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PUBLISHED by MORECAMBE CORPORATION PUBLICITY

DEPARTMENT

Printed by THE VISITOR MODERN PRESS

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B O R O U G H O F

M O R E C A M B E

& H E Y S H A M

SUPER SWIMMING STADIUM

GRAND FINAL Simtutji Bispatfh

M O R E C A M B E

MTIOML itAl iliii !itU TV IOVTFST In association with Mecca Dancing: and JButlins Holiday Camps

WEDNESDAY, 26lh AUGUST, 1953 Price - Sixpence

) F O R E W O R D

By CHARLES EADE, The Editor of the " Sunday Dispatch."

Parading today will be 40 of Britain's most beautiful girls, truly justifying our claim that the " Sunday Dispatch-Morecambe " National Bathing Beauty Contest stands supreme.

At the first final in June, 1945, I promised that no effort would be spared to make the competition world famous, and each year has seen its popularity and influence increasing. Now the title of

Miss Great Britain," with its £ 1,000 1st prize and the Sunday Dispatch silver rose bowl, is the most coveted of all awards. These beautiful girls have today been chosen from thousands of entries, and the winner will surely be a worthy representa­tive of Great Britain in the " Miss World " contest to be held in London later this year. So with this final of 1953, I feel that the promise I made eight years ago has been kept.

The search for Britain's most beau­tiful bathing belle starts in the winter months, when from the Photographic Section, Miss Ireland Miss England, Miss Wales and Miss Scotland are chosen.

Again this year, in association with Mecca Dancing, heats have been held in cities and towns throughout Great Britain and Ireland, while personal appearance heats have also taken place during the summer in this Swimming Stadium.

A new feature of the contest is the appearance of finalists from Buflin's Holiday Camps at Skegness, Pwllheli, Filey, Ay re, Clacton and Dublin. Through these different sections we have made it possible for girls everywhere to enter the contest.

During the year famous stage and screen stars such as Betty Jumel, Norman Evans, Hal Monty, Five Smith Brothers, Lester Ferguson, Derek Roy, Jimmy Hanley, Max and Harry Nesbitt, Reg Dixon, Victor Seaforth, Dave Morris, Arthur English, Eddie Gray, Peggy Powell, Vic Oliver, Petula Clark Jimmy James, Betty Driver, Alec Pleon, David Hughes, Joan Rhodes, Derek Bond, David Whitefield and Karen Greer, have judged our heats. They have carried out their jobs with great integrity, and have upheld the high standard of judging for which the contest is renowned.

To the 40 finalists I wish the best of luck, and each will know that in selecting the winner the judges, those famous Americans Abbott and Costello, and myself, will have carried out the task with scrupulous fairness.

Northcliffe House,

London, E.C.4. E Cxdz

Programme of Events commencing at 1.30 p.m.

Band of 1st Battn. King's Own Royal Regiment Bandmaster L. Morley, A.R.C.M.

EXCERPTS FROIvl THE " 1953 WATER SPECTACLE." Presented by Jack Payne and Will Hammer. Produced by Joseph

Cunningham.

George Senior at the Hammond Organ.

THE PAGEANT OF BEAUTY, 1953 EDITION

Presenting the FINALISTS in the famous "Sunday Dispatch-Morecambe" National Bathing Beauty Contest.

(a) Introduction of JUDGES and PLATFORM PARTY.

(b) PARADE and FINAL ADJUDICATION.

(c) ANNOUNCEMENT of JUDGES' DECISION.

(d) PRESENTATION of PRIZES by

THE WORSHIPFUL THE MAYOR OF MORECAMBE AND HEYSHAM (Councillor E. Park, J.P.).

CHARLES EADE, Esq.

BUD ABBOTT and LOU COSTELLO.

FURTHER EXCERPTS from the 1953 WATER SPECTACLE

PREVIOUS WINNERS 1946 Miss JUNE RIVERS 1947 Miss JUNE MITCHELL 1948 Miss PAMELA BAYLISS 1949 Miss ELAINE PRYCE 1950 Miss VIOLET PRETTY 1951 Miss MARLENE DEE 1952 Miss DOREEN DAWNE

Manchester Birmingham Northern Ireland Bolton Birmingham Henley-on-Thames London

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PRESENTING THE FORTY FINALISTS

The following ta'ble gives you personal details regarding each of the 41 finalists. During the parade

and judging the competitors will be indemnified by the numbers which are given below.

