I work for Miss Missouri. I’m sitting with her right now watching this with her. This is amazing!

I remember years ago everyone set aside pageant night and was glued to the TV. In the 1950s the measurements of the contestants were announced during the swimsuit competition, a practice that was eventually eliminated. Bett Parks was the perfect host. One year he was told to sing a new song, "Look at her..." instead of "There she is, Miss America", presumably due to royalty expenses. At the end of the new song, he felt the disappointment of the audience, and told the orchestra to play the original anthem, which he sang in defiance of the budget and organizers. How we loved him for it!

Reminds me of my mom, she was loving, caring, beautiful mom, she loved me unconditionally, not a bad bone in her body, she was my best friend, I miss her dearly ♥️🌹💔😞🥲

I sat next to Mary Ann's mother, when she won Ms Mississippi in 1959. She was singing along with Mary Ann. I'll never forget that night! I hope sister Sandra is OK. So sad we lost Mary Ann. R.I.P.

Dignity, politeness, elegance, from both men and women. We have lost so much in just 60 years.

The classic Miss America. When I think of great Miss America's she reigns as one of the very best.

Miss Arkansas, Sally Miller, was and still is a beautiful and classy lady. She is 81 now and still gorgeous, eloquent and a very loving individual.

This is my great x many AUNT. I had heard stories but never actually looked into it until now. She was stunning!!!I feel so honored.

@NicholasVincent-ol1zk

4 ай бұрын

#xxxy🤷 triple x why?

I love that Mary Ann retained her lovely elegant southern accent without sounding like a country western singer. There is a complete difference and she proves it.

@bluewaltz4279

3 жыл бұрын

You didn't hear much of that "twangy" talk in my part of Mississippi until around the time Dolly left Porter and Reba came on the scene. When Reba says "night" and similar words, her tone pierces my ear drums.

@Farrah300

3 жыл бұрын

Her accent reminds me of Blanche Devereaux on "The Golden Girls." So southern, and oh so classy.

RIP, Mary Ann Mobley. You were a wonderful Miss America, and you never forgot where you came from.

@ianfrancis777

5 жыл бұрын

Ahhhh, did she die? Too young.

@bluewaltz4279

3 жыл бұрын

She was NOT in the introductory line-up!!! I played it over and over, and she was NOT there!!

@bluewaltz4279

3 жыл бұрын

@@ianfrancis777 Mary Ann died several years ago. When she was in my hometown, Amory, MS, I got to sit by her in a photograph!!

@ianfrancis777

3 жыл бұрын

@@bluewaltz4279 Wow, such a classy lady she was. She added luster to the MIss America crown like few did.

@bluewaltz4279

3 жыл бұрын

@@ianfrancis777 She looked great in 1994 when I got to be in a photograph with her and more stars when they came to my hometown for "Stars Over Mississippi." Classy lady, to say the least. Her husband was very personable, too!

I am struck by the dignity and class of this entire program. Just pure delight and sophistication without vanity, silliness and overt envy of each other. What a wonderful broadcast! Additionally, the judges were the epitome of their fields. Not a single ball player, boxer, TV game show host or ice skater. The Mobley family reminds me of Jimmy Carter's family.

@tomservo56954

7 жыл бұрын

People knew Kitty Carlisle and Bennett Cerf far more for their appearances on the panels of game shows TO TELL THE TRUTH and WHAT'S MY LINE?, respectively, than for anything else (even in Cerf's case, founder and head of Random House publishers)

Selection of judges was refreshing. No "celebrities" just people with talent and experience.

@richatlarge462

4 жыл бұрын

Bennett Cerf was well known from "What's My Line" as well as being the founder/publisher of Random House.

@northernlights9423

3 жыл бұрын

@@richatlarge462 Either way he was qualified to do it. Unlike the others of today who were given the position because of their skin color or who they know.

Thank Heaven this broadcast got recorded. Ms Mobley's walk down the runway is beyond glamour. It is also beyond the commercial Ideals of American femininity. It is one of the few real times in Miss America History where the subjects and The Sovereign made an emotional connection. Really one of the most electrifying moments in the history of live 1950s TV. .

