Monday’s ad is for “Rheingold Beer,” from 1965. This ad was made for the Rheingold Brewery, which was founded by the Liebmann family in 1883 in New York, New York. At its peak, it sold 35% of all the beer in New York state. In 1963, the family sold the brewery and in was shut down in 1976. In 1940, Philip Liebmann, great-grandson of the founder, Samuel Liebmann, started the “Miss Rheingold” pageant as the centerpiece of its marketing campaign. Beer drinkers voted each year on the young lady who would be featured as Miss Rheingold in advertisements. In the 1940s and 1950s in New York, “the selection of Miss Rheingold was as highly anticipated as the race for the White House.” The winning model was then featured in at least twelve monthly advertisements for the brewery, beginning in 1940 and ending in 1965. Beginning in 1941, the selection of next year’s Miss Rheingold was instituted and became wildly popular in the New York Area and beyond. Miss Rheingold 1965 was chosen by a committee formed by the new owners of Rheingold Breweries — Pepsi-Cola — and last April they chose Sharon Vaughan to be Miss Rheingold 1965. Vaughan was born in Missouri, but moved to Washington state when she was five. She graduated from the University of Washington as a music major. While in college, she became Miss Washington and represented the state at the Miss America Pageant, where she was second runner-up. After college, she moved to New York City and attended Julliard. She began getting small parts in Broadway musicals, but also sang in nightclubs and appeared in television commercials. In 1965, she took a year off to become Miss Rheingold. Afterwards, she was cast in Funny Girl, and also appeared in the film a few years later. While in L.A. for filming she met talent agent Byron Lapin, whom she married. She also did some television, appearing on Bewitched and Get Smart. The couple later moved to St. Louis when he took over his family’s business. She passed away in December of 2023. Rheingold finally started showing her in print in March of 1965, which is incredibly late in the year. Gone was the pomp and circumstance of prior years, and the first photo of her in the news I could find was this short blurb, from March 1, 1965.
Beer In Ads #4767: Miss Rheingold 1965 Missing
Sunday’s ad is for “Rheingold Beer,” from 1965. This ad was made for the Rheingold Brewery, which was founded by the Liebmann family in 1883 in New York, New York. At its peak, it sold 35% of all the beer in New York state. In 1963, the family sold the brewery and in was shut down in 1976. In 1940, Philip Liebmann, great-grandson of the founder, Samuel Liebmann, started the “Miss Rheingold” pageant as the centerpiece of its marketing campaign. Beer drinkers voted each year on the young lady who would be featured as Miss Rheingold in advertisements. In the 1940s and 1950s in New York, “the selection of Miss Rheingold was as highly anticipated as the race for the White House.” The winning model was then featured in at least twelve monthly advertisements for the brewery, beginning in 1940 and ending in 1965. Beginning in 1941, the selection of next year’s Miss Rheingold was instituted and became wildly popular in the New York Area and beyond. Despite having let slip the name of Miss Rheingold 1965 last April — Sharon Vaughan — by January there were still no articles about Sharon Vaughan or, more curiously, no ads featuring her. This was the only ad I could find from January 1965, which was from a Maine newspaper. I also found a number of editorials chattering about this, with the typical mention being “Will Sharon Vaughan be the new Miss Rheingold?”
Beer In Ads #4766: Miss Rheingold 1965 Plans Revealed
Friday’s ad is for “Rheingold Beer,” from 1964. This ad was made for the Rheingold Brewery, which was founded by the Liebmann family in 1883 in New York, New York. At its peak, it sold 35% of all the beer in New York state. In 1963, the family sold the brewery and in was shut down in 1976. In 1940, Philip Liebmann, great-grandson of the founder, Samuel Liebmann, started the “Miss Rheingold” pageant as the centerpiece of its marketing campaign. Beer drinkers voted each year on the young lady who would be featured as Miss Rheingold in advertisements. In the 1940s and 1950s in New York, “the selection of Miss Rheingold was as highly anticipated as the race for the White House.” The winning model was then featured in at least twelve monthly advertisements for the brewery, beginning in 1940 and ending in 1965. Beginning in 1941, the selection of next year’s Miss Rheingold was instituted and became wildly popular in the New York Area and beyond. In this ad, from December, Miss Rheingold 1964, Celeste Yarnall, is out in the snow-covered woods, pushing a sled with an evergreen tree on it. The tagline reads: “Happy Holidays from the brewers of Rheingold Extra Dry Beer.” And the small print below states that ad is by “Rheingold Breweries, Inc., New York, N.Y.” That’s significant because earlier in the year the company was known as Liebmann Breweries, but was rebranded after Pepsi bought the brewery in in February.
