Miss USA 1956 was the fifth Miss USA pageant, held at Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach, California on 18 July 1956.
At the end of the event, Carlene King Johnson of Vermont crowned Carol Morris as Miss USA 1956. It is the first victory of Iowa in the pageant's history. Morris later competed at Miss Universe and won.
Contestants from forty-three states and cities competed in the pageant. The competition was hosted by Bob Russell.
Background
Selection of participants Contestants from forty-three states and cities were selected to compete in the pageant. The age requirement in this edition is still from 18 to 28, where women who are married and have children can also participate. This was the final edition where women who are married and have children can participate until the rule was lifted in 2023.
Replacements Nola Flowers, who originally won Miss Utah USA, relinquished her title after she intends to get married before the Miss Universe contest. She was replaced by her first runner-up, Cheryl Brown, as Miss Utah USA.
Results
Placements Placement Contestant Miss USA 1956Iowa – Carol Morris 1st runner-upSouth Carolina – Betty Cherry 2nd runner-upArkansas – Nancy McCollum 3rd runner-upNebraska – Shari Lewis 4th runner-upTexas – Jo Dobson Top 15Colorado – Karen Keeler Maryland – Charlene Holt Michigan – Barbara Sias New Jersey – Dolores Winfield North Carolina – Shirley Bagwell Ohio – Eleanor Wood Oregon – Maralyn Turner Tennessee – Stella Wilson Utah – Cheryl Brown Washington – June Svedin
Contestants Forty-three contestants competed for the title. State/CityContestantAgeHometownNotesArizonaMaija Bertulson18TucsonArkansasNancy McCollum19StuttgartCaliforniaShirlee Witty20WilmingtonColoradoKaren Keeler21DenverConnecticutDorothy Bailey19BridgeportDelawareSandra McCabe18SelbyvilleDistrict of ColumbiaJoanne Holler21WashingtonFloridaKim Meyer26OceanwayGeorgiaMary Ruff19GainesvilleIllinoisMuriel Blair23ChicagoIndianaBeverly Mattox19MilroyIowaCarol Morris19OttumwaPreviously Miss Iowa 1954Later won Miss Universe 1956LouisianaCecile Morris19Greenwell SpringsMarylandCharlene Holt28AnnapolisMassachusettsElaine Murphy21WestonMiami Beach, FloridaBeverly Rogers20MiamiMichiganBarbara Sias19DetroitMinnesotaMarilyn Johnson18MinneapolisMissouriCarol Rhea Thrower18KemmettNebraskaShari Lewis19LincolnNevadaMarley Sanderson21Las VegasNew HampshireRita Leclerc21BerlinNew JerseyDelores Winfield21CranfordNew MexicoJackie Brown21AlbuquerqueNew YorkKay Douglas18New York CityNorth CarolinaShirley Bagwell18Raleigh North DakotaMary Harroun19BismarckOhioEleanor Wood18CantonOregonMaralyn Turner19PortlandPennsylvaniaSerena Kifer20MonacaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaMiriam Uniman18PhiladelphiaRhode IslandSandra Vozella18Point JudithSouth CarolinaBetty Cherry20OrangeburgLater Miss World United States 19561st runner-up at Miss World 1956Dale Linder-Altman, " It's happened before: Orangeburg queen also incorrectly labeled winner", The Times and Democrat, 22 December 2015.St. Louis, MissouriDiana Stopke18St. LouisTennesseeStella Wilson19CovingtonTexasJo Dodson18HoustonUtahCheryl Brown18Spanish ForkReplaced Nola Flowers as Miss Utah USAVermontDelores Wettack21WestminsterVirginiaAudra Stark21Virginia BeachWashingtonJune Svedin20SeattleWest VirginiaJanet Cardi24BelleWisconsinPriscilla Perkins20MilwaukeeWyomingMarilyn Scott19Cheyenne
Notes
References
External links
Official website