Paul V. Coates — Confidential File, June 20, 1959

Posted on June 20, 2009 by lmharnisch

Confidential File

Mash Notes and Comments

Paul Coates(Press
Release) "Although 40 foreign nations and 46 states in the Union will
send candidates to the 1959 Miss Universe Beauty Pageant, to be held in
Long Beach, Cal, July 16 to 26, lovelies from the Philippines, Ireland,
Spain and Portugal will be absent.

"In the Philippines, a
college coed already had won the national crown but was forced to
withdraw from the international competition in Long Beach. her
university and church pressured her, revealed Oscar Meinhardt,
executive producer of the pageant.

"The objection: her wearing a bathing suit…

"Meinhardt
said that similar incidents had arisen in the past history of the
pageant, and admitted that even this year he hadn't been too certain at
first that Miss Indonesia would show up.

"Seems that the London
Times, Indonesia's leading newspaper, decided to blast the selection of
a native beauty for Miss Universe competition.

"Said the Times editorially:

"'The
very idea of a beauty being manhandled and ogled at should be taboo to
us … How can we glibly talk about sending an Indonesian girl to be
stared at and measured in tight-fitting trunks before thousands of
onlookers?" (signed) Sparky Saldana & Hank Levy, Publicity
Directors, Miss Universe Pageant.

–All right. All right. If she doesn't want to wear just trunks, she can wear a whole bathing suit.

::

"Dear Sir:

"This is a form letter, because my
secretary is pregnant!…" (signed: J.A. Small, Publisher, Western
Publications, P.O. Box 5008, Austin, Tex.

–Big mouth!

::

"Dear Mr. Coates,

"Dropping
by the post office, I found a postcard from Parkey Arnold Sharkey, in
which he gave me a message to pass along to you. He no longer wishes to
contact you directly.

"I read the message he desires me to give you.

"He has got a tax refund through aid of Gov. Brown and again owns his automobile such as the thing is with need of repairs.

"He
is no longer interested in the taxi business and now works as a
custodian in a Menlo Park bar, and he brags about having eight brands
of beer for guzzling when he has a hang-over.

"Well, I've given
you the message, but if you both would behave as grown adults, he
shouldn't have to use the devious method of writing to me to contact
you.

"He should write to you directly again,

"Sir, why don't you patch up your differences with Parkey?" (signed) Memphis Harry Lee Ward, P.O. Box 1963, Hollywood.

–I've tried, Memphis. God knows I've tried.

::

(Press Release) "Philadelphia plans
to embark on an advertising campaign to promote the sale of one of
nature's finest ingredients — water — reveals Engineering Record,
McGraw-Hill publication.

"The city's water supply is in such
good shape that residents will probably be asked to take more baths."
(signed) Publicity Dept., McGraw-Hill Publications, New York City.

–Don't ask 'em. Tell 'em!
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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times
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