Marilyn Monroe’s Signed Personal Bank Check to Schwab’s Drugs, October 5, 1951

From the Personal Files of Marilyn Monroe: This original cancelled bank check, dated October 5, 1951, was drawn from Marilyn Monroe’s personal Bank of America account and made payable to Schwab’s Drugs in the amount of $5.00. Written entirely in Monroe’s own hand and bearing her signature, the check provides direct and personal evidence of her financial activity during a formative period in her early career.

Schwab’s Drugs, located on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, was one of the most well known gathering places for actors, writers, and industry figures during the mid twentieth century. Monroe herself had frequented the location during her early years in Hollywood, making this check a tangible connection to a site closely associated with her personal and professional life.

The date of the check coincides with important milestones in Monroe’s rise to prominence. Just five days later, on October 10, 1951, Twentieth Century Fox released Love Nest, one of Monroe’s early feature films. Later that month, on October 23, 1951, Monroe appeared on the cover of Look magazine for the first time, signaling her growing national recognition and expanding public profile.

Schwab’s Drug Store

8024 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood (Demolished in 1989)

Marilyn started going to Schwab’s Drug Store when she was a student at the Actors Lab. Many young actors and actresses used this coffee shop as a base to meet people and (they hoped) be noticed. It was, after all, the place where many people believed Lana Turner had been discovered.

The Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky had offices at Schwab’s Drug Store so that he could see the comings and goings of all the young actors and actresses. Marilyn became friends with him and was often seen driving him home from here after work.

Although there are varying accounts of how Marilyn found out about the small part in the film Love Happy, it is said that she may have heard about it while lunching at Schwab’s.

Preserved among her personal files, this handwritten check stands as a rare and intimate artifact from a moment when Marilyn Monroe was transitioning from emerging actress to widely recognized public figure.