Patricia Donnelly Harris (October 30, 1919 – October 25, 2009) was
Miss America
Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...
in 1939.
Early years
Born Patricia Mary Donnelly in
Durand, Michigan
Durand is a city in Shiawassee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,446 at the 2010 census. Nicknamed "Railroad City, USA", it is best known for its large train station which was a major hub for the Grand Trunk Western and ...
,
she was a singer in grade school and on radio programs, and she began singing with a band soon after she finished high school. She also worked as a model for
Hudson's
The J. L. Hudson Company (commonly known simply as Hudson's) was an upscale retail department store chain based in Detroit, Michigan. Hudson's flagship store, on Woodward Avenue in Downtown Detroit (demolished October 24, 1998), was the tallest d ...
department store.
Miss America
Donnelly was the last to be crowned at the
Steel Pier
The Steel Pier is a 1,000-foot-long () amusement park built on a pier of the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey, across from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City (formerly the Trump Taj Mahal). Begun in 1898, it was one of the most po ...
. In the talent competition, she sang the then-new ballad "
To You" and the faster-tempo "Old Man Mose". After winning the Miss America title, she traveled across the United States making personal appearances. She was given the nickname "The Long-Stemmed American Beauty".
[
]
Career
Following her reign as Miss America, Donnelly sang at the Stork Club
Stork Club was a nightclub in Manhattan, New York City. During its existence from 1929 to 1965, it was one of the most prestigious clubs in the world. A symbol of café society, the wealthy elite, including movie stars, celebrities, showgirls, ...
, on Broadway, and appeared in some films. She worked for the John Robert Powers modeling agency.[ Her Broadway credits included the musical revue ''Priorities of 1942'' and the musical comedy ''The Lady Comes Across'' (1942).
En route to Chicago on the famous "Super Chief" of railways, she was introduced to Jack Warner of Warner Brothers Studio. He recognized her strong resemblance to Hollywood beauty, Ann Sheridan.
Soon a Hollywood contract was offered, but Donnelly turned it down. "I realized by that time I didn't want my face known," she said. "In other words, I wanted the freedom of movement, to go where I pleased without people knowing who I was."
]
Personal life
Donnelly married Robin Harris in 1948 and had two children, Amanda and Stephen. For years she and Robin worked together as travel editors of the Hearst Newspapers.
In 1980, she was diagnosed with throat cancer after years of smoking cigarettes.
References
1919 births
2009 deaths
Miss America 1930s delegates
Miss America winners
People from Detroit
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