Twin Falls vintage 100 lbs. Potato sack worn by Marilyn Monroe (Blackfoot: sale, buy)

[JOHNNY POTATO]

I'm trying to locate any information on the type of potato sack made into a dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in the 1950's. I believe it was a 100 lbs. sack which said U.S. No. 1 IDAHO packed and shipped by ( this part of sack is partially obscured by Marilyn's hand but two letters are showing ...) ____NG PRODUCE TWIN FALLS, IDAHO
In the photo I have Marilyn is also holding a sack which says " Canyon " I believe.

Any and all information and direction on how I may obtain a vintage sack like the one Marilyn is wearing as a dress ( the one from Twin Falls ) would be most appreciated. If anyone knows of this company and/or can provide information on who may have the original sack worn by Marilyn it would help me a great deal. I am helping to put a museum exhibition together for our local museum, ( Reading, Pennsylvania ), and we would like to have this item to display.

Please email me at : EDYL31@aol.com "...thank you ever so. "

This is probably a very long shot but I would appreciate any help you can offer in this matter. Thank you and God Bless !

[cleosmom]

I would suggest contacting the potato museum in Blackfoot, ID as they might be of some help.

[JOHNNY POTATO]

thank you I will try the potato museum

[Warren Smith]

Long produce

[BILL RE]

I purchased a picture of Marilyn in the Long Produce potato sack at an estate sale this week.BILL

[Sage of Sagle]

We stopped at the Idaho Potato Museum in Blackfoot a couple months ago and I took a photo (attached).

I'd call them at (208) 785-2517 and ask.

[cleosmom]

Originally Posted by Sage of Sagle

We stopped at the Idaho Potato Museum in Blackfoot a couple months ago and I took a photo (attached).

You came through and didn't even wave?

[Sage of Sagle]

Haha. Sorry, just stopped there on a whim when my wife saw the sign for the potato museum...

[banjomike]

Good luck- you may be able to find a 60 year old potato sack, but I'm pretty sure the chances are very slim.
I own a copy of that poster, and it is only slightly less rare than the sack... I think there were only about 100 of them printed. The 8x11 photo reprints are more common. The following info came from a small sheet that accompanied the poster:

The photo came from a publicity stunt created by Marilyn's agent, Johnny Hyde, in 1951. A gossip columnist noticed Marilyn at a party, and mentioned in his newspaper column then next day that Marilyn was so beautiful she would look good in a potato sack. Johnny promptly went down to L.A.'s warehouse district, got a couple of sacks, and had some photos taken of her wearing one.

The Long Produce Co. of Twin Falls saw the picture in a newspaper, and wrote Hyde, asking for a copy of the photo is possible. Hyde sent two, and one of the Long brothers gave one copy to his Union Pacific railroad agent. Union Pacific was, and still is, one of the largest transporters of Idaho potatoes to market.
The agent passed the photo copy on to his boss, and it ended up in a file at the company headquarters in Kansas City, long forgotten. Long Produce's copy was autographed by Marilyn, but the other was not.

Long Produce Co. shut down in the 1950's. The photo was thumb tacked to a cork bulletin board behind the counter at the scale house, and remained there long after the closure, visible through one of the windows. It eventually disappeared, and the whole thing was forgotten.

In the early 80's, someone at Union Pacific discovered the old file with their copy of the picture in it, and Union Pacific gave it to the Idaho Potato Grower's Association in appreciation of their long relationship with the U.P. The Association in turn reproduced the picture, had the poster printed, and gave them away to the attendees of their annual convention. The poster is the one seen in Sage's link.

My buddy had one of each- poster and photo- and swapped me for a poster I had of a Les Paul Gibson guitar. It is the only image of Marilyn that is not protected by copyrights that are assigned to her estate. One other copy of the photo turned up in Minnesota later, and U.P. also owns that one.

They are seen only around S.E. Idaho, but neither was distributed widely, and neither has been re-printed since.

[dreday5265]

they sell those potatoe dress' at the museum in blackfoot. i think you can buy them online!