The Seven Year Itch

Plot synopsis:
Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell) is a nerdy, faithful, middle-aged publishing executive with an overactive imagination and a mid-life crisis, whose wife, Helen (Evelyn Keyes), and son, Ricky (Butch Bernard), are spending the summer in Maine. When he returns home with the kayak paddle Ricky accidentally left behind, he meets a woman (Marilyn Monroe), who is a commercial actress and former model who rents the apartment upstairs while in town to make television spots for a brand of toothpaste. That evening, he works on reading the manuscript of a book in which psychiatrist Dr. Brubaker (Oskar Homolka) claims that almost all men are driven to have extra-marital affairs in the seventh year of marriage. Sherman has an imaginary conversation with Helen, trying to convince her, in three fantasy sequences, that he is irresistible to women, including his secretary, a nurse, and Helen's bridesmaid, but she laughs it off. A tomato plant then crashes into his lounge chair; the woman upstairs apologizes for accidentally knocking it off the balcony, and Richard invites her down for a drink.
He waits for her to get dressed, including in underwear she says she keeps cool in her icebox. When she arrives, a vision in pink, they have a drink and he lies about being married. When she sees his wedding ring, he backtracks but she is unconcerned, having no designs on him, only on his air-conditioning. He has a fantasy that she is a femme fatale overcome by his playing of Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto. In reality, she prefers Chopsticks, which they play together. Richard, overcome by his fantasies, awkwardly grabs at her, causing them to fall off the piano bench. He apologizes for his indiscretion but she says it happens to her all the time. Guilt-ridden, however, he asks her to leave.
Over the next few days, they spend more time together and Richard imagines that they are growing closer, although she is immune to his imagined charms. Helen continually calls her husband, asking him to send the paddle so Ricky can use the kayak, but Richard is repeatedly distracted. His waning resolve to resist temptation fuels his fear that he is succumbing to the "Seven Year Itch". He seeks help from Dr. Brubaker, but to no avail. His imagination then runs even wilder: the young woman tells a plumber (Victor Moore) how Richard is "just like The Creature from the Black Lagoon"; the plumber repeats her story to neighbor McKenzie, whom Helen had asked to drop by to pick up Ricky's paddle. Richard imagines his wife with McKenzie on a hayride which actually takes place but into which he injects his paranoia, guilt and jealousy. After seeing The Creature from the Black Lagoon, the young woman stands over the subway grate to experience the breeze – Monroe in the iconic scene in the pleated white halter dress, blowing her skirt in the wind.
Eventually coming to his senses, and fearing his wife's retribution, which he imagines in a fantasy scene, Richard, paddle in hand, tells the young woman she can stay in his apartment; then he runs off to catch the next train to Maine to be with Helen and Ricky.

Tags: pornographic, humor, satire, adult comedy

Review:
Along the days, he spends some time with the girl and feels tempted by her, but later he misses his family and travels to meet them."The Seven Year Itch" is a naive and innocent romantic comedy in accordance with the contemporary moral standards, but actually this feature tested the limits of censorship in a time when Hollywood was ruled by a rigid moral code.
However, to make the movie was a challenge for this great director, since many scenes and lines were ripped away by the censorship and by the National Legion of Decency, mutilating the plot.Marilyn Monroe was selected to the cast, but Billy Wilder wanted a plain, average and non-handsome actor for the role of Sherman.
The 1955 comedy, "The Seven Year Itch," directed by Billy Wilder, is one of the most amusing sex farces ever filmed.
Starring Tom Ewell and Marilyn Monroe, and based on George Axelrod's play, the film takes a humorous look at the problems of a typical middle-aged married man.
Not to mention she was a very beautiful actress.The Seven Year Itch is a great romantic comedy where a man has sent his wife and son into the country while he works on his business over the summer.
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..
