When I was a little kid – I’m talking about age twelve and under – I was fascinated by the Miss America contest. It wasn’t that I had any interest in how each of the contestants looked in an evening gown or a bathing suit – I was too young to notice any of that – nor did I care how talented they were or if they could provide a sensible answer to the questions that they were asked.

There were three basic reasons why I watched: First, with only three channels to choose from, there wasn’t much else to watch on TV. Second, I was caught up in the hype, and, being a New Yorker, I hoped that Miss New York would win the crown each year. And, lastly, I wanted to hear Bert Parks sing “There She Is, Miss America” at the end of the show.

Okay, I was a weird kid…

I talked a bit about the history of the Miss America pageant back in Podcast #142, The Runaway Miss America, which is a great story that I encourage you to go back and give a listen to.

One thing that I didn’t discuss in that story was how the competing Miss USA and Miss Universe contests came into existence.

Just briefly, an early sponsor of the Miss America pageant was Catalina Swimsuits. The contest was great publicity for the manufacturer, particularly during the swimsuit portion of the competition, which was broadcast on national television.

But in 1951, the newly crowned Miss America, Yolande Betbeze, refused to pose for publicity photos wearing a swimsuit.

As a result, Catalina decided to withdraw their sponsorship of the pageant. But since it was such great publicity for the company, they decided that the best thing to do would be to start their own pageant: something bigger and greater than Miss America. And in 1952, they launched the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA, and Miss Universe contests. Their ads claimed that Miss Universe was “the only world-wide beauty pageant,” although Miss World had already been established the previous year. (A little sidenote: Donald Trump owned the Miss Universe organization from 1996 through 2015.)

A key difference between the Miss Universe and Miss America contests was that the Miss Universe pageant never placed much of a premium on talent or scholarship, at least not during its early years. Keep in mind that Catalina started Miss Universe and the pageants leading up to it with just one goal in mind: to sell swimsuits.

Just to give you an idea of how superficial the contest could be, the July 14, 1957, publication of the Long Beach Independent Press-Telegram listed the stats of all the women competing for the title of Miss Universe. Below a picture of approximately 75 of the contestants wearing their bathing suits – an image spread across two pages – the stats of each contestant are listed in fine print.

One of those women, and the subject of this story, is described as follows: “Maryland – Leona Gage, 21, of Glen Burnie; black hair, green eyes, 5 feet 9 ½, 118 pounds, 36–23–36. Sports: Badminton, baseball. Sings, plays piano, draws.”

One can’t get much more superficial than that. (Note: I am purposely including these body measurements and similar comments on physical appearance throughout the story to emphasize how sexist the press was in the 1950s. In addition, in an effort to avoid further objectifying women, I have opted not to convert any of these measurements into the metric system. I’m quite certain that everyone can draw a mental image of what the typical beauty pageant entrant looks like.)

So, let me give you a bit of background on her. She was born Mary Leona Gage on April 8, 1939, in Longview, Texas. While still a toddler, her parents moved to Wichita Falls, which is home to Sheppard Air Force Base. Wichita Falls sits just south of Texas’ border with Oklahoma. At some point, her father became permanently disabled and needed to be institutionalized. Her parents divorced, her mom remarried, and eventually Leona – she had opted to be referred to by her middle name – relocated to the state of Maryland.

While living there, a woman who modeled with Leona encouraged her to enter the Miss Maryland pageant. Leona was convinced that she didn’t stand a chance, but on June 25, 1957, she was crowned Miss Maryland. (Technically, today she would be referred to as Miss Maryland USA, and that’s to distinguish the winner from the Miss Maryland who would compete in the Miss America pageant.) Coming in second place was 19-year-old Callie Hill, who had already been awarded the title of “Miss Baseball” by the Maryland Amateur Baseball Association.

The first paragraph of a story that appeared in the next day’s Baltimore Sun began, “Leona Gage, a black-haired beauty, amply proportioned, talented and shopping carefully for a man she can be ‘awfully sure’ about, last night was crowned Miss Maryland of 1957.”

