Miss Subways
"Miss Subways" was a title accorded to individual New York City women between 1941 and 1976. The woman who was Miss Subways at any one time appeared on posters placed on New York City Subway trains, along with a brief description of her. In 1957, it was estimated that 5.9 million people viewed Miss Subways daily, using 14,000 placards within trains. The program was run by the New York Subways Advertising Company. Around 200 women held the title during the program's run.
Selection
The method of selecting Miss Subways varied over time, typically taking the form of a beauty contest with the general rule that to be eligible, a woman had to be a New York City resident and herself use the subway. "John Robert Powers, the head of the modeling agency, selected the winners" until 1961 or 1962 and later "for some years, winners were chosen by the contest organizers."Before 1952, there were monthly selections of Miss Subways. From 1952 to 1957, candidates were picked every two months. Although "Mr. Powers once picked seven winners to reign side by side in the subway." By 1957, they were all hand-picked based on how much they exuded a "girl next door" quality:
John Robert Powers was no longer involved in selection by 1963 when the contest changed to "public vote... by post card". The first winner of the public vote was Ann Napolitano who was an executive secretary at the advertising agency Doyle, Dane & Bernbach. The New York Subways Advertising Company "redirected the contest to reflect the girl who works – what New York City is all about." Winners were given bracelets with gold-plated subway tokens." Spaulding commented in 1971 that "Prettiness per se is passe. It's personality and interest pursuits that count" and described how "each contest attracts between 300 and 400 entries, submitted by family, friends and colleagues. About 30 are selected for a personal interview 'to judge personality and make certain that the submitted picture is a good likeness.' Most of the winners have been stenographers, clerks, receptionists and some have been teachers and stewardesses."
Subsequent to the postcard system, winners were usually chosen by telephone-based voting, from among a group of nominees whose photos were all placed on the subways. Title holders were photographed by photographers such as James J. Kriegsmann who "specialized in pictures of stage and screen stars, but he also photographed ordinary people, including the women who appeared in the Miss Subways promotion for more than 30 years."
In 2004, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, in conjunction with the New York Post, brought back the program, now named "Ms. Subways", for one year only. A voting contest was held to determine the winner, Caroline Sanchez-Bernat, an actress. Posters of "Ms. Subways" appeared with subway safety tips instead of biographical notes.
Significance
Miss Subways began as a way for the John Robert Powers Agency "to promote his models and for the New York Subways Advertising Company 'to increase eye traffic' for the adjoining... advertisements." "The contest provided the main plot device of Leonard Bernstein's 1944 musical On The Town, in which a smitten sailor on leave searched for 'Miss Turnstiles.'"By 1945, the four-year anniversary of the contest was commemorated nationally in Life Magazine. "Unlike Miss America, these queens represented the full spectrum of their constituency, mainly Irish, Italian, Latina and Jewish. The first black winner reigned on the trains in 1947, the first Asian in 1949." Thelma Potter, who was studying at Brooklyn College at the time, was the first black Miss Subways. Potter stated, "It was progressive.... It stirred things up a bit.'"
The New York Subway Advertising Company was owned by Walter O'Malley, who moved the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles in 1958. Bernard Spaulding, the sales director for the New York Subways Advertising Company, said in 1971 that it "was a World War II pinup phenomenon and then lost social significance." Miss Subways was of "mythic significance to many", with Mayor Ed Koch saying in 1979:
In 1983, when there were public calls for the contest to continue, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority representative stated that it would be "irrelevant and socially unacceptable", and thus not viable, to restart Miss Subways. Tn 2004, journalist Melanie Bush commented:
Ellen Hart Sturm, owner of the New York diner Ellen's Stardust Diner, was Miss Subways in 1959; her diner features photos of many past Miss Subways on the walls.
