Miss Universe 1956 was the fifth Miss Universe pageant, held at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, on 20 July 1956.
At the conclusion of the event, Hillevi Rombin of Sweden crowned Carol Morris of the United States as Miss Universe 1956. It is the second victory of the United States in the history of the pageant.
Contestants from thirty countries and territories competed in this edition. The pageant was hosted by Bob Russell for the fifth time.
Background
Selection of participants Contestants from thirty countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. This is the last edition before 2023 where women who are married and have children can participate. Two contestants were selected to replace the original dethroned winner.
Replacements Guðlaug Guðmundsdóttir, the first runner-up of Miss Iceland 1956, was appointed to replace Miss Iceland 1956 Ágústa Guðmundsdóttir after it was discovered that the latter was already married. Edith Noble Nakpil was replaced by Isabel Escobar Rodriguez as the representative of the Philippines due to undisclosed reasons.
Debuts, returns, and withdrawals This edition saw the debuts of the British Guiana, the Dominican Republic, Holland, and Iceland, and the returns of Turkey and Peru, which last competed in 1953 and 1954, respectively. Mirva Arvinen of Finland withdrew for undisclosed reasons. Ceylon, El Salvador, Honduras, Lebanon, Nicaragua, Norway, South Korea, and the West Indies withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or designate a contestant.
Results
Placements Placement Contestant Miss Universe 1956 – Carol Morris 1st Runner-Up – Marina Orschel 2nd Runner-Up – Ingrid Goude 3rd Runner-Up – Iris Waller 4th Runner-Up Italy – Rossana Galli Top 15 Argentina – Ileana Carré – Lucienne Auquier – Maria Cardoso – Marcia Rodríguez – Anita Treyens Greece – Rita Gouma – Sara Tal – Erna Bauman – Lola Sabogal – Blanca Heredia
Special awards Award Contestant Miss Friendship – Anabella Granados Miss Photogenic – Marina Orschel Miss Popular Girl – Carol Morris
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.
Selection committee Vincent Trotta – Artistic Director at Paramount Pictures James H. Noguer – American professor of Foreign Languages Tom Kelley – American photographer Dorothy Kirsten – American opera singer Earl Wilson – American journalist and columnist Alberto Vargas – Peruvian-American painter known for his "Vargas Girls" Max Factor – American businessman and make-up man Claude Berr – Founder and president of the Comité International Pour L'election de Miss Europe
Contestants Thirty contestants competed for the title. Country/Territory Contestant Age Hometown Alaska 18 Fairbanks Argentina 19 Buenos Aires Belgium 19 Brussels Brazil 21 Porto Alegre British Guiana 20 Georgetown Canada 18 Toronto Chile 20 Santiago Costa Rica 18 Alajuela Cuba 19 Havana Dominican Republic 22 Ciudad Trujillo Ecuador 18 Guayaquil England 21 Gateshead France 18 Paris Greece 20 Athens Guatemala 21 Guatemala City Holland 20 Alkmaar Iceland 19 Kópavogur Israel 22 Tel Aviv Italy 21 Rome Japan 19 Aizuwakamatsu Mexico 18 Mexico City Peru 21 Lima Philippines 19 Manila Puerto Rico 20 Santurce, San Juan Sweden 19 Stockholm Turkey 18 Istanbul United States 20 Des Moines Uruguay 19 Montevideo Venezuela 22 Caracas West Germany 19 Berlin
Notes
References
External links
Miss Universe official website