The Seven Year Itch (1955)

When his family goes away for the summer, a so far faithful husband is tempted by a beautiful neighbor (Marilyn Monroe).

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

Billy Wilder (screenplay), George Axelrod (screenplay),

Stars:

Marilyn Monroe, Tom Ewell, Evelyn Keyes

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Marilyn Monroe	...	The Girl
Tom Ewell	...	Richard Sherman (as Tommy Ewell)
Evelyn Keyes	...	Helen Sherman
Sonny Tufts	...	Tom MacKenzie
Robert Strauss	...	Mr. Kruhulik
Oskar Homolka	...	Dr. Brubaker (as Oscar Homolka)
Marguerite Chapman	...	Miss Morris
Victor Moore	...	Plumber
Dolores Rosedale	...	Elaine (as Roxanne)
Donald MacBride	...	Mr. Brady
Carolyn Jones	...	Miss Finch

Storyline

With his family away for their annual summer holiday, New Yorker Richard Sherman decides he has the opportunity to live a bachelor's life - to eat and drink what he wants and basically to enjoy life without wife and son. The beautiful but ditsy blond from the apartment above his catches his eye and they soon start spending time together. It's all innocent though there is little doubt that Sherman is attracted to her. Any lust he may be feeling is played out in his own imagination however.

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Plot Keywords:

summer | apartment | imagination | paddle | tomato | 

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Taglines:

It TICKLES and TANTALIZES! - The funniest comedy since laughter began!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 June 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

La comezón del séptimo año

Filming Locations:

Stage 10, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,800,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Charles K. Feldman Group, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Amazingly, Marilyn Monroe's very narrow spike heels don't get stuck or break in the subway grating that she stands on it in the movie's most famous scene, although this was a universal problem, at the time, for the countless women wearing that very popular style heel in New York City in that era.

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Goofs

When Helen shoots Richard in his fantasy, seven shots are heard although the gun is a six shot revolver. Moreover, she enters the apartment by emptying the gun into the front door, yet she doesn't reload. Some of the bullet holes disappear between shots. Since this is Richard's fantasy, it need not conform to reality.

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Quotes

The Girl: Hey, did you ever try dunking a potato chip in champagne? It's real crazy!

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Crazy Credits

When the title appears, one arm of the T in ITCH reaches down and scratches the stem of the letter.

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Connections

Spoofed in The Simpsons: Gone Maggie Gone (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Piano Concerto #2"
(1900-01)
Composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff (as S. Rackmaninoff)
Played on a record and often in the score

User Reviews

Great Marilyn Doesn't Quite Save Off-Center Screwball Comedy

I've heard about this movie all my life, but actually just watched it for the first time on New Years Day 2003. I must say that I was quite disappointed. Billy WIlder is my all-time favorite director, and he does a great job bringing out MM's best. There are also five or six wildly funny scenes, but the silly, and sometimes ridiculous, Walter-Mitty-esque blurs of reality suffered by Tom Ewell's character throw this comedy completely off-balance. Ewell has the manic energy the plot calls for, and Donald McBride and Robert Strauss give great supporting turns. But Sonny Tufts is awful, and ultimately, even a sparkling gem of a performance by MM is weighed down by too much silliness.