In the 'fifties Hollywood created its biggest, best-loved and most powerful sex symbol of allMarilyn Monroe Marilyn's appeal was, perhaps, in her weakness, in that revealing look of innocence and confidence, in her intense desire to be loved The 'seven year itch' points out the instinctive desire to be disloyal after seven years of matrimony, with a longing to satisfy one's sexual needs This amusing film was adapted from a Broadway play of the same name by George Axelrod, with Tom Ewell reprising his Broadway role, walking, worrying, and sweating Tom and Evelyn Kayes have been married for seven years While he remains in Manhattan on business, Evelyn and their son Ricky (Butch Bernard) go off to Maine to escape the sweltering summer The apartment upstairs has been rented to a television blonde model (Marilyn Monroe).
On their way home, they stop on a subway As the trains go by underneath, Marilyn's skirts billow up It is so hot in the city she presumably loves the rush of air on her thighs Marilyn plays the scene in innocent delight And Billy Wilder's shot shows a strapping blonde with a white skirt blown out like a spinnaker above her waist For this famous shot alone, the movie is a must see.
When his family , wife (Evelyn Keyes) and son , goes away for the summer, a so far faithful husband (Tom Ewell) is tempted by a beautiful neighbor (Marilyn Monroe) , a blonde model who moves upstairs .
Adding , of course , the funniest sequences of all being those in which Monroe's blown skirt and those in which Tom Ewell dreams as the great lover .Despite being one of the most iconic images in pop culture history, as well as one of the most recognizable photographs of Marilyn Monroe, the famous full-length image of Monroe standing with her dress being blown up never actually appears in the film ; the shot used in the film is only of her legs, cut with reaction shots, and never shown full-length.
Tom Ewell won the 1953 Tony Award for Actor in a Drama for "The Seven Year Itch" in the role of Richard Sherman, which he reprised in this film .
After that , they wrote/produced/directed such classics as ¨Ace in the hole¨ , the touching romantic comedy ¨Sabrina¨ , the Hickcoktian courtroom puzzle game ¨Witness for the prosecution¨ and two movies with the great star Marilyn Monroe , the warmth ¨Seven year itch¨ and this ¨Some like hot¨.
The Seven Year Itch is a fantastic movie with a very clever story line and an extremely talented cast.Marilyn Monroe is fantastic in this movie,her performance is brilliant,and,like always she is beautiful.If anyone ever wondered where the famous picture of her dress blowing in the air comes from,this is the movie.The script to the movie is very unusual,I was expecting it to be a simple fifties movie,but it wasn't,a lot of dialogue between the characters is strange,and Richard should probably be put into a mental hospital.Fans of Marilyn Monroe and classic movies from this era of film will definitely enjoy The Seven Year Itch.Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell) makes an effort to dedicate his life to his business while his wife is away for the summer with their son,but an attractive new neighbor distracts him from doing what he promised..
The Seven Year Itch"is a minor comedy from Billy Wilder.However,it has  an enduring magic that made special.Is the story of a husband whose wife and son are in vacation.He's alone and full of temptations with the new neighbour(Marilyn Monroe).Wilder has a great script with his usual elements:acid vision of the typical american  and his problems,very good dialogues and magic.The only failure of the movie could be it's too much theatrical(is based on a play)but it's great anyway.I see this movie every summer and is special.Few movies capturing the essence of the summer(a summer in the 50's New York in this case).Also,the movie contains the most famous shot of Marilyn Monroe,when she is outing of the cinema.She was a great comical actress and this is very clear in this movie.
Director Billy Wilder gets a great, comic book-styled performance out of Marilyn Monroe: she's guilelessly sexy and playful, and has no idea she's enchanting the married man who lives downstairs in her building.
The minimal plot sees Tom Ewell's `summer bachelor' trying to resist the charms of neighbour Marilyn Monroe while his wife and son are shipped off for the season.
The problem with this film isn't Monroe, who turns in one of her best performances this side of "Some Like it Hot," but rather with Tom Ewell.