@annerector8765

7 жыл бұрын

Mary Ann was beautiful then, but she blossomed....she became one of the most gorgeous women of all time.

@byrd56

7 жыл бұрын

It's kind of hard to believe that Doug Edwards, despite being CBS' evening news anchor at the time, was allowed to be in the proverbial "commentary box" for the "Miss America". That would have been kind of like Huntley-Brinkley doing the same for the Oscars over on NBC. But even so, how can you go wrong with people like host Bert Parks and backstage co-host Lee Meriwether, whose presence as the first Miss America of the TV era set her up for bigger things, to say nothing of Anita and Mary Ann?

@tomservo56954

7 жыл бұрын

Remember, at the same time he was both nightly news anchor AND president of the news division for ABC...John Daly was better known for hosting WHAT'S MY LINE? on CBS (which, as mentioned, featured pageant judge Bennett Cerf on its panel)

@bluewaltz4279

3 жыл бұрын

You are absolutely right!!!

I remember watching this broadcast live when I was a boy. How sad it was to learn many years later that Marilyn Van Derbur, Miss America 1958, had been sexually abused by her father between the ages of 5 and 18. I admire her for having the courage to reveal this at age 53 and for her work to support other victims of such abuse.

@callmeking1318

Жыл бұрын

Way to bring the crowd down thanks captain kill joy

@edwardjones4870

Жыл бұрын

@@callmeking1318 You’re welcome! I’m sure Marilyn has inspired many girls and women by her courage.

wonderful to see these old moments in time. thank you!

My family would have watched this show and I might have been allowed to stay up late, (I think it was a Saturday night) to watch it. The passage of time: Mary Ann was 21 at the time and died four years ago at age 77!

I have been waiting to see this again! Man, have I waited? Please don't take this off of KZread! Please!

Wait…1959?! How freaking cool!!! I love KZread! Thank you for posting!

i love these old Miss America Pageant telecast especially the Bert Parks year.

At the one hour, 1 second mark, Mary Ann shows exactly how to bring a show to a halt. She was superb!

Thank you for posting this.

A huge THANK YOU, for uploading a gem of a classic television broadcast, showing a future TV and movie star, wife, and mother, who would fight the challenge of having Chrone's Disease, and winning, but she now belongs to the heavens. May Mary Ann Mobley R.I.P., and may her wonderful spirit live on with her family and other Miss America contestants. Also, it was a great revelation to discover that Anita Bryant was competing in that same pageant, that the future spokesperson for Coca-Cola and Florida Orange Juice, who, briefly, flirted with politics in the 70's, was gaining national exposure that she garnered on The Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts Show. That I did not know until I saw the above video. And, interesting enough, she and Mary Ann were two seats apart from each other during the Interview competition, and, yet, Anita was two spots away from becoming Miss America, 1959. I loved the interview with Mary Ann after she won, showcasing her and her family. And that talent routine she did that put her over with the judges. What a talent she was. Again, thanks for the video. Greatly appreciate it.

During the 60s, one contestant blew the audience away by dancing a very energetic hula. It was all we talked about for a week.

Love this song sung by the one and only Bert Parks. When he left the show, I never watched again.

@meloaksfreedom4337

4 жыл бұрын

I must admit that the Miss America Pageant lost a giant spark, when Bert Parks was let go as MC. This is the Pageant's attempt to become more modern. Yet, the reverse happened when millions of viewers stopped watching the show.

@Farrah300

3 жыл бұрын

He had a beautiful tenor voice.

It was so glamorous back then!

@saturn722

6 жыл бұрын

America had very high standards on how people should dress and act towards each other and tried to convey these standards through TV and Movies. Then the 60's happened and we've been circling the drain ever since. I think President Trump wants people to take more pride in themselves and in their country. I think that's what he means by MAGA.

@Farrah300

3 жыл бұрын

@LoveEverton John Very sadly, their day had not come at that time. Thankfully, they compete now.

@northernlights9423

3 жыл бұрын

@@saturn722 I could not agree more. I fear this type of class is lost forever.

Oh gosh she was Gorgeous....