The article went on to say, “There’s a touch of Texas, too, about Miss Gage. 5 feet 9 ½ inches, 35–23–36, Miss Gage spent most of her 21 years in Baltimore but did go to school in Texas. And her mother, Mrs. Walter Briggs, lives there. “I’m overwhelmed and so grateful,” gasped the green-eyed model who also paints, sings and plays piano. “It was the answer to all my dreams.”

She told the press, “I never dreamed I could win, for nothing ever happened to me like this before.” She also added that she didn’t have a boyfriend and said didn’t want to marry until she was twenty-six, because at that age “a woman should be able to judge.”

Winning the pageant meant that Leona had won the opportunity to compete in the Miss United States contest, and if she won that, she could go on to compete for the Miss Universe title.

On July 11th, Leona boarded a plane in Washington, DC, and upon landing on the West Coast, was immediately caught up in the whirlwind of pageantry. But it wasn’t all about judging and eliminations. Along with parties and entertainment, Leona participated in a two-hour parade, riding on her own float while sporting—of course—a Catalina-branded swimsuit. There was also a boat ride around the harbor and time to play in the water, once again while wearing her signature Catalina swimsuit.

The July 17^th Baltimore Evening Sun wrote, “Miss Leona Gage, Maryland’s representative in The Miss Universe contest here, was still in the running today with fourteen other beauties left out of 44 seeking the Miss United States of America title at the contest.

“The 21-year-old Glen Burnie model was selected over other American entrants after appearing before the judges in evening gowns and bathing suits.” (Catalina bathing suits…)

The article went on to explain what would happen next: “One of these will be chosen Miss U.S.A. tonight. The winner will compete against 32 international beauties for the title of Miss Universe.

“Five Miss Universe finalists will be named tomorrow night and the queen of them all will be crowned Friday night.”

Since I have been focusing on Leona Gage throughout this entire story, it should be fairly obvious that she made it through the entire elimination process and was crowned Miss USA. The second-place winner was 20-year-old Charlotte Sheffield of Salt Lake City, Utah.

An Associated Press article detailing Leona’s win noted that “The new Miss U.S.A., one of the tallest girls in the contest at 5 feet 9-1/2 inches, weighs 118 pounds tastefully distributed on a 36-23-36 basis.”

After winning the title, the press wanted to know more about Leona. It was learned that her father had died and that she was forced to quit school while in the tenth grade to help support her family.

Also, the identity of the model who originally encouraged Leona to enter the Miss Maryland contest was finally revealed: She was her 24-year-old cousin, Barbara Gage. The two lived together back in Glen Burnie. In an interview with the Associated Press shortly after Leona’s victory, Barbara shared how they had to pool their resources to afford a gown for Leona to compete in the contest.

“I had $35 and she had $10. We had made money modeling and it was all we had. We found a dress marked down from $90 to $45 (approximately $500 today), so we bought it. And she won!

“But we still didn’t have any money. They gave Leona a two-way ticket to Long Beach so we used both ways so I could come out too… and now she’s won again!”

And just how were they going to get back home? Barbara explained, “We both modeled and we made enough to get along. But I only had $20 ($225 today) when we got here. We figured if Leona didn’t win anything we’d work – as waitresses, anything – and make enough money to get home.

“Now I guess we’ll get home.”

Going back to Glen Burnie would come in time, but there was one more big contest for Leona to compete in. That was for the title of Miss Universe, in which she would be going up against 32 winners from countries all around the world.

Could Leona do it?

She made it through the first elimination round and was chosen to be among the top fifteen winners.

Almost there! Would she make it?

The answer is a definite no. She was disqualified from competition and the pageant stripped Leona of her Miss Maryland and Miss USA crowns.

So, what could Leona have done that was so outrageous that she would lose all her titles?

First, it was learned that Leona had lied about her age. She told pageant officials she was 21, but in reality, she was only 18. In a syndicated Associated Press article, Leona explained her reasoning: “You say you’re 18, and people think you have no brains. I’ve always tried to pass myself off as older than I am.”

