Miss USA 1957

Miss USA 1957
Date July 17, 1957
Presenters Bob Russell
Venue Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach, California, United States
Entrants 44
Placements 15
Winner

Mary Leona Gage
 Maryland (dethroned)

Charlotte Sheffield
 Utah (successor)

Miss USA 1957, the sixth Miss USA pageant, took place in Long Beach, California on July 17, 1957, during the run-up to the year's Miss Universe pageant.

The 1957 Miss USA pageant is, as of 2017, the only occasion to date that the winner was stripped of her title by pageant organizers.

Scandal and dethronement

At the end of the pageant, Mary Leona Gage of Maryland was declared the winner and was crowned by the outgoing titleholder, Miss Universe 1956 Carol Morris, of Iowa. The following day, rumors about Gage's past and current circumstances began to circulate, and an investigation was launched by pageant organisers.

It was discovered that Gage had lied about her age (she was 18, not 21 as she had claimed), and her mother-in-law confirmed she was also twice-married, and the mother of two young children. As these were violations of several eligibility rules, Gage was immediately disqualified.[1][2]

The title and the associated prize package automatically passed to the 1st runner-up, Charlotte Sheffield of Utah. The other three finalists were moved one place, and the highest-scoring semi-finalist, Kathryn Gabriel of Ohio, become the 4th runner-up. Unfortunately, by the time the scandal broke publicly, the Miss Universe preliminary judging had already taken place, with Gage chosen as a semi-finalist, and allowed to participate pending the results of the investigation. It was too late for Sheffield to compete, and it would be the only time the United States has not been represented at the Miss Universe pageant.[1]

Later that year, Sheffield was sent to London as the USA contestant for Miss World 1957, but she failed to place.

Results

Final Results Contestant
Miss USA 1957
1st Runner-up
2nd Runner-up
3rd Runner-up
4th Runner-up
  • Ohio Ohio - Kathryn Gabriel
Top 15

Delegates

The Miss USA 1957 delegates were:

States

Cities

References

  1. 1 2 Woestendiek, John (April 10, 2005). "The Long, Unhappy Pageant of Mary Leona Gage". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  2. ↑ Thursby, Keith (October 9, 2010). "Leona Gage, Miss USA For a Day, Dies at 71". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
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