"On June 30 at 11am, diner owner and former Miss Subways winner Ellen Hart will host 11 fellow titleholders for a reunion timed to both her 85th birthday and the kickoff to America's 250th anniversary celebrations. The event promises a rare gathering of women whose faces once appeared within subways between 1941 and 1976."
"Created by the John Robert Powers agency, the Miss Subways campaign celebrated everyday New Yorkers long before influencers started stopping us on the street to ask us about pop culture. Unlike traditional beauty pageants, the women featured were chosen not just for their looks, but for their ambitions. Posters highlighted dreams of becoming actors, lawyers, pilots and businesswomen-and many of the winners went on to do exactly that."
"Hart herself has had a quintessentially New York story. After winning Miss Subways while attending Jamaica High School in Queens, she and her late husband Irving Sturm opened Ellen's Café near City Hall before launching the wildly popular retro restaurant Ellen's Stardust Diner in Times Square. The singing-waitstaff institution has since become a tourist destination and Broadway talent incubator, with many "Stardusters" going on to stage careers."
""America is celebrating a milestone birthday and so am I," Hart said in a statement. "Every birthday is special, but I'm excited to spend this one with other Miss Subways, and reminisce on what was such a fun time for us that changed our lives.""
On June 30 at 11am, Ellen Hart will host 11 fellow Miss Subways titleholders at Ellen’s Stardust Diner in Times Square. The gathering is timed to Hart’s 85th birthday and the kickoff of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations. The event brings together women whose faces appeared in subway campaigns between 1941 and 1976. The Miss Subways program, created by the John Robert Powers agency, selected everyday New Yorkers based on ambitions as well as appearance. Posters promoted dreams of becoming actors, lawyers, pilots, and businesswomen, and many winners pursued those careers. Hart’s own path includes opening Ellen’s Café near City Hall and later creating the retro Stardust Diner, known for singing waitstaff and launching Broadway talent.
#new-york-city #subway-history #miss-subways #ellens-stardust-diner #american-bicentennial-anniversary
Read at Time Out New York
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