Miss Atomic pageants are held in the United States, generally, in Nevada, to celebrate the City of Las Vegas's modernity.
The five "Miss Atomics" edit
The pageants were "inspired by the cultural phenomena, Las Vegas decided to combine two of its major attractions—nuclear bombs and showgirls—into a beauty contest".[1] There were only four "showgirl-turned-beauty-queens" and "there was no single Miss Atomic Bomb beauty pageant, and most of the queens were simply showgirls chosen for their radiant ... looks".[2] "The queens came about in an only loosely related manner: atomic-themed, usually of the mushroom cloud variety, costumes."[2][3]
- The first atomic pin-up girl, Candyce King, appeared on May 9, 1952, in the Evening Telegraph (Dixon, Illinois) and the Day Record (Statesville, North Carolina) papers as "Miss Atomic Blast".[2][4]
- In the spring of 1953, the city of North Las Vegas chose Paula Harris as Miss North Las Vegas of 1953 and gave her the nickname "Miss A-Bomb".[2][4]
- In 1955, Operation Cue drew attention when it was delayed multiple times because of high winds and was nicknamed "Operation Mis-Cue." Linda Lawson was crowned "Miss Cue" on May 1, 1955. The title was "to illustrate another mis-firing of the Operation Cue Bomb." Lawson's "crown" was a mushroom cloud.[2][4][5][6]
- The last and most famous was Lee Merlin, crowned as "Miss Atomic Bomb", coinciding with Operation Plumbbob, while wearing a cotton mushroom cloud on the front of her swimsuit. The popular photograph by Don English was distributed nationally. She is currently "Miss Atomic".[2][4][7][8] Don English of the Las Vegas Sun photographed her.[3][6][9]
In popular culture edit
Several references to the Atomic pageants have appeared in various media over the years.
- In October 2012, the Las Vegas-based rock band, the Killers, released the song "Miss Atomic Bomb".[2][6]
- The stage musical Miss Atomic Bomb, set in 1950s America at the time of nuclear testing, ran from March 7 to April 9, 2016 at London's St. James Theatre.[10] It was written by Adam Long, Gabriel Vick and Alex Jackson-Long and starred Catherine Tate, Simon Lipkin, Dean John-Wilson, Daniel Boys and Florence Andrews.[11] The show received poor reviews from critics, including a one-star review from The Stage.[12]
- In Michael Mann's 1960s-set police drama Crime Story, in one of the later episodes, the photograph of Lee A. Merlin, as Miss Atom Bomb, shows up in the background in the bar patronized by the detectives.[9]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Zimmerman, Jess (16 March 2013). "Odd Contests: Miss Atomic Bomb". Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g Wheeler, Anne (17 September 2013). "4 Atomic-Themed 1950s Beauty Queens". Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ a b "Copa Room showgirl Lee Merlin". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Miss Atom Bomb" (PDF). DOE. August 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ Lotgering S. "Winner of 'Miss Atomic Bomb' Pageant". Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ a b c Ian (15 January 2014). "A is for Miss Atomic Bomb". Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ "Miss Atomic Bomb: the A-Bomb in Popular Culture—Comics, Cakes and the Will of God". JF Ptak Science Books. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ "Miss Atomic Bomb, 1957". 6 March 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ a b GEERHART, BILL (5 June 2010). "Miss Atomic Bomb (Lee Merlin) Update!". CONELRAD ADJACENT. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ O'Hanlon, Dom (2016-06-08). "Review of Miss Atomic Bomb at the St James Theatre". London Theatre. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
- ^ "Miss Atomic Bomb (St James Theatre) | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
- ^ "Miss Atomic Bomb review, St James Theatre, London, 2016". The Stage. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
External links edit
- The Killers music video of Miss Atomic Bomb Miss Atomic Bomb on YouTube
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