The first beauty contest of the USSR was organized at the suggestion of “MK”: Leonid Yakubovich remembered backstage
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Exactly thirty-five years ago, a significant event took place in the history of the USSR, which became a real sensation. The first in the USSR beauty contest “Moscow Beauty” was held in Moscow. For the first time in the history of the country, they chose not the best worker or the best teacher, but just a beautiful girl. A year ago, no one could even dream of this. The first idea to hold a beauty contest in the USSR was voiced by the journalists of Moskovsky Komsomolets.
The idea was born after a competition for the most attractive MK reader. In those days, such competitions were held only abroad. But the city committee of the Komsomol in the capital was unexpectedly inspired by the idea and work began. The supervision of the new event was entrusted to the Department of Culture under the Executive Committee of the Moscow City Council. The Russian edition of the western concert Burda Moden also joined.
– “The name “Miss Moscow” was rejected immediately and settled on a more general one: “Moscow Beauty”. – recalled a member of the organizing committee, a former journalist of “MK” Marina Parusnikova.
Pavel Gusev, editor-in-chief of MK, became the director of the competition, and Leonid Yakubovich became the host.
How the main beauty of the USSR was chosen and why the participants needed a psychologist, the presenter Leonid Yakubovich told MK correspondents.
“We had a completely normal job,” says Yakubovich. – I remember one day I was invited to the Mosconcert and was told that there was an idea to create such a competition. The last beauty contest, as far as I remember, before that was held in 1902 or 1908 in Poland. One of the participants then, by the way, was the grandmother of my close friend.
– “Moscow Beauty” was conceived to show that there are many beautiful women in the USSR?
There are enough beautiful women in our country to stop talking about it. It’s just a fact. Then for us it was the birth of an amazing story. I don’t know how it happens now and what is the point of current beauty contests, but then everything was fair.
– How did you prepare for the first beauty contest in the history of the USSR?
– We were given several cassettes with recordings of American beauty contests, we read the newspapers – and work began. She was big and heavy. But everything was going great. We had a director. There was Natashechka Korkh. She worked with the participants in movement, aerobics. There was Maya Kanevskaya, who was engaged in psychology with the participants, there were doctors.
Why did the participants need a psychologist?
– At that time everything was new – not many before that moment went on stage in this form. “Moscow Beauty” – this is a ramp, it was a theater. Maya was a very good psychologist, she worked with girls a lot. She is the wife of the writer Alexander Semenovich Kanevsky.
– Where did you get the outfits for the participants?
– Burda Moden provided the participants with absolutely chic dresses for those times and amazing fur coats. They brought me a tuxedo. I “cooked” in this competition from the very beginning to the very end, starting with the selection of participants in Gorky Park. True, I still do not know by what criteria the participants were selected. ‘Cause I was the host and I almost got pissed off about it. The excitement was incredible: 600-700 girls a day came.
– Is it true that the participants were very actively guarded?
– Yes. The security was crazy. They never let anyone in at all. All participants lived separately. And before the competition they were worried. All this was natural. Then the competitive excitement began. The small sports arena (Luzhnnikov – “MK”) was packed for three days, people hung on the ceilings.
– At the same time, on television, when the competition was shown live, many letters were received with criticism: “How could this be released on the screen”? How did you feel about it?
– The dog barks – the wind carries. Nobody paid any attention to it. Because everyone was absorbed in the holiday, and it was incredible. Even now I can’t remember where else there was such a festive atmosphere. In fact, everything went just great. I don’t even understand why this happened. No cynical manifestations, no greasiness. Everything was somehow wonderfully beautiful and very touching.
– After the competition, did you follow the fate of the participants?
– Specifically, no. But then, after some time, we performed together. With Olya Starushko we were in Italy at another fashion competition. She certainly made a phenomenal impression on everyone there. It was just a blast!
The winner of the competition was 16-year-old Muscovite Masha Kalinina. She was finishing school that year and dreamed of becoming a translator. The girl planned to enter the Maurice Thorez Institute. True, she was not accepted into the institute. But her career still took off. A year later, she signed a contract with Burda Moden and eventually left for the USA.
Newspaper headline:
Leonid Yakubovich spoke about the backstage of the beauty contest
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