Miss Atomic (pageants) explained

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"

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

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

• Miss Atom

External links

• The Killers music video of Miss Atomic Bomb

Notes and References

1. Web site: Odd Contests: Miss Atomic Bomb . 16 March 2013 . 12 May 2014 . Zimmerman . Jess.
2. Web site: 4 Atomic-Themed 1950s Beauty Queens . 12 May 2014 . Wheeler, Anne. 17 September 2013 .
3. Web site: Copa Room showgirl Lee Merlin . Las Vegas Sun . 12 May 2014.
4. Web site: Miss Atom Bomb . DOE . August 2013 . 12 May 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120303003053/http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/factsheets/DOENV_1024.pdf . 3 March 2012 .
5. Web site: Winner of 'Miss Atomic Bomb' Pageant . https://web.archive.org/web/20140512213844/http://lotgering.be/winner-of-miss-atomic-bomb-pageant/ . dead . 12 May 2014 . 12 May 2014 . Lotgering S .
6. Web site: A is for Miss Atomic Bomb . 15 January 2014 . 12 May 2014 . Ian.
7. Web site: Miss Atomic Bomb: the A-Bomb in Popular Culture—Comics, Cakes and the Will of God . JF Ptak Science Books . 12 May 2014.
8. Web site: Miss Atomic Bomb, 1957 . 6 March 2013 . 12 May 2014.
9. Web site: Miss Atomic Bomb (Lee Merlin) Update! . CONELRAD ADJACENT . 5 June 2010 . 12 May 2014 . GEERHART, BILL.
10. Web site: O'Hanlon . Dom . 2016-06-08 . Review of Miss Atomic Bomb at the St James Theatre . 2022-09-25 . London Theatre . en.
11. Web site: Miss Atomic Bomb (St James Theatre) WhatsOnStage . 2022-09-25 . www.whatsonstage.com . en-GB.
12. Web site: Miss Atomic Bomb review, St James Theatre, London, 2016 . 2022-09-25 . The Stage . En.