However, that lie alone wasn’t grounds for disqualification, as the contest allowed participants between the ages of 18 and 28. After all, many women have fibbed about their age throughout history.

The real reason that Leona was disqualified was that she was married. She had wed Air Force Staff Sgt. Gene Ennis on February 3, 1954, in Vernon, Texas, when she was fourteen years old. The reason for the early marriage? She had become pregnant at thirteen. By the time she was crowned Miss USA, Leona and Gene already were the parents to two boys: 3-year-old Gene Jr. and 2-year-old David Nathan.

Interestingly, 1957 was the first year in which the contest rules required all entrants to be single. If Leona had won the previous year, the pageant operators may not have been able to disqualify her.

So how did they discover that she was married?

Shortly after Leona won the Miss USA title, a Baltimore newspaper received an anonymous tip suggesting she might be married. The tip was passed along to a reporter in Long Beach, who confronted Leona with the question, “Did you ever hear of a guy named Ennis?” Even though that was her married name, she flatly denied it.

But good reporters don’t give up. The rumor of Leona’s marriage quickly solidified into fact. She continued to deny it at every turn, but the evidence was undeniable—especially after her mother-in-law, followed by her husband, and finally, her own mother confirmed the truth. By the morning after the top fifteen finalists had been announced, Friday, July 19, 1957, a tearful Leona confessed that the rumors were indeed true. Reflecting on the ordeal years later in 2005, she recalled, “I was scared they were going to put me in jail or something. Once my own mother verified it, I said, ‘Yes, it’s true.’”

So why did she do it? Leona explained, “We desperately needed money. We owe a lot of bills. My husband makes only $300 (~$3,350 today) a month. We live in a rented house. We don’t have our own furniture. My two children are healthy, but they need clothes.”

She may have lost her Miss USA title, but her husband didn’t seem too upset. “I’m behind her all the way.” He continued, “I’m glad she had it for a day, because I’ll have it for 364 days.”

The dominoes quickly fell into place. The title of Miss Maryland went to Miss Baseball, Callie Hill. Charlotte Sheffield, Miss Utah, was crowned the new Miss USA. However, since Sheffield hadn’t participated in the preliminary rounds of Miss Universe, she couldn’t replace Leona among the top fifteen finalists. Instead, Leona’s spot went to the 16th-place contestant, 21-year-old Miss Argentina, Monica Lamas.

“Long Beach, Cal., July 19 (AP) – A dark-eyed senorita from Peru, Gladys Zender, 18, of Lima, tonight was named Miss Universe.

“Miss Zender, 5 feet 7, with 36-23-36 measurements, is the first Latin American to win the international beauty contest. Her father, Eduardo Zender, is a leading industrialist in Peru.”

Following Leona Gage’s disqualification, reporters turned their attention to Zender, hoping to uncover any scandal in her background as well—anything that might grab headlines and sell more newspapers.

And what they discovered was that while Gladys had never been married, she had lied about her age. It turns out that she was only seventeen, which was too young to compete.

Faced with the bad publicity of possibly having to disqualify two pageant winners within twenty-four hours, pageant officials desperately searched for a way out of this mess. It turns out that Gladys was 17 years, 7 months old, but according to her father, it was supposedly Peruvian custom for anyone more than six months past their birthday to consider themselves one year older. With that reasoning, the pageant sponsors agreed to recognize Gladys as 18, preserving both her title and the pageant’s reputation.

Meanwhile, Leona Gage’s story had captured headlines worldwide and the press continued to seek more information. One person that they wanted to interview was her cousin Barbara Gage, but no one could locate her. When they did finally find her, they learned that she wasn’t Leona’s cousin at all. Instead, she was a 24-year-old friend named Mrs. Barbara Mewshaw.

When reporters tracked her down, Barbara shared her side of the story. She explained that one evening, she had a modeling job lined up, but she couldn’t take it because she needed to do some baking at her husband’s tavern.

Barbara said, “One night there was a modeling job I couldn’t take, too busy at my husband’s place, so I found a girl, Leona, working in a dress shop for $26 (~$290 today) a week. I gave her the modeling job. We became friends.

