Miss America: A Documentary Film
Almost all Americans have at some point in their lives seen the Miss America Pageant. It is America's oldest beauty pageant and one of the most popular entertainment events in the nation’s history. Alternately extolled, obsessed over, praised and condemned, the Pageant has survived a century of tumultuous change to become a classic American icon -- instantly recognizable and meaningful to millions. MISS AMERICA, an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival and broadcast on the national PBS series, American Experience (January, 2002), goes beyond the myths and stereotypes to explore some of America's most dramatic social and cultural transformations. An honest, moving and humorous portrait, MISS AMERICA follows the story of the Pageant from its beginnings in 1921, while exploring what it means to be an “ideal” American woman.

On-camera interviews include: Julia Alvarez, Margaret Cho, William Goldman, Isaac Mizrahi, Gloria Steinem and former Miss Americas Bess Myerson, Lee Meriwether and Mary Ann Mobley.

Credits     Purchase Video     American Experience Web Site


Miss America Production Credits

A Clio Inc. & Orchard Films Production

Directed by
LISA ADES

Written by
MICHELLE FERRARI

Produced by
LISA ADES & LESLI KLAINBERG

Edited by
TOBY SHIMIN

Narrated by
CHERRY JONES

Cinematography
BUDDY SQUIRES
PETER NELSON

Original Music by
DOUGLAS J. CUOMO

Associate Producer

SARAH KRAMER

Associate Editor

HOPE LITOFF

Researcher

MONICA WALTERS

Production Associate

DANIEL ADLER

Historical Consultants

ELAINE ABELSON
JOYCE BERKMAN
ANN-MARIE BIVANS
SUSAN DOUGLAS
GEORGE LIPSITZ
KATHY PEISS
TRICIA ROSE
PAUL STEKLER
GEOFFREY C. WARD
SUSAN WARE

Sound Editors
MARLENA GRZASLEWICZ
IRA SPIEGEL

Sound Recording

JOHN ZECCA
MARK MANDLER
C. A. MOSE
JOHN OSBORNE
MICHAEL REILLY
JON WERMUTH

Assistant Editors
KRISTEN NUTILE
JUDD BLAISE

Additional Cinematography
STEPHEN McCARTHY

Assistant Camera

ANTHONY SAVINI
ROBERT SANDS
JASON SUMMERS
ANTONIO ROSSI
ROGER HAYDOCK

Consulting Producer
CARA MERTES

Program Development

SHEILA CURRAN BERNARD

Historical Research Consultant

VICKI GOLD LEVI

Additional Research

ATHENA DEVLIN
LILY THORNE
JO TOWNSON

Research Assistant

JENKS WHITTENBURG

Re-recording Mixer

FRANK MORRONE, SOUND ONE

Assistant Sound Editor
MARIUSZ GLABINSKI

Narration Recording

LOU VERRICO, FULL HOUSE PRODUCTIONS

Film to Tape Transfer
BILL STOKES, DUART VIDEO

On-Line Editor

JOHN REHBERGER, DUART VIDEO

Color
DUART FILM LABS

Animation Stand Photography
ED JOYCE, FRAMESHOP

Negative Matching
NOËLLE PENRAAT INC.

Production Assistants

MEGHAN HORVATH
BRAD LEDNIK

Interns
JERUSHA BHINDIE
JAMILA CHASE
ANTONIA HARTLEY
CRISTELA HENRIQUEZ
HANAN OHAYAN
SARAH POTTER
DAVE ZANI

Title Design
ALEX GATJE

Legal Services

KAREN SHATZKIN, SHATZKIN & MAYER

Financial Services
EDWARD M. WEISEL, SILVER LASKI & WEISEL

Fiscal Sponsor
HISTORY INSTITUTE

This program would not have been possible without the extraordinary collections of:

THE MISS AMERICA ORGANIZATION

FOR AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

Post Production
JAMES E. DUNFORD
ROSE COMPAGINE
GREG SHEA

Series Designer
ALISON KENNEDY

On-Line Editor
MARK STEELE

Sound Mix
JOHN JENKINS

Series Theme

MARK ADLER

Business Manager

JOHN VAN HAGEN

Project Administration
NANCY FARRELL
VANESSA RUIZ
HELEN R. RUSSELL
REBEKAH SUGGS

Director, New Media
MARIA DANIELS

Interactive Media

DANIELLE DELL'OLIO

Publicity
DAPHNE B. NOYES
JOHANNA BAKER

Coordinating Producer
SUSAN MOTTAU

Series Editor
SHARON GRIMBERG

Senior Producer
MARK SAMELS

Executive Producer for American Experience
MARGARET DRAIN

Executive Producers for Clio Inc.
LOLA VAN WAGENEN & JEANNE HOUCK

Funding for American Experience provided by

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Liberty Mutual
The Scotts Company
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Public Television Service

This program was made possible by grants from The National Endowment
for the Humanities and the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.

Copyright © 2002 Clio Inc. and Orchard Films

Back to Top