Miss America 1955, the 28th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 11, 1954, and marked the first live nationally televised broadcast of the competition on ABC.
Crowned the winner was Lee Meriwether, who later came to fame as co-star of the television series Barnaby Jones and as the character Catwoman in the 1966 film version of Batman, and later, Lily Munster on the television series The Munsters Today.
Results
Placements Placement Contestant Miss America 1955 – Lee Meriwether 1st runner-up – Ann Gloria Daniel 2nd runner-up – Rankin Suber 3rd runner-up – Barbara Sue Nager 4th runner-up – Janice Hutton Somers Top 10 – Marilyn Jean Tate – Regina Janine Dombeck – Linda Weisbrod – Barbara Maxine Quinlan – Gerry Johnson
Awards Preliminary awards Awards Contestant Lifestyle and Fitness California - Lee Meriwether Florida - Ann Gloria Daniel South Carolina - Rankin Suber Talent District of Columbia - Linda Weisbrod Ohio - Barbara Maxine Quinlan Michigan - Janice Hutton Somers (tie) New York City - Heather Taferner (tie)
Other awards Awards Contestant Miss Congeniality Illinois - Patsy BruceNon-finalist Talent Hawaii - Kapiolani Miller
Judges Grace Kelly
Contestants
+StateNameHometownAgeTalentPlacementAwardsNotes AlabamaMarilyn TateHaleyville21Ventriloquism/Classical VocalTop 10 ArizonaMarjorie NylundPhoenixDramatic Reading, "A Marine's Conversation" ArkansasSarah MartinLittle RockClassical Vocal CaliforniaLee MeriwetherSan Francisco19Dramatic Monologue from Riders to the SeaWinnerPreliminary Lifestyle & Fitness AwardActress, best known as Betty Jones in the 1970s television series Barnaby Jones CanadaBarbara Joan MarkhamCornwall ChicagoRegina DombeckChicagoDramatic Monologue from Mary of Scotland by Maxwell AndersonTop 10 ColoradoBarbara BuseyDenverVocal/Dance ConnecticutDorothy HopkinsStorrsPiano DelawareBarbara WoodallClaymontPiano District of ColumbiaLinda WeisbrodWashington, D.C.21Classical Vocal, "O Mio Fernando" from La favoriteTop 10Preliminary Talent Award FloridaAnn Gloria DanielDade City18Accordion, "Lady of Spain"1st runner-upPreliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award GeorgiaMary Jane DoarMacon19Vocal Medley of songs by George Gershwin HawaiiKapiolani MillerHonoluluHulaNon-finalist Talent Award IdahoLaVonne SkalskyNampaDramatic Monologue, "Children of God" IllinoisPatsy BruceCarbondaleDramatic ReadingMiss Congeniality IndianaSue EatonMonticelloArt/Photo Display & Hula IowaCarol MorrisOttumwa18ViolinLater Miss Iowa USA 1956, Miss USA 1956, & Miss Universe 1956 KansasPhyllis DanielsonWichitaVocal KentuckyMargaret Diane HuntLexingtonDance LouisianaGail GleasonShreveportPiano & Art MaineMary Ellen St. JohnOld TownDrama MarylandPhyllis Yvonne LeftwichDundalkVocal MassachusettsJudith DrakeFairhaven MichiganJanice Hutton SomersLansingVocal, "You Made Me Love You"4th runner-upPreliminary Talent Award MinnesotaJeanne ReinceWinonaClassical Vocal MississippiCeleste LuckettClarksdaleDrama MissouriCarole WilkinsonMaplewoodVocal NebraskaSue Welch FisherKearneyClassical Vocal, "Un bel dì vedremo" from Madama Butterfly NevadaJanice BabcockRenoBallet, "Blues" New HampshireMae AllenEppingDrama New JerseyJoan WallerWest OrangeVocal/Dance, "Singin' in the Rain" New York CityHeather TafernerNew York CityClassical Vocal, "L'Air des clochettes" from LakméPreliminary Talent Award North CarolinaBetty RingLexingtonDramatic Monologue, "The Sleepwalking Scene" from Macbeth North DakotaDelores PaulsonBismarckViolin, "Méditation" from Thaïs OhioBarbara QuinlinAllianceClassical Vocal, "Habanera"Top 10Preliminary Talent Award OklahomaCharlavan BakerOklahoma CityDress Design OregonDiane CarmanMilwaukieDrama, "This is America" PennsylvaniaBarbara Sue NagerPhiladelphiaEgyptian Ballet Dance, "Egyptian Suite"3rd runner-up Puerto RicoMaría del Carmen Mejías Rhode IslandVirginia GregoryPawtucketSpeech South Carolina Rankin Suber Whitmire 19 Monologue, "Air Corps" 2nd runner-up Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award South DakotaCleo Ann HarringtonColmanClassical Vocal TennesseeGerry JohnsonNashvilleVocal/Character Pantomime, "The Deadwood Stage"Top 10 TexasYvonne ErwinDallasPiano & Art UtahMaurine ParkerOgdenDrama, "Anne of the Thousand Days" VermontAnnabelle PinkhamBrattleboroDrama VirginiaJulie Ann BrueningSwoopeCharcoal Sketch of "The Statue of Liberty" WashingtonFrances GrahamSpokaneVocal West VirginiaMiriam ReepClarksburgDance WisconsinDixie SarchetStevens Point19Modern Dance, "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue"
References
External links Miss America official website