Iowa History Daily: On March 5, 1920, actress Virginia Christine (Ricketts) was born in Stanton, Iowa. Fittingly the woman from the town with the coffee pot water tower went on to be perhaps best remembered as the spokesperson for Folgers Coffee.
The slogan “Mountain Grown” appears in many ads, but the iconic actress was in fact Iowa grown. Born in Stanton, Iowa, on this day (March 5) in 1920, Virginia Christine (Ricketts) grew up in Montgomery, Polk, and Des Moines County before graduating from Mediapolis High School. Following graduation, she headed west to Hollywood where she began to work in radio during her college years at UCLA.
Breaking through with a recurring appearance on the popular radio version of “Gunsmoke,” Virginia Christine went on to sign with first Warner Brothers and Universal Pictures where she appeared in a variety of film roles.
Known prominently as the memorable character of Hilary St. George playing opposite Katharine Hepburn in the 1967 film “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” Virginia Christine went on to also appear in at least 56 films, nearly 100 television shows and numerous commercials. Known colloquially as “The Folger’s Coffee Lady,” in popular ads throughout the 1960s, Virginia Christine retired from acting in 1979. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
