Miss Universe 1954

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.

Miss Universe 1954
Miriam Stevenson
Date	24 July 1954 (1954-07-24)
Presenters	Bob Russell
Venue	Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach, California, United States
Entrants	33
Placements	16
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
Congeniality	Efi Androulakakis (Greece)[a]
← 1953 1955 →

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

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. One contestant was selected to replace the original dethroned winner.

Replacements

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

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

Placements

Placement	Contestant
Miss Universe 1954	United States – Miriam Stevenson[10]
1st runner-up	Brazil – Martha Rocha[10]
2nd runner-up	Hong Kong – Virginia June Lee[10]
3rd runner-up	West Germany – Regina Ernst[10]
4th runner-up	Sweden – Ragnhild Olausson[10]
Top 16	Argentina – Ivana Kislinger[11]  Chile – Gloria Leguisos Mesina[11]  Costa Rica – Marian Esquivel[11]  France – Jacqueline Beer[11]  Greece – Rika Dialina[11]  Italy – Maria Paliani[11]  Norway – Mona Stornes[11]  Panama – Liliana Torre[11]  Peru – Isabella León[11]  Philippines – Blesilda Ocampo[11]  Uruguay – Ana Moreno[11]

Special awards

Award	Contestant
Miss Friendship	Greece – Efi Androulakakis[12]
Miss Popular Girl	Brazil – Martha Rocha

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.

Selection committee

• Piper Laurie – American actress^[13]
• Julia Adams – American actress^[13]
• Suzan Ball – American actress^[13]
• Earl Wilson – American columnist and journalist^[13]
• Tom Kelley – American photographer^[13]

Contestants

Miss Universe 1954 participating countries and territories

Thirty-three contestants competed for the title.

Country/Territory	Contestant	Age[b]	Hometown
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	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	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

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. 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. "Miss Venezuela disappears in beauty contest". Courier-Post. Camden, New Jersey. 15 July 1954. p. 35. Retrieved 16 July 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Freckled Southener tops Universe field". Nashville Banner. Nashville, Tennessee. 24 July 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 11 May 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "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. "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. "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.

External links

• Miss Universe official website