Miss Universe 1959
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Short description|8th Miss Universe pageant}}
{{Infobox beauty pageant
| photo = Akiko Kojima (1959).jpg
| caption = Akiko Kojima
| date = {{Start date|1959|07|24|df=y}}
| presenters = Byron Palmer
| venue = Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach, California, United States
| broadcaster = CBS
| entrants = 34
| placements = 15
| debuts = {{Hlist|Bolivia|Burma|Luxembourg}}
| withdraws = {{Hlist|Alaska|Australia|British Guiana|Chile|Paraguay|Singapore|Suriname|Venezuela|West Indies}}
| returns = {{Hlist|Austria|Costa Rica|Iceland|Thailand|Turkey}}
| winner = Akiko Kojima
| represented = Japan
| congeniality = Sodsai Vanijvadhana (Thailand)
| photogenic = Pamela Anne Searle (England)
| before = 1958
| next = 1960
}}
Miss Universe 1959 was the eighth Miss Universe pageant, held at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, United States on 24 July 1959. This was the last year that the pageant was held in Long Beach before it moved to Miami Beach, Florida in 1960.
At the end of the event, Luz Marina Zuluaga of Colombia crowned Akiko Kojima of Japan as Miss Universe 1959.{{cite news |date=July 26, 1959 |title=Japanese Girl Beauty Queen |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CfljAAAAIBAJ&pg=4637,1222532&dq=akiko+kojima&hl=en |access-date=5 January 2011}} Kojima was the first representative of Japan, and the first Asian woman to win the contest.{{Cite news|last=Davidson|first=Garber|date=26 July 1959|title=Japanese Beauty wins Miss Universe Title|language=en|pages=1|work=Park City Daily News|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FP0eAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JEcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1654%2C1750404|access-date=13 October 2023|via=Google News Archive}}
Contestants from thirty-four countries and territories competed in this year's pageant. The pageant was hosted by Byron Palmer.
Background
= Selection of participants =
Contestants from thirty-four countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant.
== Debuts, returns, and withdrawals ==
This edition saw the debuts of Bolivia, Burma, and Luxembourg, and the returns of Austria, Iceland, Thailand, and Turkey. Thailand last competed in 1954, while Austria, Iceland, and Turkey last competed in 1957. Alaska, Australia, British Guiana, Chile, Paraguay, Singapore, Suriname, Venezuela, and the West Indies withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.{{Cite web|date=15 May 2003|title=Miss Venezuela's Out of Miss Universe|url=https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/Miss-Venezuela-s-Out-of-Miss-Universe-7109422.php|access-date=13 October 2023|website=Midland Daily News|language=en-US|archive-date=5 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221105014213/https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/Miss-Venezuela-s-Out-of-Miss-Universe-7109422.php|url-status=dead}}
Christine Matias of the Philippines was set to compete at Miss Universe, but was barred by her university, the Philippine Women's University, as they do not allow their students to wear a swimsuit in front of the public.{{Cite web|date=16 September 2017|title=Cristina Matias: Miss Philippines 1959|url=https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2017/09/16/1739824/cristina-matias-miss-philippines-1959|access-date=13 October 2023|website=Philippine Star|language=en}}{{Cite news|date=19 June 1959|title=Four Countries Bar Beauty Contest|language=en|pages=21|work=The Canberra Times|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/114844770?searchTerm=Miss%20Universe|access-date=13 October 2023|via=Trove}} Aida Kadamani was supposed to represent the United Arab Republic at Miss Universe, but withdrew after refusing to wear a swimsuit in front of the judges.{{Cite news|date=19 July 1959|title=UAR won't be represented at "Miss Universe" contest|language=en|page=4|work=The Racine Journal-Times Sunday Bulletin|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10912777/the-racine-journal-times-sunday-bulletin/|access-date=13 October 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} She was then replaced by Nawal Ramli, but she also did not push through with the competition as the pageant organizers failed to answer her queries whether she could substitute Kadamani. Indonesia was supposed to compete for the first time, but was not able to send a candidate due to protests in Jakarta against the creation of Miss Indonesia.{{Cite news|date=15 July 1959|title=Beauty contests banned in modest Indonesia; obscene|language=en|pages=B4|work=News Journal|url=https://virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=NJN19590715-02.1.4&srpos=41&e=------195-en-20--41--txt-txIN-Miss+Universe-------|access-date=13 October 2023|via=Virginia Chronicle}} Other countries who would not sanction their people to appear in swimsuits according to Oscar Reinhardt, then-executive producer of Miss Universe Inc., include Ireland, Portugal, and Spain. Spain and Portugal would send their first representatives in the following year.
Results
= Placements =
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%;" |
| Placement
! Contestant |
|---|
| Miss Universe 1959
|
|
| 1st runner-up
| |
| 2nd runner-up
|
|
| 3rd runner-up
| |
| 4th runner-up
| |
| Top 15
|
|
= Special awards =
| class="wikitable sortable unsortable" style="font-size: 95%;"
!Award !Contestant |
| Miss Friendship
| |
| Miss Photogenic
|
|
| Miss Popular Girl
| |
Pageant
= Format =
Same with 1955, 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.{{Cite news |last=Thomas |first=Bob |date=24 July 1959 |title=How do losers feel in Universe tussle? |pages=7B |work=The Evening Independent |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AgRQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YVUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5432%2C4948247 |access-date=12 October 2023 |via=Google News Archive}}
= Selection committee =
- Maxwell Arnow – American director
- Claude Berr – French director, writer, producer, actor and film distributor{{Cite news |date=25 July 1959 |title=Protest |pages=10 |work=The Press-Courier |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lVNLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lyMNAAAAIBAJ&pg=6454%2C5237131 |access-date=12 October 2023 |via=Google News Archive}}
- Ghislaine R. de Amador – Ecuadorian judge
- Vion Papamichalis - film producer
- Joseph Ruttemberg - Ukrainian-American photojournalist and cinematographer
- Vincent Trotta – American artist
- Paul Wellmann - American journalist
Contestants
File:Vera Ribeiro e Akiko Kojima.jpg
Thirty-four contestants competed for the title.{{Cite news |date=19 July 1959 |title=Most beautiful girls in world |pages=8 |work=Independent |location=Long Beach, California |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/independent/128548377/ |access-date=20 July 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}}
Notes
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.missuniverse.com/ Miss Universe official website]
{{Miss Universe}}
{{Miss Universe 1959 delegates}}