“I realized she was a beautiful girl and could become a very good model, but she just couldn’t get jobs without experience and without becoming known, getting some publicity.

“I talked Leona into going into the Miss Maryland contest. I put up $35 and Leona $10 to buy a reduced-price dress for her. I told my husband I spent the $35 for myself.

“Well, Leona won. But she told the sponsor that she was married and had two children and would return the crown and withdraw in favor of the second girl if he wanted, but he said no.”

Later, as Leona entered the finals for Miss Universe and rumblings of her marriage began to seep in, Barbara telephoned William J. Adams, director of the modeling agency that promoted the Miss Maryland contest. Adams told Barbara that he would take care of things and that Leona should continue on to hopefully win the Miss Universe title. But after Leona was disqualified, Adams told the press, “I did not know she was married.”

The reality was that Barbara and Leona hadn’t put much thought into what would happen if she won the Miss USA contest.

Barbara said, “Our only plan was to get here, to Hollywood, where beautiful girls can make some good money. She couldn’t do it in Maryland.

“We had no hope of winning, our plans didn’t go that far.

“It was Leona’s idea that I come along. I didn’t want to leave my husband, but Leona said she couldn’t do it without me. We thought we could keep it covered up by not talking to anybody.

“But we got caught, that’s all.”

Covering up is literally what Leona had to do. She feared that if anyone connected to the pageant saw her undressed, they might realize she was a mother, resulting in her disqualification. To avoid that risk, Leona always made sure to change in the privacy of a bathroom.

Leona not only lost her Miss USA title but also forfeited all the prizes that came with it. This included her trophy, tiara, a house trailer, a $2,000 contract with a cosmetics company (worth over $22,000 today), and a trip to Europe. All of that was passed on to Miss Utah. The only prize Leona was allowed to keep was the $1,000 wardrobe—primarily because she had already collected the clothing.

Meanwhile, the sudden attention from the press proved too much for Leona to handle. She retreated to her hotel room. Pageant director Oscar Meinhardt said she could stay as a guest as long as she liked. “After all, she’s a young kid. Often a girl is urged and pushed into these things. It seems like a small lie at the beginning.

“We think she’s a pretty wonderful girl and will protect her seclusion as long as she wishes.”

While investigating Leona’s background, a reporter discovered that her father was still alive. When he told Leona the news, she fainted. After being revived, she said, “I thought he was dead. They told me he was dead.” Leona explained that her father, Frank Gage, had been in a serious car accident, which was later followed by a severe electrical shock while working at an aircraft plant. The injuries left him paralyzed, and he spent the remainder of his life in the Wichita County Farm hospital, where he would pass away four years later on January 18, 1961.

On Saturday, July 20, 1957, the day after Miss Universe was crowned, Leona boarded an airplane for home. Upon her arrival at Friendship International Airport (today the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport), she was greeted by a friendly crowd of 200 people. While puffing away on a cigarette, she told reporters “I’m sorry. I honestly am. I didn’t think I’d win. If I thought I had a chance, I wouldn’t have gone out there.”

Leona had one more shocking revelation for the press that day: Gene Ennis, whom she married at fourteen, was her second husband.

She was thirteen when she met Gene in a drugstore where she was working. Gene had been stationed at nearby Sheppard Air Force Base and was 24 at the time. He commented to a reporter shortly after her plane landed at Friendship Airport, “She was quite a woman at 13, too, believe me.” (Yuk!) Leona admitted that she was attracted to him because he resembled a young Frank Sinatra. “That’s why I liked him, because I had a crush on Frank Sinatra.”

At first, Gene would drive her to church and on errands, but it soon escalated into a romantic relationship. Months later, Gene received orders to ship out, but “He said he was going to come back and marry me when I was grown up.”

But not long after he left, Leona realized that she was pregnant. She sent a letter to Gene, but didn’t receive a reply. Unable to deal with the pressure, Leona went to the top of a ten-story building in Wichita Falls with the intent of jumping to end her life. “But at the last moment, a little voice said, ‘You’ll kill the baby,’ and I walked back down. I couldn’t kill the baby.”

