An interesting bit of info I read from a book called the Ultimate Bathroom Reader: Venus RAMEY was named Miss America in 1944. A few days after she won the title, Ramey, 19, revealed that she had forged her mother's name on the contract binding her to the pageant's scheduled promotional appearances- so it was legally unenforceable. Her reason for the stunt: She wanted to negotiate her own deals directly with advertisers. Pageant officials "invited" RAMEY to New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel, where they held her while they tried to persuade her to honor the contract. When that failed, they flew Ramey's mother in to sign the contract for real. She also refused to cooperate. RAMEY never did honor the contract. She embarked on her own tour- which bombed. RAMEY earned only $8,500 for an entire year on the road. (By comparison, Miss America 1941 earned an estimated $150,000 during her reign.) "I wanted to get into show business," RAMEY complained afterward. "I thought the pageant would be a good entree. It is, all right--an entree into oblivion. Forever afterward, you're like a broken-down actress trying to make a comeback." Cindy