No. Name and Home Town Age ft. st. lbs. Bust Waist Hips Hair Eye

1—IRIH'ODA McVEIlQH, Holywood, N.I 18 5 4 8 6 34 24 34 Fair 2 PATRICIA SAUNDERS, Watford 19 5 7 9 1 35 24 354 Fair 3—HAZEL ROPER, Whitchurch, nr. Cardiff 18 5 3 7 2 33 23 33 Brunette Hazel 4—JOYCE 'ROSS, Inverness 21 5 5i 9 3 36 24 36 Brown Blue 5—'PATRICIA CAMERON, Glasgow .... 20 5 5* 8 13 36 23 35 Brunette Hazel 6—JOSEPHINE ILAIMIPLOUG'H, Bridlington 23 5 6? 9 2 36 25 36 Brown Blue 7—'MARION IH'OOPEiR, Finchley 20 5 4 8 5 34 23 36 Blonde Hazel 8—SHBI'LA FRANK, South Shields 21 5 4 9 3 37 26 37 Brown Blue 9—BR END A 'M'E'E, London 20 5 6 8 10 35 23 35 Fair Blue

10—JOYCE COOKE, Brighton 20 5 7 8 12 35 23 35 Blonde Grey 1 1—MARGARET IMcCA'RTHY, Edinburgh ... 20 5 5 8 10 36 24 36 D/Brown Green Grey

,2 - HAZES GTVENS, Balfast 23 5 6 9 0 36 24 38 Brown Blue 1 3 DOROTHY (PEAK, Fleetwood 17 5 4 8 10 36 23 364 D/Brown Green 14—AIILEEN KEARNEY, Stockport 19 5 4 8 2 36 24 36 Fair Blue

ib SYLVIA HARRIS, Birmingham 22 5 64 9 2 36 24 37 Blonde Hazel

1 6—BARBARA WILLI AMIS, Cardiff 17 5 5 8 6 36 22 36 Brown Brown

1 7—JEAN PERGU'SO'N, Liverpool 22 5 7* 9 3 36 24 36 Fair Brown

1 8—IRA'UlL'INE ANDRESS, Brighton 21 5 H 8 10 34 24 36 L/Brown Blue Grey 19—ELIZABETH LEWIS, Birmingham 17 5 3 8 8 34 23 35 D/Brown Blue 20—LAURA BLLIS'ON-DAVI'S, London 24 5 6 8 10 35 23 36 Blonde Blue 21 PAULINE OWEN, Ormskirk 19 5 6 9 6 36 244 37 L/Brown Grey 22-JUNE W'RAY, Heysham 22 5 5 9 2 36 26 37 D/Brown Blue

23—'PATRICIA GREEN, Oldham . 23 5 5i 8 9 36 23 36 L/Brown Hazel

24—AUD'REY KING, Fleetwood 18 5 3 8 4 33 22 35 Blonde Blue

25—JUNE WOODCRAFT, London 21 5 7 9 0 36 24 36 Fair Green 26—'PAMELA BAXTER, Morecambe 19 5 4 9 0 34 25 37 Blonde Grey Blue 27—SALLY SINGLETON, Garstang 19 5 7 9 7 36 24 36 Fair Blue 23 PATRICIA GOSNEY, Leeds 20 5 6 8 8 36 24 36 Brown Green

29—PATRICIA ANC'E'LL, Cumnock 19 5 8| 9 1 1 37 24 37 L/Brown Blue Grey

30—PATRICIA ADAM, Richmond, York-. ... 20 5 7 9 0 36 24 36 Brown Brown

31—JEAN BA'R'NETT, Liverpool 19 5 5i 9 2 37 25 38 L/Brown Brown

32—SIDNEY WALKER, Fleetwood 20 5 4i 8 4 354 23 354 Black Dark Brown

33—<M AR'I A BHBERING, Newbury 22 5 4 7 12 34 22 35 Fair Green

34—MARJORIE GILES, Liverpool 21 5 8 9 8 38 24 364 D/Auburn Hazel

3b- MARY MAXWELL, Glasgow 21 5 5 9 1 34 23 35 Brown Blue

36—MARLENE HONOR, London 18 5 74 8 10 354 25 37 Fair Blue

37—'MAUREEN 'HOWARD, Rainham 21 5 7 9 4 36 234 34 Brown Blue

38—JANET SCOTT, Bournemouth 17 5 6 8 9 36 23 36 Fair Blue

39—DIANA FARRI'NGTO'N, Southport . 16 5 5 9 54 35 25 36 Blonde Blue

40—iMOI'RA O'lFA'RRELL, Dublin 20 5 8 9 0 37 22 36 Blonde Blue Grey

BUD ABBOTT AND LOU COSTELLO BUD ABBOTT, the straight man of the pair, was born in the Barnum and Bailey

circus where both his parents were working, his father as advance manager, and his mother as a bare-back rider. He later became cashier in a burlesque theatre.

LOU COSTELLO, the little round fat one, was originally a prize fighter, and after several different jobs he bought a second-hand car with his savings and set ott tor Hollywood. His first job was as a stunt man, and in one film he had to double tor Dolores Del Rio, jumping from the second story window of a burning building,

e landed in a hospital bed and that was the end of his career as a stunt man.

