Betty Cook was discovered after her sister entered her in a beauty contest at 16. She won and was crowned Miss Dixie Queen and was immediately offered modeling jobs. The next year, hosts changed the name of the pageant to Miss Miami Beach. Her prize was a year's worth of dance lessons. A cover girl in magazines and newspapers, she appeared in a two piece swimsuit in the second issue of Life Magazine, knew Oleg Cassini personally, was once asked out by a Kennedy, and modeled well into her forties. One of the most glamorously photographed models of her era, she screen tested for the movie, Dancing Lady playing the part of Joan Crawford. The President of Eastern Airlines chose her to represent the carrier by riding in a NYC parade at Christmas in a white swimsuit to promote flights to Miami as a warm winter vacation mecca. She was the "cats meow" if ever there was one and helped put Miami Beach on stage for the world to see, under the light of the beautiful Miami Beach moon.
-From Model Over Miami, by Athena Marler Creamer, Heiress Arts Publishers
No comments:
Post a Comment
I would love to hear your comments on this blog entry.