Wednesday’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. With Miss Rheingold 1965, Sharon Vaughan, only appearing at in person events, Miss Rheingold as a concept seemed to fade away. There was very little about her in the news, as had been common in all the years before. I think because people saw her continually and consistently in advertising in both newspapers and magazines, appearances she made were more impactful. Once she was no longer featured in the advertising, the public seemed to quickly lose interest. So Rheingold’s new owners, Pepsi, discontinued the Miss Rheingold campaigns in what seems like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Sales peaked the year they bought the company and began sliding every year thereafter. Despite buying Ruppert Breweries, two years later, in 1967, they sold the breweries to Dawson Brewing of New Bedford, Massachusetts. For the next few years, Rheingold bounced around with at least five different owners until Stroh bought the brand in 1996. A relaunch was attempted in the late 1990s, but failed, and Stroh sold the Rheingold brand to Pabst in 1999.

As for Sharon Vaughan, the 26th and last last Miss Rheingold, who was all but invisible during her year, began by being a pageant queen, a Miss America runner-up, and did some modeling and even a little work on television after her Miss Rheingold year, before moving to St. Louis when her husband moved there to take over his family’s business. Since Rheingold didn’t use her very much, here’s a few photographs I found both before and after her year.

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. 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. With Miss Rheingold 1965, Sharon Vaughan, only appearing at in person events, Rheingold continued their advertising without her. In this newspaper ad, from December, which was essentially the last of her year, the tagline is “Introducing Rheingold beer in the new screw-cap fifth. It lets you save a little for tomorrow.” It’s honestly odd to see a beer size of a fifth, which is more common in wine and spirits. And the idea that a screw-top would allow you to re-cap the beer and save if for the next day seems almost laughable. I don’t know anybody that drinks beer that way. If you open a beer, you’re going to finish it.

Saturday’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. With Miss Rheingold 1965, Sharon Vaughan, taking “Time Out to Relax,” Rheingold continued their diversity-themed advertising without her. In this newspaper item, from November, the story headline is “Men Can Now Enjoy Pleasures Of Fashion.” The article is about how men in 1965 could finally start to pay attention to their own clothes, which begs the question, “what were they doing before that?” So the story is also about an upcoming event in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Caswell-Massey Awards, which apparently were annual fashion awards that began after World War II by the then-men’s grooming company Caswell-Massey that was founded in 1752. Why this is relevant, is that another of the guests at the awards ceremony was Sharon Vaughan, Miss Rheingold 1965.

Friday’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. With Miss Rheingold 1965, Sharon Vaughan, taking “Time Out to Relax,” Rheingold continued their diversity-themed advertising without her. In this ad, from October, the scene is a group pf Irish people dancing and the tagline: “How do the Irish unwind after a reel?” Curiously, there’s a man playing what look like bagpipes, which I’d always thought were exclusively Scottish. But apparently there are Irish Bagpipes, which are called Uilleann pipes, although they look very different from the Scottish ones, so I still think the Rheingold’s ad agency screwed this one up.

Thursday’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. With Miss Rheingold 1965, Sharon Vaughan, taking “Time Out to Relax,” Rheingold continued their diversity-themed advertising without her. In this ad, also from September, the scene is at a 50th wedding anniversary for a Yiddish couple.

Wednesday’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. With Miss Rheingold 1965, Sharon Vaughan, taking “Time Out to Relax,” Rheingold continued their diversity-themed advertising without her. In this ad, from September, the tagline reads: “Marriage isn’t all beer and tarantellas.” The scene shows an Italian wedding, and a tarantella is a group of folk dances originating in southern Italy.

Tuesday’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. In this newspaper item, from September, Miss Rheingold 1965, Sharon Vaughan, is featured in another story about her wardrobe tips. This one is titled “Champgane Wardrobe On a Beer Budget,” and it’s an interview about her life as Miss Rheingold in a newspaper from her home state.