Mr. Pixable...
Chris Hansen, Miss Universe and Miss USA Photographer, 1960-1971
For the pageant fans who came of age during the glorious, golden Miami Beach Years (1960 - 1971) of the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants, there were two things of certainty - the broadcast of the pageant on CBS and the wonderful photos that appeared in our local newspapers and in magazines.
With no VCRs or internet sites to help us capture the excitement of the pageants, we relied on the great images that emanated from Miami Beach. The photos would begin to appear about two weeks before the pageant. They ranged from contestants frolicking on the beach to publicity shots to a photo of the young lady chosen "Miss Pixable" by the Press Corps. These snapshots have become classic windows to another place and another time.
Many of those priceless pictures taken in the 1960's can be attributed to one man, Mr. Chris Hansen, who was the photographer for the Miami Beach News Bureau. Mr. Hansen's reputation as a photographer, gentleman, and even a prankster are reflected in the thousands of photos he took of the pageants. Because of Mr. Hansen's contribution to the history of the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants, we have chosen to elevate him to the Pantheon at Beauty School as a way of saying thank you.
"Everytime I see you, you are with a pretty girl," said a woman on the beach to Chris Hansen. It was the summer of 1966 and Chris was just doing his job. And what a job it was - photographing the most beautiful women in the world, in this case the lovely Maria Remenyi, Miss California 1966 and soon to be Miss USA 1966.
"I had a great career," said Mr. Hansen, 83, when reached by Beauty School at his home in Florida. For a quarter century, Mr. Hansen was the ace photographer for the Miami Beach News Bureau. Taking roll after roll of film , his photos were destined for newspapers
all over the world in order to lure tourists to Miami Beach.
In 1960, the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants landed in Miami Beach, and Chris was there with his camera to capture every moment. Not content to just take a standard shot, Chris would go to all ends to get that special shot.
It was not unusual to see Chris on top of a ladder on the beach (not an easy thing to steady in the sand) or perched atop a firetruck or a cherry picker. Perhaps his most famous assignment was when he set up a shot picturing himself, fully clothed, falling off a diving board while photographing a group of contestants gathered around the pool. Never mind that he could not swim, the lifeguards were waiting for him. The photo was picked up all over the world.
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Chris Hansen... before
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...and after.
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Blessed with a great sense of fun, Chris could always be counted on to provide a laugh. "I remember, one year, one of the contestants was sick and in the hospital, I decided to visit her to try and cheer her up," recounted Chris.
"I went in wearing a pair of outrageous glasses with big bushy eyebrows and big plastic nose attached."
His sense of humor was evident in many of his photos as well. "I once covered one of the girls completely in shoes," he said and then chuckled, "But I made sure she did not have any shoes on her feet "
Part of his assignment of covering the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants was to help select the most photogenic girl at the pageant, or Miss Pixable as she was called then.
When asked how the winner was chosen, Chris replied, "An official from the pageant gathered all the photographers and polled them." When Miss Pixable was announced, Chris was center stage with the trophy to present it to the winner.
Smile!
Our very own Mr. Pixable with Miss Pixable at Miss USA 1966, Maria Remenyi.
Whether making funny faces to get that special photograph or using silly props or dangling from a ladder, Chris' good natured personality endeared him to the contestants. Chris told us that each day after developing the film he made sure the contestants got copies of the photos he had taken of them. He also took the photos over the A.P. and U.P.I. desks where the were flashed around the world.
Eye-Gotcha!
Miss USA 1964, Bobbi Johnson, and Miss Universe 1964, Corinna Tsopei, sporting some of Chris' silly props.
Always supportive of the young ladies in the pageant Chris became friends with many of them. In particular, he and his wife Barbara, hold a special place in their hearts for Hawaiian native, Macel Wilson, Miss USA 1962. Befriending Macel in the
early 60's, they "adopted" her like a daughter.
Sadly, Chris informs us "after staying in touch for all these years we finally lost contact with Macel just about a year or two ago. We would very much like to reconnect with her".
(If any of our Beauty School students can help in locating Macel Wilson, please e-mail us).
Chris' tenure as a photographer was not limited to beauty pageants. He is well known for his amazing photographs of the Miami Beach skyline taken from a blimp with a special camera he designed. His photos have appeared all the over world and in
such publications as the New York Times, Life and National Geographic to name a few.
He retired from the Miami Beach New Bureau in 1974, but has remained active in his community as well as a photographer. (On the day we spoke, he planning to photograph the South Miami Elves Parade). He is happily married to Barbara, whom he reports "was never jealous of his spending time with so many beautiful women," and has one daughter and a grandson. He no longer watches pageants, but does keep in touch with friends from the pageant.
Speaking with Chris Hansen was an honor for us here at Beauty School. He is man of great talent and warmth with a wonderful sense of humor. We are most grateful that he took the time to share his recollections with us. The photographs the he took
comprise a remarkable social and cultural history of the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants. And in this age of modems and VCRs, it is important to remember that if the power goes off, you can still look at a photograph.
We close our salute with a quote from Maria Remenyi, Miss USA 1966, who said this when recently asked her recolleciton of Chris Hansen: "He was a delightful man with a definite gleam in his eyes at the sight of a pretty girl, and always with a smile and something funny to say that put you at ease."
Welcome to the Pantheon, Mr. Hansen. Thank you for your amazing pix of the Universe and the USA.
Chris Hansen today, seen here with his wife Barbara.
The Chris Hansen Photo Gallery I
The Chris Hansen Photo Gallery II
All photos by and courtesy of Chris Hansen.
A special thanks to our Esteemend Benefactor for putting us in touch with Mr. Hansen.
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