The Seven Year Itch (1955)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

Billy Wilder (screenplay) &
George Axelrod (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

3 June 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Summer | Apartment | Tomato | Vacation | Model

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 3 nominations

Cast

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

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Unrated (video rating) | Colombia:12 | Mexico:A (video re-rating) | Mexico:B (original rating) | France:U | Argentina:16 (original rating) | Argentina:Atp (re-rating) (2002) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (1980s) | Singapore:PG | Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (video rating) (1998) | France:-12 (original rating) | Spain:T | Spain:18 (original rating) | Chile:Y7 (re-rating) (2001) | USA:Approved (PCA #17230) | Canada:PG (video rating) | South Korea:15 (2006) | Australia:PG | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | UK:PG | West Germany:16 | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Charles K. Feldman Group

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.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Richard gets his finger stuck in a Champagne bottle due to the bubbles creating a vacuum. The bubbles wouldn't create a vacuum and would in fact force his finger out of the bottle.

Quotes:

Dr. Brubaker: My 3:00 patient jumped out of the window in the middle of his session. I have been running fifteen minutes ahead of schedule ever since.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The X Files: War of the Coprophages (#3.12)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Chopsticks

sparkling but a bit confusing!

The film succeeds mainly because of Marilyn Monroe's obvious charisma and appeal - she really shines in this as the dizzy, curvy blonde upstairs. Tom Ewell has been married seven years and has seen his wife and son away for the summer - he determines not to smoke, not to drink, and not to chase women. The moment Monroe wiggles up those stairs all that goes out of the window and he starts fantasising about the new arrival.

There are a lot of funny situations and you're never quite sure what it in Ewell's head and what is real (well, I wasn't anyway). I love the scene where they are playing Chopsticks and of course, that old chestnut the 2nd Rach concerto rears its head! Victor Moore plays a doddery plumber and Oscar Homolka a shrink who advises Ewell not to consider anything as drastic as murder until he can get simple problems sorted out, while Evelyn Keyes makes the most of her few appearances as Ewell's wife (or is she his conscience?!).

The film is fun, the famous skirt and grid scene is now legendary (but quite unlike the often-seen poster shot), and there is much in this bouncy production after nearly fifty years to entertain pretty much anyone.