I was eight when I watched this on TV. I can't believe this tape exists today. I remember Marilyn van Derbur and Mary Ann Mobley so well. I forgot the much more notorious Anita Bryant was in this pageant. Mobley's little sister was hilarious and how humble Mary Ann was, but also what a pro. I mean, she practically did a commercial for Philco products off the cuff within a couple of minutes of being named Miss America. If you watch the clip of Bert Parks at the 1990 pageant, you can see Mary Ann again, as one of the former Miss Americas on the runway with him. Those were very different days. Happy to see that women from Mississippi and anywhere else have many more opportunities and choices today, but back in the 50's, this was a big deal. PS I'm sure I asked my parents when New York City and Chicago became separate states. Happily, there wasn't a Miss Tuscaloosa, Miss Billings and Miss Waco, etc. too. "And now let's meet our 17,000 contestants in the parade of states!" Thank you for sharing this video.

Mary Ann Mobley won this hands down because she was very confident in her abilities and in answering questions. She also had a very good sense of humor. RIP.

Ms Mobley once observed in a documentary about the Miss American pageant that Miss America 1958 was blond, gorgeous, and had legs that started at Ms Mobley's armpits. She also noted that the audience liked her performance, [1:01:35} probably because she did not finish singing that d@%^ opera for the entire time. Changes Made indeed. By 1959, if not earlier, the television networks and the sponsors had morphed Miss America into a live coronation of the Idealization of The Flower of American Girlhood.

Miss California made her own gown. It is so beautiful

Loved Anita Bryant

This would have been September, 1958. Alaska did not officially become a state until early 1959.

@Juliaflo

6 жыл бұрын

The pageant that took place the following year was the first to include a delegate from all 50 states. The winner was Lynda Lee Mead, not only a MIss MIssissippi, but also a schoolmate and sorority sister of Miss Mobley.

@richatlarge462

4 жыл бұрын

And Hawaii later in 1959.

Anita Bryant and Mary Ann Mobley. together. mind boggles.

@Farrah300

3 жыл бұрын

I love Anita Bryant's hit song, "Paper Roses."

@1517CalvinMartin

2 жыл бұрын

Plus Lee Meriwether.

I'm going to download this and watch it someday. It looks fun.

Miss.....CANADA??????? Since when did Miss Canada compete in the Miss America pageant!?

@bluewaltz4279

3 жыл бұрын

Miss Canada, Miss Chicago, Miss New York City, and Miss District of Columbia, were all in for years!! They were all eliminated a few years later!

@tomservo56954

Жыл бұрын

@@bluewaltz4279 Bess Myerson won as Miss New York City

The good old days of pageantry.

Douglas Edwards was the anchor of the CBS Evening News, Walter Cronkite's predecessor. He anchored CBS Radio News for many years thereafter.

Mary Ann Mobley was the first Mississippian to be crowned Miss America 1959

@marygraves732

5 жыл бұрын

,bmp masrnmnb bhai ysvkchg

So beautiful and classy.

I thought Miss Connecticut was the prettiest one of the semi-finalists, but Mobley nailed the talent portion as the final performer, and blew them away with her first interview answer (though not as much as Miss Iowa did), had a nice smile and lots of personality, and deserved to win. It's great seeing her so happy at the end of the show. Seems that Miss Connecticut passed away in 2000 at age 61. Mobley in 2014 at age 77.

What a wonderful time in America.

I knew Anita Bryant was a Miss America contestant, but didn't know she competed in the same year Mary Ann Mobely won.

Mary Ann Mobley got even more beautiful as she got older.

@gregpoorman4269

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah she did!!!

It’s strange how the ten finalists already knew they were in the top 10 before the pageant even started, and they’re also not included in the parade of states!

Originally telecast on September 6, 1958.

I would have loved to have seen Miss America 1945. Of course, I'm talking about the one and only Bess Myerson.