But by April, two months after buying Rheingold, they’d already decided they were doing away with the public contest aspect of Miss Rheingold, and instead chose someone on their own. There was a certain lack of pageantry in the decision, and none of the drama attendant to the contest for the past twenty-five years. I imagine it was something of a let down for many people who undoubtedly looked forward to the contest each year. But without the contest, they were able to choose someone nine months ahead of time. So they unceremoniously announced in April that Sharon Vaughan had been chosen by the company to be Miss Rheingold 1965.
Beer In Ads #4765: Happy Holidays From Miss Rheingold 1964
Thursday’s ad is for “Rheingold Beer,” from 1964. This ad was made for the Rheingold Brewery, which was founded by the Liebmann family in 1883 in New York, New York. At its peak, it sold 35% of all the beer in New York state. In 1963, the family sold the brewery and in was shut down in 1976. In 1940, Philip Liebmann, great-grandson of the founder, Samuel Liebmann, started the “Miss Rheingold” pageant as the centerpiece of its marketing campaign. Beer drinkers voted each year on the young lady who would be featured as Miss Rheingold in advertisements. In the 1940s and 1950s in New York, “the selection of Miss Rheingold was as highly anticipated as the race for the White House.” The winning model was then featured in at least twelve monthly advertisements for the brewery, beginning in 1940 and ending in 1965. Beginning in 1941, the selection of next year’s Miss Rheingold was instituted and became wildly popular in the New York Area and beyond. Miss Rheingold 1964 was Celeste Yarnall. She was born July 26, 1944 in Long Beach, California, and began acting when she was discovered by Ozzie Nelson and his son Ricky, first appearing on the Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet in 1962, while working as a model and auditioning for commercials. Her first film was Jerry Lewis’ “The Nutty Professor” in 1963. Other films included Elvis Presley’s “Live a Little, Love a Little” (notable because fellow Miss Rheingold winner Emily Banks also appeared in the film), and “Eve.” But she did a lot of television, appearing on such shows as The Wild Wild West, Bewitched, Gidget, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Captain Nice, Bonanza, Hogan’s Heroes, Love American Style, Mannix, Knots Landing, and Melrose Place. Though perhaps her best known role was on the Star Trek episode “The Apple,” in which she played “Yeoman Martha Landon.” She later became a successful commercial real estate broker, opening her own firm, got a PhD in nutrition, teaching it at Pacific Western University, and was a breeder of Tonkinese cats. She was also married three times, and had one daughter with her first husband, producer Sheldon Silverstein. She died in 2018 in Westlake Village, California, at age 74. In this ad, from December, Miss Rheingold 1964, Celeste Yarnall, is out in the snow-covered woods, pushing a sled with an evergreen tree on it. The tagline reads: “Happy Holidays from the brewers of Rheingold Extra Dry Beer.” And the small print below states that ad is by “Rheingold Breweries, Inc., New York, N.Y.” That’s significant because earlier in the year the compoany was known as Liebmann Breweries, but was rebranded after Pepsi bought the brewery in in February.
Beer In Ads #4764: Miss Rheingold 1964 Welcomes Yogi!
Wednesday’s ad is for “Rheingold Beer,” from 1964. This ad was made for the Rheingold Brewery, which was founded by the Liebmann family in 1883 in New York, New York. At its peak, it sold 35% of all the beer in New York state. In 1963, the family sold the brewery and in was shut down in 1976. In 1940, Philip Liebmann, great-grandson of the founder, Samuel Liebmann, started the “Miss Rheingold” pageant as the centerpiece of its marketing campaign. Beer drinkers voted each year on the young lady who would be featured as Miss Rheingold in advertisements. In the 1940s and 1950s in New York, “the selection of Miss Rheingold was as highly anticipated as the race for the White House.” The winning model was then featured in at least twelve monthly advertisements for the brewery, beginning in 1940 and ending in 1965. Beginning in 1941, the selection of next year’s Miss Rheingold was instituted and became wildly popular in the New York Area and beyond. Miss Rheingold 1964 was Celeste Yarnall. She was born July 26, 1944 in Long Beach, California, and began acting when she was discovered by Ozzie Nelson and his son Ricky, first appearing on the Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet in 1962, while working as a model and auditioning for commercials. Her first film was Jerry Lewis’ “The Nutty Professor” in 1963. Other films included Elvis Presley’s “Live a Little, Love a Little” (notable because fellow Miss Rheingold winner Emily Banks also appeared in the film), and “Eve.” But she did a lot of television, appearing on such shows as The Wild Wild West, Bewitched, Gidget, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Captain Nice, Bonanza, Hogan’s Heroes, Love American Style, Mannix, Knots Landing, and Melrose Place. Though perhaps her best known role was on the Star Trek episode “The Apple,” in which she played “Yeoman Martha Landon.” She later became a successful commercial real estate broker, opening her own firm, got a PhD in nutrition, teaching it at Pacific Western University, and was a breeder of Tonkinese cats. She was also married three times, and had one daughter with her first husband, producer Sheldon Silverstein. She died in 2018 in Westlake Village, California, at age 74. In this ad, from November, Miss Rheingold 1964, Celeste Yarnall, is entirely absent, but instead the ad, entitled “Our mug runneth over,” is welcoming baseball superstar Yogi Berra to the Mets, who Rheingold continues to be a major sponsor of, as he’ll become a coach (and briefly a player) with them for the next decade.
