The First Annual Miss Illinois Bikini Contest

Scenes from the first annual Miss Illinois Bikini Contest, held by the Amateur Athletic Union at a theater on Chicago's south side. The event was staged as a means of drawing more eyes to the Junior Mr. Illinois bodybuilding contest held the same afternoon. The men took the stage first, while the bikini-clad contestants waited for over an hour in a cold back room waiting for their turn on stage. After the 31 contestants strut across the stage while their weights and goals are announced to the crowd, we see the Miss Illinois contestants bond backstage over smokes and classical piano.