Too scared to tell her mother that she was pregnant, Leona confided in a coworker at the drugstore, who mentioned she was getting married and suggested Leona do the same. The woman recommended Edward Thacker, another airman from the Air Force base, and Leona agreed to go through with it. The four then crossed the border into Oklahoma, where a double wedding ceremony was held. Page 10 of the November 26, 1953, edition of the Big Pasture News lists the following under a section titled “Marriage Licenses”: “Eddie Ray Thacker, 20, Sheppard Field, Texas, and Mary Leona Gage, 14, Wichita Falls, Tex., on November 11.”

As soon as the ceremony was over, Leona realized that she had made a huge mistake. “I’d never even held hands with him.” She immediately went home and told her mother, “I’m pregnant, but I’m married.” At her mother’s insistence, that marriage was quickly annulled. She was then sent off to live with an aunt until the baby was born. But before that happened, Gene reemerged onto the scene. The two were married on February 3, 1954, and Gene Jr. was born on April 28^th of that same year.

It’s no surprise that Leona was unhappy with the direction her life had taken. Pregnant at 13, married twice by 14, and a housewife before even starting ninth grade, she had little chance to enjoy a normal childhood. A year later, she gave birth to her second child, and shortly after, the Air Force transferred Gene to the Baltimore area. Suddenly, Leona found herself in an unfamiliar city, isolated from family and friends, and on the brink of a nervous breakdown.

Seeking help, Leona visited an Air Force doctor, who recommended she find a job. That advice led her to work at a dress shop, where she met Barbara Mewshaw—an encounter that ultimately set her on the path to becoming Miss USA.

Reflecting back in 2005 as to what had happened, Gene said, “She was unhappy. I was young, she was young, and when you’re young like that and in the service, it’s one of those damn things — you make mistakes, and she winds up pregnant.”

He added, “She wanted to be somebody. She was ambitious. She was a beauty queen — even before she was a beauty queen.”

Upon returning home, Leona had to deal with the fact that she had become an overnight celebrity. One pageant official remarked, “She may have lost her title, but she has $1,000,000 worth of publicity.”

Leona was flooded with mail—some of it harsh and mean-spirited—while offers from stage and screen poured in. As she and Barbara sorted through the proposals, most were unfamiliar to them, including one from the renowned William Morris talent agency, whose significance they didn’t fully comprehend.

Yet there was one name that they did know: Ed Sullivan, whose show in the late 1950s reached an average of 40 million viewers every Sunday evening. And he wanted Leona to make an appearance ASAP.

A clip of her appearance can be seen on YouTube. She was paid $1,000 for her July 21, 1957 appearance—equivalent to about $11,200 today. Interestingly, Sullivan was on vacation that week, so comedian Ernie Kovacs was hosting and interviewed Leona. Here’s a brief audio snippet, giving you a chance to hear her actual voice.

The problem was that a brief interview did little to boost her career, so Leona took the opportunity to showcase her singing on the rival Steve Allen Show. However, they asked her to sing “Sentimental Journey,” a song that she wasn’t familiar with. With minimal time to rehearse, things went south quickly. Leona forgot the words to the second verse and simply froze. Luckily, the Four Coins, a local vocal group, stepped in and completed the song for her.

Despite that setback, the offers continued to pour in. Actress Jan Shepard, who was hired to help Leona prepare for her first dramatic role in an NBC Matinee Theater western (Sunday in Sonora), told the Baltimore Sun in 2005, “She was so beautiful and everyone wanted to jump on the bandwagon.”

On July 31, 1957, it was revealed that Leona had written a letter of apology to pageant producer Oscar Meinhardt. It read:

“I would very much like to say that I am truly sorry for the trouble and the inconvenience I caused you and the pageant officials. The way things happened I was carried along by a series of circumstances which I had no control over.

“I hope that you can find in your heart forgiveness and can realize that the way things were and from my own inexperience I had no idea of the amount of trouble that the misunderstandings would cause. Again I wish to express my sincere regret and wish you and the pageant the continued great success it deserves in the future.

