1950 Miss US TV beauty contest

I like the hairstyles seen in the DuMont Miss Television Network Beauty contest held at the Chicago Fair in 1950. The MC is hilariously smarmy, and Miss New Orleans TV's saucy tap dance routine (about 10 minutes in) was likely to have raised network censors' blood pressure a point or two. Miss Los Angeles's Afro-Cuban dance (about 23 minutes in) is also not to be missed.

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• [Matthew Miller]

  Wow. Do you think most of the audience got the MC’s joke about the dancer living Terpsichore St. ha ha isn’t that funny?

• [apoxia]

  Tap-dancing on point!? I didn’t know that was a thing people did. Seems like it would be awfully bad for you.

• [theLadyfingers]

  I’m always amazed at how much makeup seemed to be required for women back then. With the drawn-on lips and eyebrows, they become nearly visually interchangeable.

• [sonipitts]

  I’m guessing Miss New Orleans was going straight for the judges’ Betty Page buttons.

• [Mim]

  None of them deserve to win Miss TV anywhere – they have no concept of looking at the camera! Eyes floating everywhere!

  (ps. the login page still has the old top banner.)

• [GraemeM]

  Now I know why every modern beauty contestant wants world peace.

• [Daemon]

  The announcer struck me as being a bit creepy – especially when he gave out the name of the street that Miss New Orleans lived on.

• [Anonymous]

  Another interesting coincidence—6 years after winning this contest Edie Adams starred as Daisy Mae in the Broadway musical “Li’l Abner,” which, of course, was created by Miss US TV judge Al Capp. In her autobiography Edie talks about being aggressively hit on by Capp, a notorious womanizer.

• [Anonymous]

  That host guy is such a creepy douche! He treats these girls like androids.

  • [Mim]

    At least some of the women react decently to Creepy McCreepersons… For instance Miss Houston says “I know they do.” when he tells her there’s a lovely piano player for her to go sing by.

• [Denis Kitchen]

  Another interesting coincidence —Six years after winning this contest Edie Adams starred as Daisy Mae in the Broadway musical “Li’l Abner,” created by Miss US TV judge Al Capp. In her autobiography, Edie talks about being aggressively hit on by Capp, a notorious womanizer.

• [Anonymous]

  I really enjoyed that little moment of time travel. I have to say that the young woman singing at about the 8:00-minute mark eerily resembles Dean Stockwell’s character in Blue Velvet – as someone commented above, the style of makeup and its enthusiastic application tended to diminish the individuality of the participants.

  One further note – the dancer Mark mentions brought to mind a different classic, to wit, Robert Herrick’s “Upon Julia’s Clothes”. Entrants from more recent contests might not be allowed the freedom to dress in such a way as to show “that brave vibration each way free”.

• [Elsewhare]

  According to Wikipedia’s entry on Edie Adams, “Edith” Adams and Edie are one and the same; Edie is listed and the winner of the title of Miss U.S. Television in 1950, and her appearance with Milton Berle (one of her many fabulour prizes) is listed as her first television engagement after being named and crowned.

  IMDB doesn’t list Adams’ appearance on this program, but after looking at some of the photos taken of Ms. Adams in the early 1950′s from her apperances with Earnie Kovacs you can see quite clearly it’s the same person.

  Fascinating window into early television!

  • [Elsewhare]

    Good Lord, I can spell better than that and promise to proofread carefully in the future…

• [adamnvillani]

  Miss Chicago TV gives the most lascivious rendition of “Oklahoma” I’ve seen while wearing the least-lascivious clothing.

• [adamnvillani]

  Also, did the host get his bronzer at the same place as the cast of Jersey Shore?

• [Anonymous]

  Is that Edie Adams (Edith Adams she said) and she sure looks like her.

• [Anonymous]

  Lemon, check out the link I’ve emailed you. The tap shoes are under your desk. Be in my office in 15.