Marilyn Monroe’s Personal Pill Bottle from Schwab’s Pharmacy
From the personal effects of Marilyn Monroe, this original prescription bottle from Schwab’s Pharmacy in Hollywood bears RX number 447184 and is dated June 1, 1961. The medication, Phenergan (promethazine), was prescribed to Marilyn by Dr. Kennamer.
Phenergan belongs to a class of medications known as phenothiazines and functions as both an antihistamine and sedative. It was commonly prescribed to treat allergy symptoms, nausea, motion sickness, and respiratory conditions, and was also used to promote rest. For someone as physically vulnerable as Marilyn, such medications were not uncommon.
Marilyn was especially prone to severe colds that frequently developed into bronchitis and, on one occasion following her Korean tour in sub zero temperatures, pneumonia. Illness disrupted the production schedules of several films, including A Ticket to Tomahawk, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Bus Stop. During the filming of The Seven Year Itch, standing for hours over a subway grate in cool night air reportedly left her chilled and unwell.
In 1962, at the start of Something’s Got To Give, she began production already suffering from an acute sinus infection and fever. After only one day on set, her physician ordered bed rest. Her subsequent suspension from the production became public and controversial, prompting Marilyn to voice her frustration:
“Executives can get a cold and stay home and phone in, but the actor? How dare you get a cold or a virus! I wish they had to act a comedy with a temperature and a virus infection!”
This prescription bottle offers tangible documentation of Marilyn’s ongoing health struggles during a pivotal period in her life. It is a small object, yet it anchors the narrative of her physical vulnerability in something undeniably real and personal.
Collector’s Note
The label tells you a great deal. A specific date, a specific pharmacy, a specific physician, a specific medication. This is not a generic personal effect. It is a dated medical record in object form, placing Monroe in a documented context at a particular moment in her life.
June 1961 was not an incidental period. It fell between her hospitalization at Payne Whitney and her admission to Columbia Presbyterian, a difficult stretch that is well documented in her biography. The prescription itself was for Phenergan, an antihistamine and sedative with legitimate medical applications. That context matters and is worth stating plainly.
Monroe dealt with recurring illness throughout her career. It affected productions, generated press, and was frequently used against her professionally. This bottle is a small but concrete piece of that record. Not myth, not speculation. Just a pharmacy label with her name on it.
Scott Fortner
Marilyn Monroe Collection
Founder & Owner
@mariylnmonroecollection 
TheMarilynMonroeCollection