Meinhardt replied, “I think it’s a very gracious gesture on her part.”

Not everyone was pleased. Miss Baseball, Callie Hill, filed a $30,000 lawsuit (equivalent to about $335,000 today) against Leona Gage and the Walters Academy model agency that sponsored her. Hill argued that by concealing Leona’s marriage, they had deprived her of that paid trip to California, the possible prizes, and possibly earning the titles of Miss USA and Miss Universe. In turn, the model agency sued Leona for $100,000 (approximately $1.1 million today), claiming her actions had “seriously damaged” their reputation. However, the press provided no further updates on either case, leaving the outcomes unknown.

On December 30, 1957, Leona announced that she was divorcing her husband, Gene. Her plan was to move to Nevada, work on the Las Vegas stage, and get divorced there. Gene told reporters, “I guess she doesn’t love me. I guess that’s grounds enough.” The couple agreed that she would gain custody of their children. He added, “I have no objection to her career as long as my children are properly cared for – and they’re very well taken care of.” When their divorce was finalized on February 25, 1958, it was revealed that Leona was earning $200 a week as a showgirl, while her ex-husband, Gene, made just $350 a month. Since Leona had a higher income, they agreed that Gene would only be required to pay $25 per month (around $280 today) in child support.

One year after her Miss USA disqualification, Leona was working as a showgirl at the Tropicana hotel, while living in a trailer with her two sons. She called it “the happiest time in my life.” During her first year as a Las Vegas showgirl, she was billed as “Miss USA – For a Day.” One of the lines of a song based on the pageant scandal was “I didn’t mean any harm, but things got dull on that Maryland farm.” It didn’t matter that she had never lived on a farm in Maryland… The following year she became part of an act called “The Ten Most Beautiful Women of the World.”

For a short time, at age nineteen, Leona dated Frank Sinatra, but that never went anywhere. Many years later, she reflected back on that relationship: “I didn’t talk. I just smoked. I had a long black cigarette holder and I would sit and just smoke across from him while we were dating.”

After this, Leona’s life seemed to be in a downward spiral. On November 17, 1958, Leona married dancer Nick Covacevich in Las Vegas’ Little Church of the West. That union would end in divorce 2-1/2 years later. (Sidenote: The church is still in operation today. Couples get to choose who they want to officiate their ceremony. A typical minister costs between $60 and $100. An Elvis or Johnny Cash impersonator is $200, and a mini-Elvis impersonator runs $250.)

At some point, Leona relocated to Hollywood. It was there, on August 5, 1960, that she was charged with “endangering a child’s life” for striking her then 5-year-old son David with a belt after he was caught playing with razor blades. She told reporters, “I believe in strict discipline, but with love. I was spanked 50 times harder than I spanked my child.

“Parents today are not strict enough. That’s why there is so much juvenile delinquency.”

Leona was fined $25 (~$280 today) for her actions.

On September 8, 1962, she married Gunther Collatz, who went by the professional name of Peter Collins. He was best known for writing I Remember Marilyn, a book detailing his alleged affair with Marilyn Monroe. According to Leona, their marriage unraveled soon after the birth of their daughter, Cynthia. Devastated, Leona attempted suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. The couple divorced in less than 18 months.

By this time, Leona was firmly established in the Hollywood party scene. She claimed to have taken LSD with John Barrymore, Jr., lived with ex-Mr. Universe Mickey Hartigay (father to actress Mariska Hartigay), and was close friends with hairdresser Jay Sebring, who would later lose his life during the infamous Charles Manson killings.

Leona’s Hollywood acting career would never take off. She did land a starring role in the 1962 Roger Corman movie Tales of Terror starring Vincent Price, but she had very few lines. Her role as Morella, a woman who died during childbirth and then came back to life, required her to wear ghoulish makeup and basically lie dead throughout most of the story. She also appeared in a non-speaking role as a call girl in the 1964 film A House Is Not a Home, though the fact that the Internet Movie Database doesn’t list her among the top cast members hints at just how minor her role was. Notably, the film also marked the screen debut of another rising star: Raquel Welch.