Beer In Ads #4763: Miss Rheingold 1964 Fall Kick-Off Special
Tuesday’s ad is for “Rheingold Beer,” from 1964. This ad was made for the Rheingold Brewery, which was founded by the Liebmann family in 1883 in New York, New York. At its peak, it sold 35% of all the beer in New York state. In 1963, the family sold the brewery and in was shut down in 1976. In 1940, Philip Liebmann, great-grandson of the founder, Samuel Liebmann, started the “Miss Rheingold” pageant as the centerpiece of its marketing campaign. Beer drinkers voted each year on the young lady who would be featured as Miss Rheingold in advertisements. In the 1940s and 1950s in New York, “the selection of Miss Rheingold was as highly anticipated as the race for the White House.” The winning model was then featured in at least twelve monthly advertisements for the brewery, beginning in 1940 and ending in 1965. Beginning in 1941, the selection of next year’s Miss Rheingold was instituted and became wildly popular in the New York Area and beyond. Miss Rheingold 1964 was Celeste Yarnall. She was born July 26, 1944 in Long Beach, California, and began acting when she was discovered by Ozzie Nelson and his son Ricky, first appearing on the Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet in 1962, while working as a model and auditioning for commercials. Her first film was Jerry Lewis’ “The Nutty Professor” in 1963. Other films included Elvis Presley’s “Live a Little, Love a Little” (notable because fellow Miss Rheingold winner Emily Banks also appeared in the film), and “Eve.” But she did a lot of television, appearing on such shows as The Wild Wild West, Bewitched, Gidget, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Captain Nice, Bonanza, Hogan’s Heroes, Love American Style, Mannix, Knots Landing, and Melrose Place. Though perhaps her best known role was on the Star Trek episode “The Apple,” in which she played “Yeoman Martha Landon.” She later became a successful commercial real estate broker, opening her own firm, got a PhD in nutrition, teaching it at Pacific Western University, and was a breeder of Tonkinese cats. She was also married three times, and had one daughter with her first husband, producer Sheldon Silverstein. She died in 2018 in Westlake Village, California, at age 74. In this ad, from October, Miss Rheingold 1964, Celeste Yarnall, is blowing a whistle and holding a football, to alert people to the 3 for 99-cents Fall Kick-Off Special on Rheingold Beer..
Beer In Ads #4762: Miss Rheingold 1965 Future Uncertain
Monday’s ad is for “Rheingold Beer,” from 1964. This ad was made for the Rheingold Brewery, which was founded by the Liebmann family in 1883 in New York, New York. At its peak, it sold 35% of all the beer in New York state. In 1963, the family sold the brewery and in was shut down in 1976. In 1940, Philip Liebmann, great-grandson of the founder, Samuel Liebmann, started the “Miss Rheingold” pageant as the centerpiece of its marketing campaign. Beer drinkers voted each year on the young lady who would be featured as Miss Rheingold in advertisements. In the 1940s and 1950s in New York, “the selection of Miss Rheingold was as highly anticipated as the race for the White House.” The winning model was then featured in at least twelve monthly advertisements for the brewery, beginning in 1940 and ending in 1965. Beginning in 1941, the selection of next year’s Miss Rheingold was instituted and became wildly popular in the New York Area and beyond. Miss Rheingold 1964 was Celeste Yarnall. In this news item from February 29, 1964, the announcement is made that Liebmann Breweries, makers of Rheingold Beer, was sold to Pepsi-Cola United Bottlers, Inc. for $26-Million. This news threw the Miss Rheingold competition into doubt going forward, and indeed the number of ads produced appears to steadily decrease throughout the year, with very few in the last quarter of 1964 as Celeste Yarnall’s time as Miss Rheingold 1964 was winding down, and no reporting whatsoever about the contest for the following year.
