Miss Distrito Federal 1959
Ever since Martha Rocha became Miss Brazil and went on to become the runner-up to Miss Universe 1954, in Long Beach, California, Brazilians got the fever of Beauty Contests. Every single state of the Federation - there were 20 states plus the Federal District which was the city of Great Rio de Janeiro - would organize their beauty contest and send the winner to Rio de Janeiro to compete in the Miss Brazil contest which was usually staged at the Quitandinha Hotel in Petrópolis-RJ.
As these events became more popular and the crowd got bigger the organizers decided to use Maracanãzinho, a huge stadium used for sports events like boxing, basket ball play-offs and circuses. Miss Brazil 1958 was a huge success and in 1959, not only Miss Brazil but Miss Distrito Federal were staged there with capacity crowds. The Americans invented beauty contest pageants but Brazilians took it to the limit and made them major events.
Denise, Miss Flamengo & Vera Ribeiro, Miss Vila Isabel.
MISS BRASIL 1959
It was only the 2nd time the Maracanãzinho arena had been used to stage the Miss Brazil Pageant extravaganza. Adalgiza Colombo, Miss Brazil 1958, who went on to become runner-up to Luz Marina Zuluaga Miss Universe 1958, had met a Brazilian-american who lived in New York, married him and resigned her titles as the most beautiful girl in the country which went to Sonia Maria Campos, Miss Pernambuco 1958.
Vera Ribeiro comes out of back stage when she's anounced as Miss Brazil 1959. She'a bit wary because there had been a disturbance with people throwing paper balls on the stage due to an unfriendly Miss São Paulo who had been booed off the catwalk managed to be included among the finalists. The crowd got really angry and Miss São Paulo must have feared for her life.
Vera Ribeiro, Miss Distrito Federal 1959 & Miss Brasil 1959.
Revista do Radio no. 513 - 18 July 1959.
Miss Brazil 1959 in Long Beach, California
Luz Marina Zuluaga saunters as Miss Universe for the last time in 1959...
5th Miss Brazil, 4th Miss England, Pamela Anne Searle, 3rd Miss United States, Terry Lynn Huntingdon, 2and Miss Norway, Jorunn Kristjansen & Miss Universe, Akiko Kojima.
Akiko Kojima
Miss USA leans on Vera Ribeiro to answer some question posed by an interviewer.
24 July 1959.
Miss Brazil wears a blue swim-suit between Miss England & Miss Germany.
Vera Ribeiro gently touches Jack Lemmon among other girls.
Vera Ribeiro was not actually really beautiful but she had a winning smile and very friendly.
Vera's night dress was a winner, no doubt about it. It was the same dress she had worn for Miss Distrito Federal and Miss Brasil. They were not so fussy in 1959 as they are now.
1959 was the last year the Miss Universe Pageant was done in Long Beach, California.
Miss England, ?, Miss Japan & Miss Brazil.
Luz Marina Zuluaga, Miss Universe 1958, poses with Vera Ribeiro.
Akiko Kojima and Vera Ribeiro on the cover of 'Mundo Ilustrado'
misses take a trip to Hollywood and visit Jack Lemmon.
Cinelândia, June 1959.
Miss Brazil & Miss England.
Vera Ribeiro gets married - Revista do Radio n. 587 - 18 November 1960.
jornal 'A Gazeta' de 24 Julho 1959 anunciando inauguração de Cinerama em S.Paulo.
Vera Ribeiro was not actually really beautiful but she had a winning smile and very friendly.
Vera's night dress was a winner, no doubt about it. It was the same dress she had worn for Miss Distrito Federal and Miss Brasil. They were not so fussy in 1959 as they are now.
1959 was the last year the Miss Universe Pageant was done in Long Beach, California.
1959 was probably the last year Cuba sent one of her girls to compete in the USA. Soon, Fidel Castro would be 'persona non grata' in the United States.
Miss England, ?, Miss Japan & Miss Brazil.
Luz Marina Zuluaga, Miss Universe 1958, poses with Vera Ribeiro.
Akiko Kojima and Vera Ribeiro on the cover of 'Mundo Ilustrado'
Vera Ribeiro & lovely Pamela Searle, Miss England 1959.
Vera & Pamela.
15 semi-finalists.
Brazilians were really thrilled when Akiko Kojima, Miss Japan won Miss Universe 1959. It was something so unusual for Brazilians at large that song-writers Jaime Ribeiro & Carlos Ferlich wrote a song for 1960's Carnaval called 'Aki Kojima' that translates as 'Here, Kokima' using part of her name as a pun. Here's the lyrics of the popular tune recorded by Vagalumes do Luar in late 1959:
AKI KOJIMA
Aki Kojima quando entrou na passarela
vento bateu, kimono levantou-ô-ô
a turma toda quando viu as pernas dela
gritou: 'tchô-tchô, tchô-tchô'.
Eu quero ver ela dançar
dando pulinho como japonês
venha p'ra cá, no carnaval
quero olhar quando chegar a minha vez.
tchô = means butterfly in Japanese.
Vera Ribeiro gets married - Revista do Radio n. 587 - 18 November 1960.
Cinerama is all the rage in São Paulo
jornal 'A Gazeta' de 24 Julho 1959 anunciando inauguração de Cinerama em S.Paulo.
'Europa de Noite' documentário italiano filmado em 1958 que fêz escola.
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