During the spring of 1964, Leona went in search of work and left her daughter Cynthia in the care of a hired sitter, Mrs. Beatrice Sloan. But a month later, Leona still had not returned, although there was phone contact between the two. Mrs. Sloan, who had since accepted another job, had no choice but to turn Cynthia over to juvenile authorities for care. Mrs. Sloan claimed that Leona had never paid her salary and that the electricity and telephone in Leona’s North Hollywood residence had been turned off for nonpayment. Upon learning of the situation, Leona rushed home from Scottsdale, Arizona, and the whole thing was straightened out. Cynthia was released into her care and no charges were filed.

On Friday, October 30 of that same year, Leona was discovered unconscious in a motel room at 7023 Sunset Boulevard, having once again attempted suicide with an overdose of barbiturates. A note written on the motel’s stationery read: “Strange as I know this must sound, I feel in my heart that to make my EXIT at this point in my life was the wisest thing to do. I would like to believe that there are a few who will understand. Good luck to everyone, God bless you all. Mary Leona Gage.”

Leona was taken to General Hospital to recover. She was charged with narcotics possession after police discovered ¼ ounces (7.1 grams) of marijuana in her left boot. After learning that Leona had displayed suicidal tendencies several times before, the judge in the case suspended the charges and ordered psychiatric tests to determine if she should be committed to a mental institution. As a result, Leona would spend the next seven weeks in the Camarillo State Mental Hospital.

Upon her release, Leona agreed to be interviewed for a ghostwritten book about her life. She received $900 (~$8,750 today) for doing so, although she later claimed that many of the more lascivious portions were pure fiction. The book was titled “My Name is Leona Gage, Will Somebody Please Help Me?”, which were the first words she spoke after her most recent suicide attempt. The front cover shows a nude Leona, clad only by a sheet, sitting seductively on a bed. The book was marketed to an adult audience, and that’s exactly where I found a description of it. An ad from the November 1966 publication of the men’s magazine Adam reads:

“This is a shocking true story of a fabulously beautiful girl. She had everything — money, talent, and movie career and the title of “the most beautiful girl in the world”! She also had one additional talent, to attract sadists and unscrupulous opportunists. They turned her world into a nightmare of frustration, suicide attempts, drug addiction and confinement in an asylum. Her ‘story-book’ career ended in shame and degradation inflicted by an unfeeling society. Her search for love was brutally deflected into lesbianism. Her beauty was distorted by grotesque appearances on a burlesque stage. Her will to live almost completely destroyed. Holloway House Publishing Company, California – $0.75” (Approximately $7.25 today.)

By the end of 1966, she had made her last movie. Leona turned to working as a burlesque performer in strip clubs, although she never fully disrobed. She also appeared in two television commercials, but by the 1970s she turned to working ordinary jobs.

When the press caught up with her in April 2005, she was back to using her first name Mary once again. She was living alone and had been suffering for nearly a decade from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Somewhere along the way, she had converted to Judaism and had taken a vow of celibacy. Her son Gene Jr. and daughter Cynthia had already passed away and saw her other three sons infrequently.

She told the reporter, “There’s really no way that this could have a happy ending, is there? Why? Because my dream is dead – having all my children around the table at one time, and me serving them turkey and all the trimmings.”

One fact that every telling of her life appears to have wrong is the number of times that Leona was married. They all report six, but I count seven. I won’t go through the list, but I am quite certain that I am correct. Her shortest was her first to Eddie Thacker, which was annulled within the first week. Her longest was with husband #6, Alex Kaminer, which lasted five years.

Mary Leona Gage passed away on October 5, 2010. She was 71 years old and was interred in Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, California.

Leona was never bitter that the Miss USA title had been stripped from her. In fact, she made sure to watch the pageant on television every single year.

“I did not expect to win. After I did I was frightened, I didn’t know what to do. But I’m most grateful I was Miss U.S.A. for a day.”

Useless? Useful? I’ll leave that for you to decide.