Revival of "Miss Subways"
In 2017, the "Miss Subways Pageant" was resurrected, produced by The City Reliquary where the event was held. The notable judges, including Roger Clark, reporter for NY1, awarded the title, sash, and crown to Lisa Levy, who participated on a platform of being "a postmenopausal queen." Miss Congeniality, an addition to the original pageant, was taken by Suzie Sims-Fletcher. The following year, 2018, saw the addition of The Riders Alliance as an organizer of the event, which moved to Littlefield where it returned in 2019.List of "Miss Subways" title-holders
| Term started | Term ended | Name | Notes | - | - |
| 1 April 1941 | 30 April 1941 | - | - | ||
| 1 May 1941 | 31 May 1941 | "the second Miss Subways" | - | - | |
| 1 June 1941 | 30 June 1941 | - | - | ||
| 1 July 1941 | 31 July 1941 | - | - | ||
| 1 August 1941 | 31 August 1941 | - | - | ||
| 1 September 1941 | 30 September 1941 | - | - | ||
| 1 October 1941 | 31 October 1941 | - | - | ||
| 1 November 1941 | 30 November 1941 | - | - | ||
| 1 December 1941 | 31 December 1941 | - | - | ||
| 1942 | - | - | |||
| 1 February 1942 | 28 February 1942 | - | - | ||
| 1 March 1942 | 31 March 1942 | - | - | ||
| 1 April 1942 | 30 April 1942 | - | - | ||
| 1 May 1942 | 31 May 1942 | - | - | ||
| 1 June 1942 | 30 June 1942 | - | - | ||
| 1 July 1942 | 31 July 1942 | - | - | ||
| 1 August 1942 | 31 August 1942 | - | - | ||
| 1 September 1942 | 30 September 1942 | Evelyn Clark | - | - | |
| 1 October 1942 | 31 October 1942 | - | - | ||
| 1 November 1942 | 30 November 1942 | "main interests are her job and the Navy... enthusiastically O.K.'s skiing, Mozart and Katharine Hepburn," | - | - | |
| 1 December 1942 | 31 December 1942 | "whose aim is to be a doctor as good as her dad," | - | - | |
| 1 January 1943 | 31 January 1943 | - | - | ||
| 1 February 1943 | 28 February 1943 | - | - | ||
| 1 March 1943 | 31 March 1943 | - | - | - | |
| 1 April 1943 | 30 April 1943 | - | - | ||
| 1 May 1943 | 30 May 1943 | - | - | ||
| 1 June 1943 | 30 June 1943 | - | - | ||
| 1 July 1943 | 31 July 1943 | - | - | ||
| 1 August 1943 | 30 August 1943 | - | - | ||
| 1 September 1943 | 30 September 1943 | - | - | ||
| 1 October 1943 | 31 October 1943 | - | - | ||
| 1 November 1943 | 30 November 1943 | - | - | ||
| 1 December 1943 | 31 December 1943 | - | - | ||
| 1944 | - | - | |||
| 1 February 1944 | 28 February 1944 | - | - | ||
| 1 March 1944 | 31 March 1944 | - | - | ||
| 1 April 1944 | 30 April 1944 | - | - | ||
| 1 May 1944 | 31 May 1944 | ; ; | - | - | |
| 1 June 1944 | 30 June 1944 | - | - | ||
| 1 July 1944 | 30 July 1944 | - | - | ||
| 1 August 1944 | 31 August 1944 | - | - | ||
| 1 September 1944 | 30 September 1944 | - | - | ||
| 1 October 1944 | 31 October 1944 | - | - | ||
| 1 November 1944 | 30 November 1944 | - | - | ||
| 1 December 1944 | 31 December 1944 | - | - | ||
| 1 January 1945 | 31 January 1945 | - | - | ||
| 1 February 1945 | 28 February 1945 | - | - | ||
| 1 March 1945 | 31 March 1945 | - | - | ||
| 1 April 1945 | 30 April 1945 | Rita Cuddy Online Memorial: Click here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14970580 | - | - | |
| 1 May 1945 | 31 May 1945 | - | - | ||
| 1 June 1945 | 30 June 1945 | - | - | ||
| 1 July 1945 | 31 July 1945 | - | - | ||
| 1 August 1945 | 31 August 1945 | - | - | ||
| 1 September 1945 | 30 September 1945 | - | - | ||
| 1 October 1945 | 31 October 1945 | - | - | ||
| 1 November 1945 | 30 November 1945 | - | - | ||
| 1 December 1945 | 31 December 1945 | - | - | ||
| 1 January 1946 | 31 January 1946 | - | - | ||
| 1 February 1946 | 28 February 1946 | - | - | ||
| 1 March 1946 | 31 March 1946 | - | - | ||
| 1 April 1946 | 30 April 1946 | - | - | ||
| 1 May 1946 | 31 May 1946 | - | - | ||
| 1 June 1946 | 30 June 1946 | - | - | ||
| 1 July 1946 | 31 July 1946 | - | - | ||
| 1 August 1946 | 31 August 1946 | - | - | ||
| 1 September 1946 | 30 September 1946 | - | - | ||