. . . W h e n h e r e c o v e r e d h e w e n t i n t o b u r l e s q u e a n d t h i s i s w h e r e h e m e t B u d Abbott. ^ 1 hey teamed up and one of the turning points of their career was when Kate Smith signed them for her radio programme. From this they went into the oroadway musical show called Streets of Paris " with another unknown newcomer to New York—Carmen Miranda.

,, Universal Pictures signed them up for a small comedy part in a film called One Night in the Tropics " as a result of their Broadway success. This picture led

to another and another and another until the boys have now become Hollywood's most consistently starred comedy team with their famous slapstick style and nonsensical cross-talk.

Both comedians are family men. Bud has been married 36 years and has an adopted son. Lou Costello has been married 20 years and has three daughters, Patricia, Carole Lou, and Christine.

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The Prizes These are the magnificent prizes which wil l be presented to the winner of today's great f inal—

a cheque for ONE THOUSAND POUNDS and the costly " Sunday Dispatch " solid si lver Rose Bowl, which the lucky recipient wil l retain as a permanent memento of the most wonderful day of her l i fe. Second and third prizes of £100 and £50 respectively wil l complete the major awards.

Generous cash prizes have been awarded in the preliminary contests, and each of today's f inalists fai l ing to win one of the three main awards wil l receive a consolation prize of £10. The total prize fund in this greatest of all bathing beauty competit ions is almost £2,000.

All the visit ing finalists have been invited to spend the week of the Grand Final as guests of the Morecambe Bay Holiday Camp Ltd., and their travell ing expenses have been borne by the Corporation of Morecambe and Heysham. The finalists thus enjoy an addit ional prize—a healthy, happy holiday.

The finalists are also entertained during their stay and wil l tonight be the guests of the Mayor and Corporation at dinner.

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Acknowledgments

The Council of the Borough of Morecambe and Heysham and the " Sunday

Dispatch " desires to express VERY SINCERE THANKS to :

Mr. VAL PARNELL, managing director of the Winter Gardens (Morecambe)

Ltd. and Mr. Claude Ingram.

Messrs. BUD ABBOTT and LOU COSTELLO.

Messrs. LEW and LESLIE GRADE LTD.

ALL THE FAMOUS STAGE PERSONALITIES who officiated as judges at

the Qualifying Parades.

THE DIRECTORS of MECCA DANCING LTD.

B. S. HOLDEN, ESQ., MORECAMBE BAY HOLIDAY CAMP.

Messrs. BUTLINS HOLIDAY CAMPS LTD.

THE ORGANISERS of the several competitions who have co-operated.

The THOUSAND'S OF LOVELY YOUNG LADIES who competed in the

Photographic and Personal Appearance Heats.

The MEMBERS of the PUBLIC for their continued support and generous

applause for all competitors.

The LOCAL and NATIONAL PRESS (with special reference to the B.B.C.,

the Television Newsreel, British Paramount News, British Movietone

News, Gaumont British News, Pa the News, " The Morecambe and Hey­

sham Visitor," " The Morecambe Guardian," "The Bradford Telegraph

and Argus," " The Yorkshire Observer," " The Lancashire Evening Post,"

Morecambe Times," etc.).

And to the many others who have contributed towards the successful con­

clusion of the National Bathing Beauty Contest of 1953.

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Mforecatnbe *1- Heu.shtnn's Lovely Sivitnnntiij Sttiflium

Home of the " Sunday Dispatch-Morecambe " National Bathing Beauty Competition, is the longest open air swimming pool in the country. Its length is 396 feet; the championship straight is 100 metres, and the width of the pool is I 10 feet. The total wafer content is one and a quarter million gallons. Water depth graduates from nil to 6 feet 6 Ins., with a 15 feet deep well below the diving tower. The diving tower provides platforms at 3, 5 and 10 metres, and there are springboards at I and 5 metres. Completed and opened in 1936, the Stadium was built on land reclaimed from the sea at a cost of £ I 30,000.

The Stadium is controlled for the Morecambe and Heysham Corporation by the Market, Foreshore and Old Harbour Committee. This Committee is also res­ponsible for the organisation of the " Sunday Dispatch-Morecambe " National Bathing Beauty Competition (in happy association with Mecca Dancing and Butlins Holiday Camps), and comprises the following members:—

The Worshipful the Mayor (Councillor E. Park).

Chairman: COUNCILLOR E. KERSHAW.

Vice-Chairman: COUNCILLOR NORMAN AYKROYD.

Aldermen H. R. V. Addenbrooke and W. Curwen.

Councillors R. Allen, H. Armstrong, Mrs. S. L. Birkett, J.P., M. Butterworth, J. Jefferson and A. Totty.

Town Clerk: Roger Rose. Baths Superintendent: G. C. Cooper.

Publicity and Entertainments Manager: W. M. Marshall.