July 26, 1963 - Entertainer Marie (The Body) McDonald (pictured in 1948) pleaded guilty today in Van Nuys, Calif., to prescription forgery to obtain the drug Percodan. California state narcotics officers have reported that Percodan — a codeine-based narcotic used as a painkiller — is currently the hottest item among narcotics users. Miss McDonald, subject of a mysterious kidnapping in 1957 which has never been officially solved, said she began using Percodan after she was introduced to it while undergoing dental work. The 40-year-old blonde was released on $525 bail and will be sentenced Aug. 23. The movie and nightclub star was arrested by state narcotics officers after a Sherman Oaks druggist who filled a prescription for her became suspicious. Calling the doctor named on the prescription blank, Dr. Wendell G. Hendricks, the druggist learned that no prescription had been given to Miss McDonald for Percodan. Dr. Hendricks, an endocrinologist, reportedly treated Miss McDonald for a weight problem. Using the name Rita Morrison, the oft-married and much-troubled Marie forged one prescription in June and another this month, police said.
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