| 1 October 1946 | 31 October 1946 | - | - | ||
| 1 November 1946 | 30 November 1946 | - | - | ||
| 1 December 1946 | 31 December 1946 | - | - | ||
| 1 January 1947 | 31 January 1947 | - | - | ||
| 1 February 1947 | 28 February 1947 | - | - | ||
| 1 March 1947 | 31 March 1947 | - | - | ||
| 1 April 1947 | 30 April 1947 | - | - | ||
| 1 May 1947 | 31 May 1947 | - | - | ||
| 1 June 1947 | 30 June 1947 | - | - | ||
| 1 July 1947 | 31 July 1947 | - | - | ||
| 1 August 1947 | 31 August 1947 | - | - | ||
| 1 September 1947 | 30 September 1947 | - | - | ||
| 1 October 1947 | 31 October 1947 | - | - | ||
| 1 November 1947 | 30 November 1947 | - | - | ||
| 1 December 1947 | 31 December 1947 | - | - | ||
| 1 January 1948 | 31 January 1948 | - | - | ||
| 1 February 1948 | 28 February 1948 | - | - | ||
| 1 March 1948 | 31 March 1948 | - | - | ||
| 1 April 1948 | 30 April 1948 | - | - | ||
| 1 May 1948 | 31 May 1948 | - | - | ||
| 1 June 1948 | 30 June 1948 | - | - | ||
| 1 July 1948 | 31 July 1948 | - | - | ||
| 1 August 1948 | 31 August 1948 | - | - | ||
| 1 September 1948 | 30 September 1948 | - | - | ||
| 1 October 1948 | 31 October 1948 | - | - | ||
| 1 November 1948 | 30 November 1948 | - | - | ||
| 1 December 1948 | 31 December 1948 | - | - | ||
| 1949 | - | - | |||
| 1 February 1949 | 28 February 1949 | - | - | ||
| 1 March 1949 | 31 March 1949 | ||||
| 1 April 1949 | 30 April 1949 | - | - | ||
| 1 May 1949 | 31 May 1949 | - | - | ||
| 1 June 1949 | 30 June 1949 | - | - | ||
| 1 July 1949 | 31 July 1949 | - | - | ||
| 1 August 1949 | 31 August 1949 | - | - | ||
| 1 September 1949 | 30 September 1949 | - | - | ||
| 1 October 1949 | 31 October 1949 | - | - | ||
| 1 November 1949 | 30 November 1949 | - | - | ||
| 1 December 1949 | 31 December 1949 | - | - | ||
| 194? | - | - | |||
| 1950 | - | - | |||
| 28 F 1 February 1950 | February 1950 | - | - | ||
| 1 March 1950 | 31 March 1950 | - | - | ||
| 1 April 1950 | 30 April 1950 | - | - | ||
| 1 May 1950 | 31 May 1950 | - | - | ||
| 1 June 1950 | 30 June 1950 | "fondest hope is a trip to Bermuda" | - | - | |
| 1 July 1950 | 31 July 1950 | - | - | ||
| 1 August 1950 | 31 August 1950 | - | - | ||
| 1 September 1950 | 30 September 1950 | - | - | ||
| 1 October 1950 | 31 October 1950 | - | - | ||
| 1 November 1950 | 31 November 1950 | - | - | ||
| 1 December 1950 | 31 December 1950 | - | - | ||
| 1 January 1951 | 31 January 1951 | "the first Latin descent Miss Subways" | - | - | |
| 1 February 1951 | 28 February 1951 | - | - | ||
| 1 March 1951 | 31 March 1951 | - | - | ||
| 1 April 1951 | 30 April 1951 | - | - | ||
| 1 May 1951 | 31 May 1951 | - | - | ||
| 1 June 1951 | 30 June 1951 | - | - | ||
| 1 July 1951 | 31 July 1951 | - | - | ||
| 1 August 1951 | 31 August 1951 | - | - | ||
| 1 September 1951 Jean Hagen | 30 September 1951 | - | - | ||
| 1 October 1951 Jean Hagen | 31 October 1951 | - | - | ||
| 1 November 1951 | 30 November 1951 | - | - | ||
| 1 December 1951 | 31 December 1951 | - | - | ||
| 1 January 1952 | 28 February 1952 | - | - | ||
| 1 March 1952 | 30 April 1952 | - | - | ||
| 1 May 1952 | 30 June 1952 | - | - | ||
| 1 July 1952 | 31 August 1952 | - | - | ||
| 1 September 1952 | 31 October 1952 | - | - | ||
| 1 November 1952 | 31 December 1952 | - | - | ||
| 1 January 1953 | 28 February 1953 | - | - | ||
| 1 March 1953 | 30 April 1952 | - | - | ||
| 1 May 1953 | 30 June 1953 | - | - | ||
| 1 July 1953 | 31 August 1953 | - | - | ||
| 1 September 1953 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 31 October 1953 | - | - | - | ||
| 1 November 1953 | 31 December 1953 | - | - | ||
| 1 January 1954 | 28 February 1954 | - | - | ||
| 1 March 1954 | 30 April 1954 | - | - | ||
| 1 May 1954 | 30 June 1954 | - | - | ||
| 1 July 1954 | 31 August 1954 | - | - | ||
| 1 September 1954 | 31 October 1954 | - | - | ||
| 1 November 1954 | 31 December 1954 | - | - | ||
| 1955 | 1955 | - | - | ||
| 1 March 1955 | 30 April 1955 | - | - | ||