It's heartbreaking to see what American women have become in less than 60 years. I know women like this still exist in our great country but they aren't held up by the mainstream media as examples for young girls to follow. Grace, poise, dignity, modesty and maturity are extremely attractive qualities to have. Back then it was cool to act like a lady. Today? Not so much : ( : (

@suearmstrong9597

4 жыл бұрын

Also very naive......TOO NAIVE. Today a woman has a choice and a voice.....unlIke Miss America 1958... that was sexually abused by her FATHER from age 5 to age 18. NO MORE OF BEING A GOOD LITTLE GIRL. Thank you Lord Jesus for bringing us out of the dark ages and showing US the LIGHT.. ♥️🌿🕊

@saturn722

4 жыл бұрын

Sue Armstrong I’m not sure what you’re saying. How were women in the “dark ages” in 1958? Unfortunately there are still perverted men that rape their own kids. What do you mean when you say “no more being a good little girl”? When you mention choice, I’m assuming you mean by killing the human life growing inside her? Did you know a large majority of abortions are done for birth control?

@ValleyoftheRogue

4 жыл бұрын

Women don't care what men like you think.

@northernlights9423

3 жыл бұрын

Glenn L I agree with you. ❤️

This was so to be about Marilyn Van Durber, her Miss America Pageant, but I really enjoyed this one as well haven't seen this one, didn't know Mary Ann M. And Anita Briyant were in the same pageant

Anita Bryant was actually very pretty as an 18 year old.

@VTMCompany

7 жыл бұрын

In my book, she was the prettiest gal in the pageant. She deserved 1st runner-up instead of 2nd.

@MrRee-rs5dm

6 жыл бұрын

Anita Bryant had hairy eyebrows and her eyes were set too far apart. Her talent in my estimation was the best, but she screwed up her 2nd question. Mary Ann Mobley was a terrific Miss America, and a much nicer person than Anita Bryant.

@krpbdp

2 жыл бұрын

Hard to watch Anita Bryant before she began her mission of absolute hate, ruining the lives of so many. I actually worked with her once and she was lovely with a remarkable voice. What happened?

@timothyleon558

Жыл бұрын

I’m from Oklahoma, and Anita Bryant was once one who made us proud. She somehow turned into someone almost wicked. Perhaps by now, in her old age, she has softened that. For her sake, I hope so. She may have actually won this thing if she didn’t blow her questions so badly.

That was funny when that lady hurried up and took Mary Ann's hand off her face so she could put the cape on her. lol

The south has such beautiful women. ....okay okay......I am a southerner. But really , it's true. And Mississippi would often be on the finals as well as the other southern states. They gave us the most wins

@northernlights9423

3 жыл бұрын

Southern woman are beautiful. No one ever talks about southern woman, but those in the south know how many gems lives in the south. Classy, beautiful and confident is how I perceive southern woman. Didn't the pageants originate from the south?

Interesting panel of judges.

I miss the fifties

My favorite parts are 25:04 - 26:49, 1:01:30 - 1:05:19, and of course, when Mary Ann Mobley won the pageant!

1:16:15 Good Night without calling Father? 1:17:31 Education preparing us for The Space Age? 1:19:06 Choosing an Escort 1:20:06 1 Talent 1:21:45 Favorite Topic to start conversation 1:23:03 Judging Greatness 1:24:55 Fault of American Men 1:26:41 Large or Small Family? 1:28:31 Future Husband 1:29:28 Strict Parent or Permissive Parent? 1:31:00 Miss America 1958

1:30:48 Miss America 1958 Marilyn + Realization, Cities and People + Thank You 1:34:08 1:37:45 Miss America

What happened to Ms. Mississippi.....?she wasn't in the initial line up but I wonder why?

We need more of this good, clean entertainment. Know what I mean??

Bert Parks was so funny!

John Greenstreet: do you have any other pageants from that era you can post on youtube?

@JohnGreenstreet26714

7 жыл бұрын

Afraid that this is the only one I have.

@meloaksfreedom4337

4 жыл бұрын

@@JohnGreenstreet26714 Thank for posting this classic video. Since I am a native of Atlantic City and every September always caught what was called "Pageant Fever", this historic telecast is so meaningful to me.

Can someone timestamp Miss South Carolina for me?

Even then they dragged out BeBe Shopp.

Also, thought I was going nuts...these finalists were NOT in the parade of states? Glad they changed that. Also, someone please tell me Anita Bryant trips at some point.😅

@billhughes8726

10 ай бұрын

She did. But it was several years later.

Where was Alabama and Texas ?? Why is Chicago and Canada in here??

