Miss America 1949

Miss America 1949, the 23rd Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 10, 1949. The 1949 pageant marked the first time that a public official, New Jersey Governor Alfred E. Driscoll, had taken part in the coronation, placing the jeweled crown on the new queen's head.[1]

Miss America 1949
DateSeptember 10, 1949
PresentersGovernor Alfred E. Driscoll, Bob Russell
VenueBoardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Entrants52
Placements15
WinnerJacque Mercer
Arizona

The winner, Jacque Mercer, was the first Miss Arizona to take the crown, as well as the last previously married woman before the Miss America pageant adopted new rules.

Among the finalists was Betty Jane Crowley, Miss New Jersey, who became an actress and guest-starred in dozens of television series, billed professionally as Kathleen Crowley. Another future actress, Allison Hayes, competed in the pageant as Miss District of Columbia.

In Philip Roth's 1997 novel, American Pastoral, Mary Dawn Dwyer (the future wife of main protagonist Seymour "Swede" Levov) was Miss New Jersey in the 1949 pageant, and did not make it to the Top 15, despite the contest being held in her home state. Roth recreates the pageant in the novel, and mentions real-life winner Jacque Mercer, as well as several of the judges.

Results
Final results Contestant
Miss America 1949
1st runner-up
2nd runner-up
3rd runner-up
4th runner-up
Top 15

Preliminary awards
Awards Contestant
Lifestyle and Fitness
Talent

Other awards
Awards Contestant
Miss Congeniality

Contestants
Title Name Hometown Age Talent Placement Awards Notes
Alabama Freida Roser Birmingham Classical Vocal
Arizona Jacque Mercer Litchfield 18 Dramatic Reading from Romeo and Juliet Winner Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award


Preliminary Talent Award
Arkansas Barbara Brothers Little Rock Painting Display & Poetry Recitation, "Old Black Joe" & "I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy" Top 15
California Jone Pedersen Santa Rosa Dramatic Monologue, "You Will Come Back" 4th Runner-up Preliminary Talent Award
Canada Margaret Lynn Munn Vancouver Classical Vocal Top 15 Preliminary Talent Award
Chicago Teresa Giorgian Chicago Vocal, "Jealousy" Top 15
Colorado Sylvia Canaday Denver Monologue from Dinner at Eight 3rd Runner-up Preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness Award
Connecticut Barbara Smetana Bridgeport Vocal & Monologue, "Maybe" & "Jackie, Son of a Hardboiled Cop"
District of Columbia Mary Hayes 19 Classical Vocal
Florida Shirley Ann Rhodes Tampa Vocal, "Put Your Shoes on, Lacy"
Georgia Dorothy Johnston LaGrange Vocal from H.M.S. Pinafore
Greater Philadelphia Miriam Lopayowker Philadelphia Electric Guitar, "I'm in the Mood for Love"
Hawaii Bee Jay Johnston Honolulu Top 15
Illinois Trudi Germi Chicago Classical Vocal, "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix" 2nd Runner-up Preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness Award
Indiana Patricia Cunningham Peru Water Ballet
Iowa Barbara Juel Council Bluffs 20 Classical Vocal, "Strie la Vampa" from Il trovatore
Kansas Shirley Hargiss Topeka Vocal, "Cecilia on a See-saw" Top 15
Kentucky Betty Haverstock Louisville
Louisiana Annie Hollingsworth Baton Rouge
Maine Connie Gingrass Augusta Fencing
Maryland Jean Crow Baltimore Fashion Design
Massachusetts Gloria Curelli Roslindale Dance
Minnesota Gloria Burkhart Minneapolis Violin, "Zigeunerweisen" Top 15 Preliminary Talent Award
Mississippi Katherine Wright Pascagoula Dramatic Sketch, "Hagar" 1st Runner-up
Missouri Mary Stone Jefferson City
Montana Carol Fraser Billings Equestrian Display Miss Congeniality After her horse nearly fell into the Orchestra Pit, the use of live animals was banned from the talent competition
Nebraska Vanita Mae Brown Omaha
Nevada Carol Lampe Reno Speech, "4-H"
New Hampshire Flora Sleeper Laconia
New Jersey Betty Jane Crowley Green Bank Poetry Recitation & Vocal, "Might Like a Rose" Top 15 Miss Congeniality
New Mexico Shirley Hughes Carlsbad 18 Charcoal & Chalk Drawing, "Cruising Down the River" Non-finalist Talent Award
New York Wanda Nalepa New York City Speech, "Nursing"
New York City Loreen Osgood New York City Piano, "The Blue Danube" Top 15
North Carolina Nancy Lee Yelverton Rocky Mount Monologue, "A Delightful Dilemma"
North Dakota Kitty Page Bismarck Tap Dance & Baton Twirling
Ohio Florence Bondi Cleveland
Oklahoma Georgine R. Leeka Tulsa Vocal
Oregon Beverly Kruger The Dalles Monologue, "The Waltz" by Dorothy Parker
Pennsylvania Marlene Carozzo Kennett Square Piano, Clair de Lune
Puerto Rico Avelina Medrallo
South Carolina Barrie Wingard Columbia
South Dakota Carol Quinn Sioux Falls Dramatic Monologue from Pygmalion
Tennessee Adelyn Sumner Knoxville Modeling/Speech
Texas Ysleta Leissner Fort Worth Ballet en Pointe
Utah June Barlow Bountiful Vocal/Dress Design, "Villanelle" & "The Wren"
Vermont Annalou Johnston Enosburg Falls
Virginia Betty Lewis Norfolk Vocal
Washington Libby Aldrich Kelso Vocal, "Stormy Weather"
West Virginia Georganne Steiss Barrackville Piano
Wisconsin Phyllis Kessler Green Bay 18 Baton Twirling Top 15
Wyoming Esther McLeod Sheridan

References
  1. Associated Press (1949-09-12). "Jacque Mercer Miss America". Morning Herald. p. 1.

Secondary sources
  • Saulino Osborne, Angela (1995). "Miss Americas and their Courts". Miss America The Dream Lives On. Taylor Publishing Company. ISBN 0-87833-110-7.

Lillian Ross, "Symbol of all we possess (October 22, 1949 (On the Miss America pageant))" from "The 40s: The story of a decade: The New Yorker" Edited by Henry Finder with Giles Harvey Modern Library, New York Copyright 2014 by The New Yorker Magazine

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