta, Maureen Hingert, and Keiko Takahashi. Miss Universe 1955 Top-5.jpg
Miss Universe 1955 and her court (from left to right): Margit Nünke, Maribel Arrieta, Maureen Hingert, and Keiko Takahashi.

Placements

PlacementContestant
Miss Universe 1955
1st runner-up
2nd runner-up
3rd runner-up
4th runner-up
Top 15

Special awards

AwardContestant
Miss Friendship
Miss Popular Girl
Best Dressed Girl

Pageant

Format

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

Selection committee

Contestants

Miss Universe 1955 participating countries and territories Miss Universe 1955 Map.PNG
Miss Universe 1955 participating countries and territories

Thirty-three contestants competed for the title. [9]

Country/TerritoryContestantAge [lower-alpha 1] Hometown
Flag of Alaska.svg Alaska Lorna McLeod [10] 22 Fairbanks
Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina Isabel Sarli [11] 25 Buenos Aires
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Nicole De Mayer [12] 19 Ghent
Flag of Brazil (1889-1960).svg  Brazil Emília Barreto [13] 21 Fortaleza
Canadian Red Ensign (1921-1957).svg Canada Cathy Diggles [14] 20 Toronto
Flag of Ceylon (1951-1972).svg  Ceylon Maureen Hingert [15] 18 Colombo
Flag of Chile.svg  Chile Rosa Merello [16] 18 Santiago
Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica Clemencia Martínez22 San José
Flag of Cuba.svg  Cuba Gilda Marín [17] 26 Havana
Flag of Ecuador (1900-2009).svg  Ecuador Leonor Carcache [18] 21 Guayaquil
Flag of El Salvador.svg  El Salvador Maribel Arrieta [19] 19 San Salvador
Flag of England.svg  England Margaret Rowe [20] 19 London
Flag of Finland.svg  Finland Sirkku Talja [21] 19 Helsinki
Flag of France (1794-1815, 1830-1958).svg  France Claude Petit [22] 18 Aulnay-sous-Bois
Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany Margit Nünke [23] 24 Cologne
Flag of Greece (1822-1978).svg  Greece Sonia Zoidou [24] 18 Athens
Flag of Guatemala.svg  Guatemala María del Rosario Molina [21] 18 Guatemala City
Flag of Honduras (1949-2022).svg  Honduras Pastora Pagán [25] 18 San Pedro Sula
Flag of Israel.svg  Israel Ilana Carmel [26] 19 Bat Yam
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Elena Fancera [27] 20 Rome
Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg  Japan Keiko Takahashi [28] 20 Tokyo
Flag of Lebanon.svg  Lebanon Hanya Beydoun [18] 18 Beirut
Flag of Mexico (1934-1968).svg  Mexico Yolanda Mayen [29] 18 Tijuana
Flag of Nicaragua (1908-1971).svg  Nicaragua Rosa Argentina Lacayo [30] 19 Managua
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway Solveig Borstad [31] 23 Oslo
Flag of the Philippines (navy blue).svg  Philippines Yvonne de los Reyes [32] 19 Manila
Flag of Puerto Rico (1952-1995).svg  Puerto Rico Carmen Laura Betancourt20 Rio Piedras
Flag of South Korea (1948-1949).svg  South Korea Kim Mee-chong [33] 22 Busan
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Hillevi Rombin [10] 21 Uppsala
Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg  United States Carlene King Johnson [34] 22 Rutland
Flag of Uruguay.svg  Uruguay Inge Hoffmann [35] 19 Montevideo
Flag of Venezuela (1954-2006).svg  Venezuela Susana Duijm [36] 18 Caracas
Flag of the West Indies Federation (1958-1962).svg  West Indies Noreen Campbell18 Port of Spain

