Miss America 1938, the 12th Miss America pageant, was held at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday, September 10, 1938.[1] The decision by the 15 judges there that Miss Ohio, Marilyn Meseke, rather than Miss California, Claire James, as Miss America surprised the audience at the event. Famous Broadway producer Earl Carroll, Murder at the Vanities, also disagreed with their choice and took the runner-up to New York City where he performed a coronation of Miss California as "the true Miss America" shortly after the official pageant. Carroll's actions resulted in widespread publicity of the incident.[2][3]
| Placement
|
Contestant
|
| Miss America 1938
|
|
| 1st Runner-Up
|
|
| 2nd Runner-Up
|
 Utah – Muriel La Von Goodspeed
|
| 3rd Runner-Up
|
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| 4th Runner-Up
|
|
| Top 15
|
|
| Title
|
Name
|
Hometown
|
Age
|
Talent
|
Placement
|
Awards
|
Notes
|
 Arizona
|
Anna Marie Barnett
|
Bisbee
|
|
|
Top 15
|
|
|
 Arkansas
|
Lorene Bailey
|
Jonesboro
|
|
Piano, "Dinah"
|
|
|
|
| Asbury Park
|
Ruth E. Brady
|
Asbury Park
|
|
Vocal & Tap Dance
|
3rd Runner-up
|
Preliminary Talent Award
|
|
| Birmingham
|
Mildred Oxford
|
Birmingham
|
|
Tap Dance/Toe Ballet
|
Top 15
|
|
|
| Brooklyn
|
Barbara Beech
|
Brooklyn
|
|
|
Top 15
|
|
|
| Burlington
|
Ruth Joan Sada
|
Burlington
|
|
|
|
|
|
 California
|
Claire James
|
Los Angeles
|
|
Dance
|
1st Runner-up
|
|
|
| Charlotte
|
Rebecca Pearl Hankins
|
Charlotte
|
18
|
|
|
|
|
 Cleveland
|
Evelyn Bertelsbeck
|
Cleveland
|
|
|
Top 15
|
|
|
 Colorado
|
Rosanna Bean
|
Montrose
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Connecticut
|
Blanche Hawley
|
Stratford
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Delray Beach
|
Patricia Hollran
|
|
|
Vocal, "A-Tisket, A-Tasket"
|
|
|
|
| Detroit
|
Marjorie Jackson
|
Detroit
|
|
|
|
|
|
 District of Columbia
|
Dorothy Parker
|
|
|
Vocal & Tap Dance, "How'd You Like to Love Me"
|
Top 15
|
|
|
| Eastern Pennsylvania
|
Wilma Kaspar
|
Rahns
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Empire State
|
Elissa Winston
|
|
|
|
Top 15
|
|
|
 Florida
|
Mary Joyce Walsh
|
Miami
|
|
Vocal/Ballet
|
|
|
|
| Fort Lauderdale
|
Mary Jane Thomas
|
Fort Lauderdale
|
|
|
Top 15
|
|
|
 Georgia
|
Alice Talton
|
Atlanta
|
|
|
Top 15
|
|
|
 Indianapolis
|
Rosemary White
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Jacksonville
|
Gloria Smyley
|
Jacksonville
|
|
Acrobatic Dance
|
4th Runner-up
|
Preliminary Talent Award
|
|
 Kansas
|
Blanche Webb
|
Humboldt
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Kentucky
|
Evelyn Cooper
|
Somerset
|
|
Vocal, "A-Tisket, A-Tasket"
|
|
|
|
| Letts
|
Helen Emly
|
Letts
|
|
|
Top 15
|
|
|
| Long Island
|
Marion Rosamund
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Long Island Sound
|
Adeline Shull
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Maine
|
Doris Marie Bergeron
|
Lewiston
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Maryland
|
Yolanda Ugarte
|
Baltimore
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Minnesota
|
Avis Darrow
|
Duluth
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Mississippi
|
Frances Sykes
|
Aberdeen
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Montgomery
|
Patricia McDaniel
|
Montgomery
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Nebraska
|
Emmajane Newby
|
Humboldt
|
|
|
|
|
|
 New Jersey
|
Gloria Martha Riley
|
Paterson
|
|
|
|
|
|
 New Orleans
|
Irene Blush Schomberger
|
New Orleans
|
|
Vocal/Trumpet/Dance
|
|
|
|
 Ohio
|
Marilyn Meseke
|
Marion
|
21
|
Tap Dance, "How'd You Like to Love Me", "The World is Waiting for the Sunrise", & "Joseph, Joseph"
|
Winner
|
|
|
 Oklahoma
|
Marjorie Ann Adams
|
Ada
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Philadelphia
|
Kathryn "Kay" Buckley
|
Philadelphia
|
|
Swing Vocal
|
Top 15
|
|
|
| Riverside
|
Dorothy Kathryn Powers
|
Riverside
|
|
|
|
|
|
 South Carolina
|
Margaret Simrill Land
|
Chester
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Tennessee
|
Victoria Ann Motlow
|
Mulberry
|
|
Vocal, "You Turned the Tables on Me"
|
|
|
|
| Utah
|
Muriel La Von Goodspeed
|
Salt Lake City
|
|
Classical Vocal & Piano
|
2nd Runner-up
|
Preliminary Talent Award
|
|
 Virginia
|
Kathleen Mann
|
North Arlington
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Western Pennsylvania
|
Ruth Willock
|
Pittsburgh
|
|
|
|
|
|
- ^ "'Beautiful But Dumb' Legend Haunts Miss America 1938". Chester Times. 1938-09-12. p. 7.
- ^ Associated Press (1938-09-12). "Producer Carroll Differs in Choice of Miss America". Oshkosh Daily Northwestern. p. 5.
- ^ Associated Press Wire Photo (1938-09-12). "Meet Miss America - Both of 'Em". Oakland Tribune. p. 5.
- Saulino Osborne, Angela (1995). "Miss Americas and their Courts". Miss America The Dream Lives On. Taylor Publishing Company. ISBN 0-87833-110-7.
Ohio