| 1 May 1955 | 30 June 1955 | - | - | ||
| 1 July 1955 | 31 August 1955 | - | - | ||
| 1 September 1955 | 31 October 1955 | - | - | ||
| 1 November 1955 | 31 December 1955 | - | - | ||
| 1 January 1956 | 28 February 1956 | - | - | ||
| 1 March 1956 | 30 April 1956 | - | - | ||
| 1 May 1956 | 30 June 1956 | - | - | ||
| 1 July 1956 | 31 August 1956 | - | - | ||
| 1 September 1956 | 31 October 1956 | - | - | ||
| 1 November 1956 | 31 December 1956 | - | - | ||
| Before 1957 | - | - | |||
| Before 1957 | - | - | |||
| Before 1957 | - | - | |||
| 1 January 1957 | 28 February 1957 | - | - | ||
| 1 March 1957 | 30 April 1957 | - | - | ||
| 1 May 1957 | 30 June 1957 | - | - | ||
| 1 July 1957 | 31 August 1957 | - | - | ||
| 1 September 1957 | 31 October 1957 | - | - | ||
| 1 November 1957 | 31 December 1957 | - | - | ||
| 1958 | ; | - | - | ||
| 1 March 1958 | 30 April 1958 | Eleanor Galanis | - | - | |
| 1 January 1959 | 28 February 1959 | - | - | ||
| 1 March 1959 | 30 April 1959 | - | - | ||
| 1 May 1959 | 30 June 1959 | - | - | ||
| 1 July 1959 | 31 August 1959 | - | - | ||
| 1 September 1959 | 31 October 1959 | - | - | ||
| 1 November 1959 | 31 December 1959 | - | - | ||
| 1 January 1960 | 28 February 1960 | - | - | ||
| 1 March 1960 | 30 April 1960 | - | - | ||
| 1 May 1960 | 30 June 1960 | - | - | ||
| 1 July 1960 | 31 August 1960 | - | - | ||
| 1 September 1960 | 31 October 1960 | - | - | ||
| 1 November 1960 | 31 December 1960 | "young, beautiful, and expert with a rifle" | - | - | |
| 1 January 1961 | 28 February 1961 | - | - | ||
| Before 1962 | - | - | |||
| 1 March 1961 | 30 April 1961 | - | - | ||
| 1 May 1961 | 30 June 1961 | - | - | ||
| 1 July 1961 | 31 August 1961 | - | - | ||
| 1 September 1961 | 31 October 1961 | - | - | ||
| 1 November 1961 | 31 December 1961 | - | - | ||
| 1 January 1962 | 28 February 1962 | - | - | ||
| 1962 | 1962 | - | - | ||
| 1 March 1962 | 31 April 1962 | - | - | ||
| 1 September 1963 | 30 September 1963 | - | - | ||
| 1 January 1964 | 31 March 1964 | - | - | ||
| 1965 | - | - | |||
| 1966 | - | - | |||
| 1 December 1967 | 31 January 1968 | - | - | ||
| 1 February 1968 | 31 August 1968 | - | - | ||
| 1 January 1971 | 30 June 1971 | - | - | ||
| 1 January 1971 | 30 June 1971 | - | - | ||
| 1 May 1974 | 31 July 1974 | - | - |
In popular culture
- In the 1944 musical On the Town, one of the main characters falls in love with "Miss Turnstiles" after seeing her picture on the subway. Lyricist Betty Comden later claimed that the musical influenced the contest's selection process to include more diverse contestants, due to the casting of the half-Japanese Sono Osato as Miss Turnstiles in the original production.
- Lawrence Ferlinghetti's poetry collection A Coney Island of the Mind contains a poem entitled "Meet Miss Subways."
- Donald Sosin's 1972 song cycle "Third Rail" includes the entire text of a Miss Subways poster, but with the name of the girl and her school changed at her request.
- Cher's 1974 album, Dark Lady, featured the comedic song, "Miss Subway of 1952", written by Mary F. Cain, about a once-beautiful woman who has not aged gracefully.
- In the 1996 The Nanny episode "Tattoo", Fran claims to have won the Miss Subways title.
- In 1996, Marga Gomez debuted a show called 'A Line Around the Block' in which a character says: "You're Miss America. No, better than that. Miss Subways."
- In the 2018 novel The Subway Girls, historical fiction written by author Susie Orman Schnall. The novel is a dual-timeline story of a 1949 Miss Subways contestant and a modern-day female advertising executive whose careers and lives intersect and who find themselves up against the same eternal struggle to find an impossible balance between love, happiness, and ambition.
- In the 2018 novel Miss Subways, writer and actor David Duchovny re-imagines Miss Subways as Emer, a New York City teacher whose world intersects with mythical figures in her quest for love.