@richatlarge462

4 жыл бұрын

The ten semi-finalists were not part of the first parade of states. They were in the next segment instead. I don't know why Chicago and New York City had extra contestants. Maybe because of the relative hugeness of the US's two largest cities back then. I have no idea about Canada, because no, this wasn't a "Miss North America" pageant.

Aww what a pretty and funny lady Mary Ann Mobley was xxx Rip

Mary Ann Mobley's talent was daring for its time.

@bluewaltz4279

3 жыл бұрын

A few years later, there was a new rule: No contestant could remove any clothing during her talent show!!

How about we make Miss America the queen of America and give her lots of power?

filled with it's realization? What's that mean?

The year I was born

Miss Canada, Miss New York City, and Miss Chicago were contestants.

Rip Bert Parks and Mary Anne Mobley

Where was Miss Oklahoma in the parade of states?

@Juliaflo

5 жыл бұрын

Miss Oklahoma was one of the finalists, and therefore did not march in the parade. (That representative was Anita Bryant).

In later years, the contestants introduce themselves.

She was just as cute as a button.

That was funny when that lady hurried up and took Mary Ann's hands off her face so she could put the cape on her. lol. My grandmother said she remembers when Mary Ann won. I wasn't born yet. I thought they were suppose to give the winner some flowers or that stick with the crown on it.

@meloaksfreedom4337

4 жыл бұрын

That woman who took Mary Ann hands from her face was Lenora Slaughter who had spend 30 years as Executive Director of the Miss America Pageant.Along with various changes to the contest, over the years the winner was given flowers and the stick with the crown on it. The cape draped on the winner procedure was dropped during the 1970s.

4:59 hi Nana!

This brings tears to my eyes. One because Mary Ann Mobley is so beautiful and a legendary Miss America, but also that as of 2019, there will no longer be an evening gown competition in Miss America. The current heads of Miss America has stripped all the glamour, beauty, and sophistication from the pageant and expect people to watch a 2 hour job interview with 90 second talent presentations. All in the name trying to prove something to people that don't care about the pageant at all.

@ValleyoftheRogue

4 жыл бұрын

Because women are not things to gawk at, understand? It was either move with the times or ditch the pageant altogether.

@SoutherbBelle

4 жыл бұрын

@@ValleyoftheRogue I completely understand that NO ONE should gawk at women. However, the pageant was also very entertaining and would have musical numbers prior to or before the next competition. The 2019-2020 pageant was boring and striped of the entertainment value that made the show fun to watch. I know that the women who compete in Miss America are very bright, smart, intelligent, and an asset to our society. However, you should forgo the fun side of the pageant in the name of trying to appease a small group of people who don't care about the pageant at all.

@billhughes8726

10 ай бұрын

Isn't that what a beauty contest is for? They are judged AND gawked at!

Oh, BTW, Mary Ann Mobley was not shown taking part in the initial parade of contestants. Scratching my head, here. How could they ignore the eventual winner?

@Juliaflo

5 жыл бұрын

At that time, those finalists who had been chosen did not march in the parade of delegates.

@Celluloidwatcher

5 жыл бұрын

I guess it showed how the pageant's evolution was taking place. Another thing, I wonder when did Miss America eliminate the method of contestants representing cities, and went with the format of state representation?

@Juliaflo

5 жыл бұрын

@@Celluloidwatcher I believe that that took place around the mid to late 1960's. (Of course, Canada was removed from the Miss America roll as well).

@larrydotson1178

5 жыл бұрын

The top 10 were not in the beginning line up. They explain that at the beginning. Just before air time the contestants where told who the 10 were.

@malcolmmarshall5946

4 жыл бұрын

Celluloidwatcher 1964.

Anita gave one brilliant answer and one terrible one. It happens, but she’s was obviously not schooled in the astronomy sciences very well.

I was born in 1959

#1959

One more...OMG Iowa...talk about bringing everyone down. 😮

Wait, hold on, Miss Canada participated here in Miss America 1959? Really?!

In the 1970 's Ebony Magazine had there own pageant The Miss Black America Pageant

@joanleese3898

5 жыл бұрын

I think it’s not fair that blacks can have their own pageant and the white race doesn’t.