Wikipedia sums up this event in the breweries history like this.
In 1964, the fourth generation of the Liebmann family sold the company to New Jersey based Pepsi-Cola United Bottlers, Inc. (“PUB”), a bottling and distribution company of Pepsi-Cola and other soft drink brands, for $26 million, which then adopted the name “Rheingold Breweries” for the combined entity. Beer sales peaked in the following year, 1965, at 4,236,000 barrels, but declined thereafter.
Beer In Ads #4761: Miss Rheingold 1964’s Hollywood Career
Sunday’s ad is for “Rheingold Beer,” from 1964. This ad was made for the Rheingold Brewery, which was founded by the Liebmann family in 1883 in New York, New York. At its peak, it sold 35% of all the beer in New York state. In 1963, the family sold the brewery and in was shut down in 1976. In 1940, Philip Liebmann, great-grandson of the founder, Samuel Liebmann, started the “Miss Rheingold” pageant as the centerpiece of its marketing campaign. Beer drinkers voted each year on the young lady who would be featured as Miss Rheingold in advertisements. In the 1940s and 1950s in New York, “the selection of Miss Rheingold was as highly anticipated as the race for the White House.” The winning model was then featured in at least twelve monthly advertisements for the brewery, beginning in 1940 and ending in 1965. Beginning in 1941, the selection of next year’s Miss Rheingold was instituted and became wildly popular in the New York Area and beyond. Miss Rheingold 1964 was Celeste Yarnall. She was born July 26, 1944 in Long Beach, California, and began acting when she was discovered by Ozzie Nelson and his son Ricky, first appearing on the Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet in 1962, while working as a model and auditioning for commercials. Her first film was Jerry Lewis’ “The Nutty Professor” in 1963. Other films included Elvis Presley’s “Live a Little, Love a Little” (notable because fellow Miss Rheingold winner Emily Banks also appeared in the film), and “Eve.” But she did a lot of television, appearing on such shows as The Wild Wild West, Bewitched, Gidget, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Captain Nice, Bonanza, Hogan’s Heroes, Love American Style, Mannix, Knots Landing, and Melrose Place. Though perhaps her best known role was on the Star Trek episode “The Apple,” in which she played “Yeoman Martha Landon.” She later became a successful commercial real estate broker, opening her own firm, got a PhD in nutrition, teaching it at Pacific Western University, and was a breeder of Tonkinese cats. She was also married three times, and had one daughter with her first husband, producer Sheldon Silverstein. She died in 2018 in Westlake Village, California, at age 74. Even before she was chosen as Miss Rheingold 1964, Celese Yarnall had hew SAG card, having done some television in small roles, and had her film debut in 1963s The Nutty Professor, starring Jerry Lewis. But after taking a year off to be Miss Rheingold, she returned to Hollywood and did quite a lof television through 1998 (when she appeared on “Melrose Place”), and appeared in films at least until 2017. Here’s a sample from her career.
Star Trek: The Original Series — The Apple (1967)
One of her most memorable roles was as the popular Yeoman Martha Landon on the original Star Trek series, in the second season episode The Apple.
Eve (1968)
Her first starring role came in 1968, when she was spotted at the Cannes Film Festival the year before by a producer who cast here in the lead role of Eve.
Live a Little, Love a Little (1968)
That same year, she appeared opposite Elvis Presley in Live a Little, Love a Little, his 28th film. By coincidence, Emily Banks, who was Miss Rheingold 1960, also appeared in the movie, as an RKC&P Receptionist. But Yarnall had a larger part, and played one of Elvis’ several love interests.
Land of the Giants (1968)
Also in 1968, she was on the television series, Land of the Giants.
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969)
Yarnall was cast as “Susan” in Paul Mazursky’s 1969 comedy-drama film Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, starring Natalie Wood, Robert Culp, Elliott Gould, and Dyan Cannon.
