The Seven Year Itch is a three-act play, written by George Axelrod. Billed as a romantic comedy, the play was first presented by Courtney Burr and Elliot Nugent at the Fulton Theatre, New York City, on 20 November, 1952. The cast included Tom Ewell (Richard Sherman), Neva Patterson (Helen Sherman), Vanessa Brown (The Girl), Robert Emhardt (Dr. Brubaker) and George Keane (Tom Mackenzie). The production was directed by John Gerstad, with set and lighting by Frederick Fox.

In 1955, 20th Century Fox released a film adaptation starring Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell. It was directed by Billy Wilder and presented in CinemaScope and color by DeLuxe. Often cited as one of the great comedies of its time, the film version won critical acclaim and became the biggest US box office hit in the summer of 1955. It contains one of the most iconic images of the 20th century in which Marilyn Monroe's dress is blown up above her waist by a passing train underneath a subway grate she is standing on. Her line when this happens, "Isn't it delicious?", has become famous.

Since the film's release, the titular phrase, which refers to a disinterest in a monogamous relationship after seven years of marriage, has entered the popular culture and has even been used by psychologists.http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20000101-000007.html

Cast

The main characters include:

• Marilyn Monroe as The Girl, a beautiful 22-year-old blonde model and actress on a toothpaste commercial whose name is never revealed in the film.
• Tom Ewell as Richard Sherman, a paperback novel publisher who lives in the same apartment building as the Girl.
• Evelyn Keyes as Helen Sherman, Richard's wife.

Other cast

• Sonny Tufts as Tom MacKenzie
• Robert Strauss as Mr. Kruhulik (the janitor)
• Oscar Homolka as Dr. Brubaker
• Marguerite Chapman as Miss Morris (Sherman's secretary)
• Victor Moore as the Plumber
• Carolyn Jones as Miss Finch (the night nurse)
• Doro Merande as the Waitress in the vegetarian restaurant

Plot

Critical response

The original 1955 review in Variety was largely positive concerning the performances and the comedy, but expressed disappointment that Sherman remains chaste throughout the film.^[1] Today, despite some of the film's shortcomings, the film is considered a classic and mostly remembered for Monroe's performance and, more specifically, for the subway/skirt scene.^[2]

Production

The movie was filmed between 1 September 1954 and 4 November 1954, and was the only Wilder film released by 20th Century Fox.

Many lines and scenes from the play had to be cut and/or re-written because they were deemed to be indecent by the Hays office. A frustrated Wilder complained that the film was being made under straitjacketed conditions. This also led to a major plot change: in the play, Sherman and The Girl become intimate, but in the movie, their romance is all in his head.

Another change: footage showing Monroe's dress clearly blowing above her waist was removed from the final movie because authorities considered it inappropriate, even though stills from this footage were used in print ads for the film. That particular footage was shot twice: The first take was shot at Manhattan's Lexington Avenue at 52nd Street and the second on a sound stage. The sound stage footage is what made its way into the final film, as the original on-location footage's sound had been rendered useless by the over excited crowd present during filming.^[3]

Walter Matthau also screen-tested for the lead role. The test footage is featured in the DVD of the film.

Trivia

• A remake was intended to be released in 1983, starring Al Pacino as Richard Sherman, but he turned down the role in order to play Tony Montana in Scarface. As a result, the 1983 remake was never made.
• Nicolas Roeg's 1985 film Insignificance features a character based on Monroe and a re-enactment of the shooting of the subway/dress scene.
• Professional wrestler Billy Kidman's finishing move was known as the Seven Year Itch (shooting star press) in the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling (WCW) company.

Awards

The film was listed at number 51 on the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 American comedy films of the past 100 years. Also, Tom Ewell won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Director Billy Wilder was nominated for a DGA Award for his work on this film, but lost to Delbert Mann for his work on Marty.

Sources

1. ↑ variety.com
2. ↑ rottentomatoes.com
3. ↑ moviediva.com

External links

• Review of the play as produced by The American Century Theater.
• The Seven Year Itch Review on Variety.com
• The Seven Year Itch on Rotten Tomatoes

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