@davanmani556

4 жыл бұрын

Joan Leese look at these contestants, it was who passed for white the best.

Remember watching and we couldn't tell who was who? Ball gowns out to there? Lol. No color TVs yet...

Femininity, poise, beauty, family, God, country, fast forward to today, ugh

1:22:00 ....OMG

The sponsor makes guided missiles for government and industry, lol. Grammar....

this must have been so disheartening for girls of any other ethnicity or oddity to watch

miss Chicago? what state is Chicago? alphabetical order? miss new york city?

Why does Anita Bryant look like shes 30 years old?

in those years there was still racial discrimination because I dont see any black girl or Latin one

@billhughes8726

10 ай бұрын

The first black contestant was in 1970.

What's odd knowing the world's history, that the Europeans did live under a hegemony of skin tone in an evolving democratizing - offer, gradually - of power, and that it did the right thing, as you can see it involved but did not pivot on the opinions of what one person can do - but it was not a kingdom that ended it by decree. It required the hard way, of enjoining being under neverending attack that the most reliable predictor was religion in a world inclusive of that more just, feminine nature about to exist and manifest that equality, the long-suffering innocence of individuals finally but also about to be immediately blamed for the universal transition as a part of that civic feeling's competing status, including for gay people versus that king of; those kings, as no man, and suddenly women had rights regarding, despite these long gone in most cases agreeable lives about to and already starting to transform America, which it is hardly ever acknowledged involved in many stages all sorts of indicators of status and well-being following in mid-century decades of socialist struggle as a broadly recognizable cause, of which, when tv was brand new, would not be the most important reason behind in still very poor areas wrought of industry where knowledge was a cover, as freedom and what human character as weaker is for as able. As sad to celebrate women based on standards of beauty allowing them that competition, others in all of equality's causes are celebrated at least in the Christian sense without choice and freedom as rights in that sense, except as immediately getting beyond it, to other life, too, though as spirit she was wounded, crushed and killed for being gay at the time, and overly blamed, for blame itself - but that was a later revision, seeing all of realistic comprehension or the least related insensitivity from before acknowledging such truth as this as too good. I could understand the most bitter opinions or not understanding any of this, and the rights of the insane or hateful, but to claim people like any are as bad as a simply unleashed army of torturers of people of all ages, relishing, as the nature of hate and vengeance as good, committing unfathomable crimes as a non-stop expanding expenditure is bizzarre and - sick, and not to be tolerated or allowed by law and the defense of persons, within rights as applicable, even as further developments and governance of anything is concerned or limited or resented. What can be forgiven or forgotten ought not be based on denying the best of recoveries or hope for the pattern of war, and time is true and worth defending. Loss is best mourned. I never would have imagined I would have seen the history of any pattern in light of what takes over as real average grasps of how anyone could freely develop treatment of presumable best left uncivilized limits of what might get strangled more so by another species in due timing, not that everyone is a member of the Illuminati - or a Miss America contestant. Let it be a lesson and warning that no future civilization in the age of aquarius simply let its education "stop", due to resentment/jealousy - even of what other people have or are doing in a blessedly free enough world that cares, because I do, and that's what I see in these people but my head is too sick to watch, or traditionalism.

@billhughes8726

10 ай бұрын

Arguably Arrogant Animal.... Honey, it shows.

where are the black people during this year?

@henryettajakes1439

7 жыл бұрын

Black women didn't compete in Miss America until the 1970s. Before then, they were not even allowed in the pageant.

@Juliaflo

6 жыл бұрын

Actually, Rule Number Seven, -"of good health and of the white race" was repealed in 1950, thanks, in part to Yolande Betbeze, Miss America 1951 (the first postdated titleholder).

Why was there a miss chicago and a miss Illinois

34:56 This awful talent portion won this gal 1st runner-up to eventual winner.

@billhughes8726

10 ай бұрын

You're right. She must really have struggled to come up with a talent presentation!

Real diverse crowd right there 😂

@tek6423

3 жыл бұрын

Does this trouble you?

@josephd15

10 ай бұрын

Yes it does it's nothing but disgusting white people. It's like watching the help

Even miss New Mexico was white 😂

1:18:00 lol

White white white white white white 🙄