The Seven Year Itch (1955)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

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

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)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Steven Benson	...	Kid at Train Station (uncredited)
Butch Bernard	...	Ricky Sherman (uncredited)
Dorothy Ford	...	Indian Girl / Tall Beauty at Train Station (uncredited)
Doro Merande	...	Waitress at Vegetarian Restaurant (uncredited)
Ron Nyman	...	Indian (uncredited)
Ralph Sanford	...	Train Station Gateman (uncredited)
Mary Young	...	Woman in Train Station (uncredited)

Directed by
Billy Wilder

Writing credits
Billy Wilder		(screenplay) &
George Axelrod		(screenplay)
George Axelrod		(original play "The Seven Year Itch")

Produced by
Charles K. Feldman	....	producer
Doane Harrison	....	associate producer
Billy Wilder	....	producer

Original Music by
Alfred Newman

Cinematography by
Milton R. Krasner		(director of photography) (as Milton Krasner)

Film Editing by
Hugh S. Fowler

Art Direction by
George W. Davis
Lyle R. Wheeler		(as Lyle Wheeler)

Set Decoration by
Stuart A. Reiss
Walter M. Scott

Costume Design by
Travilla

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist
Helen Turpin	....	hair stylist
Allan Snyder	....	makeup artist: Miss Monroe (uncredited)

Production Management
Saul Wurtzel	....	unit production manager: New York (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joseph E. Rickards	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Harry M. Leonard	....	sound
E. Clayton Ward	....	sound

Special Effects by
Ray Kellogg	....	special photographic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Walter Engels	....	grip (uncredited)
Felix Trimboli	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charles Le Maire	....	wardrobe director
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Leonard Doss	....	color consultant
Orven Schanzer	....	first assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Saul Bass	....	title designer
Courtney Burr	....	stage presenter
Elliott Nugent	....	stage presenter
Saul Wurtzel	....	subway effects (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Charles K. Feldman Group (presents) (as Chas K Feldman Group Productions)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1955) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1963) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (pan/scan)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Abril Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Bausch & Lomb  CinemaScope lenses by

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 (Ontario) (video rating) (1998) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | 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:

Final film of Donald MacBride.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Richard is talking on the phone, he moves to the porch during his phone call. At first, the cord of the phone is seen coming around the corner through the doorway, but later disappears and eventually reappears.

Quotes:

Dr. Brubaker: At fifty dollars an hour, all my cases are interesting.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Beverly Kills (2005)

Soundtrack:

Chopsticks

Marilyn in another Classic Comedy? I think that's just elegant!

This is a decent comedy and I enjoyed it on the whole. I'll be honest and say and the only real reason and I took an interested in the film and watched it is Marilyn Monroe. I've been trying to watch as many as her films as possible lately, ever since a study of Photography at college found me researching the icon of the silver screen. The good news is for me is that there was plenty of Marilyn to enjoy in this classic comedy. I was pleased to find that she is supported by a good cast and a very funny script, and the film on the whole is a real winner. There were several laugh out loud moments for me, and considering my young age and the fact this is a film from the 1950's I would say that's something pretty impressive. For me, though, the reason the film was great has to be Ms. Monroe. She is just simply stunning and elegant in this movie (A word her character very much likes to use!). She really captures the audiences heart as "The Girl" and it's not hard to see why Tom Ewell's character fell for her obvious charms - she is just a sheer delight in the film.

A sequence which I found totally hilarious was that in which Ewell's character imagines a variety of heated liaisons with various women in his life - all of them supposedly throwing themselves at him. The way in which he and the "women" deliver the lines - in a classic dead-pan fashion had me almost crying with laughter. Really hilarious stuff. And that's not even mentioning the glorious skirt-over-subway scene. This is a film to watch and fall in love with. You'll really enjoy it if you like Marilyn, you want to laugh, you're looking for a warm movie to just relax to and you're interested in cinema history and classic Hollywood. A great film for so many people - rent it and enjoy!