Miscellaneous Promotional and Autographed Photos
Beer In Ads #4760: Miss Rheingold 1964 Paints A Buoy
Friday’s ad is for “Rheingold Beer,” from 1964. This ad was made for the Rheingold Brewery, which was founded by the Liebmann family in 1883 in New York, New York. At its peak, it sold 35% of all the beer in New York state. In 1963, the family sold the brewery and in was shut down in 1976. In 1940, Philip Liebmann, great-grandson of the founder, Samuel Liebmann, started the “Miss Rheingold” pageant as the centerpiece of its marketing campaign. Beer drinkers voted each year on the young lady who would be featured as Miss Rheingold in advertisements. In the 1940s and 1950s in New York, “the selection of Miss Rheingold was as highly anticipated as the race for the White House.” The winning model was then featured in at least twelve monthly advertisements for the brewery, beginning in 1940 and ending in 1965. Beginning in 1941, the selection of next year’s Miss Rheingold was instituted and became wildly popular in the New York Area and beyond. Miss Rheingold 1964 was Celeste Yarnall. She was born July 26, 1944 in Long Beach, California, and began acting when she was discovered by Ozzie Nelson and his son Ricky, first appearing on the Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet in 1962, while working as a model and auditioning for commercials. Her first film was Jerry Lewis’ “The Nutty Professor” in 1963. Other films included Elvis Presley’s “Live a Little, Love a Little” (notable because fellow Miss Rheingold winner Emily Banks also appeared in the film), and “Eve.” But she did a lot of television, appearing on such shows as The Wild Wild West, Bewitched, Gidget, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Captain Nice, Bonanza, Hogan’s Heroes, Love American Style, Mannix, Knots Landing, and Melrose Place. Though perhaps her best known role was on the Star Trek episode “The Apple,” in which she played “Yeoman Martha Landon.” She later became a successful commercial real estate broker, opening her own firm, got a PhD in nutrition, teaching it at Pacific Western University, and was a breeder of Tonkinese cats. She was also married three times, and had one daughter with her first husband, producer Sheldon Silverstein. She died in 2018 in Westlake Village, California, at age 74. In this ad, from October, Miss Rheingold 1964, Celeste Yarnall, is doing some painting, curioulsy enough of a large buoy, at the Woods Hole Coast Guard Station in Massachusetts.
Beer In Ads #4759: Miss Rheingold 1964 Visits Cape Cod Again
Thursday’s ad is for “Rheingold Beer,” from 1964. This ad was made for the Rheingold Brewery, which was founded by the Liebmann family in 1883 in New York, New York. At its peak, it sold 35% of all the beer in New York state. In 1963, the family sold the brewery and in was shut down in 1976. In 1940, Philip Liebmann, great-grandson of the founder, Samuel Liebmann, started the “Miss Rheingold” pageant as the centerpiece of its marketing campaign. Beer drinkers voted each year on the young lady who would be featured as Miss Rheingold in advertisements. In the 1940s and 1950s in New York, “the selection of Miss Rheingold was as highly anticipated as the race for the White House.” The winning model was then featured in at least twelve monthly advertisements for the brewery, beginning in 1940 and ending in 1965. Beginning in 1941, the selection of next year’s Miss Rheingold was instituted and became wildly popular in the New York Area and beyond. Miss Rheingold 1964 was Celeste Yarnall. She was born July 26, 1944 in Long Beach, California, and began acting when she was discovered by Ozzie Nelson and his son Ricky, first appearing on the Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet in 1962, while working as a model and auditioning for commercials. Her first film was Jerry Lewis’ “The Nutty Professor” in 1963. Other films included Elvis Presley’s “Live a Little, Love a Little” (notable because fellow Miss Rheingold winner Emily Banks also appeared in the film), and “Eve.” But she did a lot of television, appearing on such shows as The Wild Wild West, Bewitched, Gidget, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Captain Nice, Bonanza, Hogan’s Heroes, Love American Style, Mannix, Knots Landing, and Melrose Place. Though perhaps her best known role was on the Star Trek episode “The Apple,” in which she played “Yeoman Martha Landon.” She later became a successful commercial real estate broker, opening her own firm, got a PhD in nutrition, teaching it at Pacific Western University, and was a breeder of Tonkinese cats. She was also married three times, and had one daughter with her first husband, producer Sheldon Silverstein. She died in 2018 in Westlake Village, California, at age 74. In this ad, from September, Miss Rheingold 1964, Celeste Yarnall, is once again visiting Cape Cod, the peninsula in Massachusetts. This time she’s at Nobska Light, a lighthouse between Buzzards Bay, Nantucket Sound, and Vineyard Sound. The present lighthouse was built in 1876.