Notes

  1. ↑ Ages at the time of the pageant

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References

  1. ↑ "'Miss Universe' crowned tonight". The Pittsburgh Press. 22 July 1955. p. 1. Retrieved 18 July 2023– via Google News Archive.
  2. ↑ "They're favored in Miss Universe Contest". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 23 July 1955. p. 3. Retrieved 28 July 2023– via Google News Archive.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mosby, Aline (23 July 1955). "Swedish beauty wins "Miss Universe" title". The Pittsburgh Press . p. 1. Retrieved 14 May 2023– via Google News Archive.
  4. ↑ Williams, Vera (23 March 1952). "Pageant of Pulchritude". Long Beach Press-Telegram . p. 50. Retrieved 7 July 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Miss Ceylon is Dutch". The Straits Times. 27 June 1955. p. 2. Retrieved 18 July 2023– via National Library Board.
  6. ↑ "Miss Holland trok aller aandacht" [Miss Holland attracted everyone's attention]. De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 1 June 1955. p. 3. Retrieved 18 July 2023– via Delpher.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Finalists". The Logan Daily News . 23 July 1955. p. 1. Retrieved 14 May 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Bacon, James (23 July 1955). "Judges pick Swedish beauty for '55 Miss Universe title". The Day. p. 1. Retrieved 25 July 2023– via Google News Archive.
  9. ↑ "Here's official list of Miss Universe charmers". Long Beach Press-Telegram . Long Beach, California. 17 July 1955. p. 8. Retrieved 14 May 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  10. 1 2 "First "Universe" aspirants named". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. 19 May 1955. p. 1. Retrieved 18 July 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Beauty seeking guy who bathes". Daily News . New York, New York. 12 July 1955. p. 269. Retrieved 26 July 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "It might be sex appeal, Sonia says". The Singapore Free Press. 12 July 1955. p. 3. Retrieved 26 July 2023– via National Library Board.
  13. ↑ "Corpo de ex-miss Brasil Emília Barreto vai ser cremado neste sábado no Rio". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 4 February 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  14. ↑ "43 Miss United States candidates start prancing for judges tonight". Panama American. 20 July 1955. p. 10. Retrieved 28 July 2023– via Digital Library of the Caribbean.
  15. ↑ "Ceylonese beau-tea". The News-Dispatch. 14 July 1955. p. 10. Retrieved 19 July 2023– via Google News Archive.
  16. ↑ "Two are lucky". The Daily News. Perth, Australia. 19 July 1955. p. 3. Retrieved 28 July 2023– via Trove.
  17. ↑ "Filmará en México la Señorita Cuba 1955, se dijo" [Miss Cuba 1955 will be filmed in Mexico, they said]. La Opinion (in Spanish). 5 September 1955. p. 4. Retrieved 25 August 2023– via Google News Archive.
  18. 1 2 "US and foreign beauties in California for Miss Universe contest". Youngstown Vindicator . 15 July 1955. p. 17. Retrieved 25 August 2023– via Google News Archive.
  19. ↑ Vargas, Andrew S. (8 November 2016). "Remembering Maribel Arrieta, the "Salvadoran Marilyn Monroe" Who Turned Down Hollywood". Remezcla . Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  20. ↑ "Miss England and Sweden favoured". The Singapore Free Press. 23 July 1955. p. 3. Retrieved 25 August 2023– via National Library Board.
  21. 1 2 "Beauty queens wilt". The Central Queensland Herald. 21 July 1955. p. 31. Retrieved 25 August 2023– via Trove.
  22. ↑ "Here come the tears". The Daily News. 28 June 1955. p. 3. Retrieved 25 August 2023– via Trove.
  23. ↑ "Feuilleton Kompakt" [Feuilleton Compact]. Die Welt (in German). 26 February 2015. Archived from the original on 4 June 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  24. ↑ "Life's darkest hour; she has to go home". The Los Angeles Times . 18 December 1955. p. 165. Retrieved 19 July 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  25. ↑ Gámez, Sabino (20 August 2010). "Pastora Pagán, 55 años después de la hazaña" [Pastora Pagán, 55 years after the feat]. La Prensa (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  26. ↑ "Miss Israel gets 29 marriage bids". ⁨⁨The American Jewish World . 9 September 1955. p. 1. Retrieved 25 August 2023– via National Library of Israel.
  27. ↑ "Italy's choice". Daily Press . 8 July 1955. p. 16. Retrieved 25 August 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  28. ↑ "Asian misses just miss". The Straits Times . 24 July 1955. p. 1. Retrieved 25 August 2023– via National Library Board.
  29. ↑ ""Miss Universe" beauties on Western film lot". The Enid Daily Eagle . 19 July 1955. p. 14. Retrieved 25 August 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  30. ↑ Mendoza, Tammy Zoad (13 January 2013). "La primera Miss Nicaragua" [The first Miss Nicaragua]. La Prensa (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  31. ↑ "Our secrets–by beauties". The Singapore Free Press. 21 July 1955. p. 3. Retrieved 25 August 2023– via National Library Board.
  32. ↑ Lo, Ricky (12 February 2010). "Misses RP for Miss U pageant, 1952-'63". Philippine Star . Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  33. ↑ "Meet Miss Korea, 1955". The Daily News. 22 June 1955. p. 7. Retrieved 25 August 2023– via Trove.
  34. ↑ Bacon, James (21 July 1955). "Miss Vermont named Miss U.S.A." The Boston Globe . p. 1. Retrieved 14 May 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  35. ↑ "Miss Uruguay cut down to size". The Daily News. 15 July 1955. p. 1. Retrieved 25 August 2023– via Trove.
  36. ↑ Roterman, Natalie (19 June 2016). "Susana Duijm Dead: First Latina To Ever Win Miss Mundo Passes At 79". Latin Times . Retrieved 25 August 2023.
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