National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales preserves and celebrates the sound and moving image heritage of Wales, making it accessible to a wide range of users for enjoyment and learning. Its film collection reflects every aspect of the nation’s social, cultural and working life across the 20th century, giving a fascinating insight into Welsh filmmaking, both amateur and professional.
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Sunshine Girl
What makes a South Wales Sunshine Girl? Well, the answer may vary depending on whether you ask a chauvinist or a feminist!
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Overview
Ten hopefuls compete to become the South Wales Sunshine Girl. It is all to play for, so long as they are willing to bare almost all for the big screen and smile along as they are used to advertise various businesses operating in the area. In return, the winner will scoop a 2-week holiday for 2 in Jersey, or a stay in Ostend. A runner up can walk away with a "luxury dressing table", "lux-a-flex blinds" or one of the 120 sea trips offered by White Funnel Pleasure Steamers.
The South Wales Sunshine Girl competition, won by Ann Roberts, was sponsored by the Palace Ballroom, Merthyr. Many such competitions were held the same year - e.g BBC Women's Dress Sense Competition (1st prize a trip to Paris), Miss Secretary 1959, South Wales Dairy Princess and, probably not the pick of the bunch, Welsh Turkey Queen! See Karl Francis' film ‘Miss Rhymney Valley' (1985) for a chauvinist v feminist wrangle about beauty contests. The song 'Sunshine Girl' is sung by the famous Cardiff (Senior) Snowflakes Choir. Formed in 1926 it performed at the first Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in 1947 and one of its members worked in films in the USA 1936-39 as a body-double for Shirley Temple.
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