Even after sixty years, THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH retains its freshness and bounce - a delightful testament both to the script (by Billy Wilder and playwright George Axelrod) and the quality of the performances.The story is a simple one: left on his own during a hot New York summer, Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell) tries his best to avoid the temptations of drink, tobacco and an extra-marital affair.
Plodding, occasionally amusing, massively over-rated piece of nonsense from the pens of Billy Wilder and George Axelrod, both of whom did much better work elsewhere - in the case of Wilder, we're talking of a man who created a number of bona-fide masterpieces, so goodness knows what was going on here.The performances are OK, although to be honest Monroe's eternal breathiness grates on me after a while, no matter how worthwhile her other talents.The piece stands somewhere between The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) and Play It Again Sam (1972).
'The Seven Year Itch (1955)' has the best of intentions, and it showcases sex-icon Marilyn Monroe in one of her most alluring roles, but overall it just doesn't work; by the end of the film, I found myself more than a little exasperated.
That imaginative money shot above the New York subway is justly iconic, and probably most fully defines Monroe's screen persona, even though Wilder would utilise her to even greater effect in 'Some Like It Hot (1959)' four years later.
Monroe in her white dress, which blows up from the vents in the street, and Mr Sherman's line 'Cools the ankles doesn't it', while looking.The seven year itch is very important in Cinema history and any Monroe or Ewell fan must see it, or someone who loves a great film..
It's obvious that he lacked the chemistry for the part (a role he originated on stage), and someone like JACK LEMMON would have been a much better choice as the man downstairs.For Monroe's fans, this is one of her best performances coming at a time when she was doing some great work at The Actor's Studio in NYC.SONNY TUFTS and EVELYN KEYES have roles that don't amount to much and drift in and out of the story with very little effect.
Tom Ewell turns out a great performance in this movie as the happily married man who, after seven years of marriage, starts having fantasies about the sexy blonde who's just moved in upstairs.
Most people associate "The Seven Year Itch" with the famous scene of Marilyn Monroe standing over a subway grate and allowing her white dress to be flipped up by the breeze from a passing train.
Made famous for being the film that contains THAT money shot of Marilyn Monroe on the subway grating having her skirt blown up around her waist, the film actually suffers from bad casting and Billy Wilder not being able to realise his vision for the adaptation.Adapted along with Wilder by George Axlerod from his own Broadway play, the film version is far removed from the racy, farce laden stage version, and it really does shine thru that we are missing out on a fully fleshed out comedy.
Marilyn Monroe does just fine, it's a perfect vehicle for her, look gorgeous, play it with dopey innocence, and deliver the lines on time, she does all these well, and it's with much credit to Wilder for getting a decent performance from her as off the screen her marriage to Joe DiMaggio was crumbling apart.Censorship and snips mean that we have never seen the film that Billy Wilder envisaged, the censors even refused him having a somewhat tame ending to wrap the picture up, so what we are left with is a little laugh here and there, some Monroe texture, but ultimately the film just doesn't add up to being close to a real good sex comedy, 5/10..
Of course what's not to like with the provocative Marilyn Monroe heading the cast.Call me a rat if you will, but if Marilyn is giving Tom Ewell such an itch why not seek out the best upscale working girl that he can find so that he can be assured of being disease free and go for it while Evelyn Keyes and the kid are out of town.
As the Girl said: "it makes you think".But what a price to pay for posterity, if not a major comedy, not in the same league than the superior "Some Like it Hot", "The Seven Year Itch" blessed us with Monroe's signature shot, broke a few boundaries in terms of censorship and if the story isn't the most sensational, its making has everything, it is about sex, love, censorship, religion and marriage.
The romantic comedy The Seven Year Itch is directed by Billy Wilder and stars Tom Ewell and Marilyn Monroe.
But then the beautiful blonde girl (Monroe) moves in upstairs and Richard must resists his temptations...The screenplay for this film by Billy Wilder and George Axelrod based off of George Axelrod's play was decent.
The Seven Year Itch is a great Billy Wilder comedy and a showcase for Marilyn Monroe as sex symbol but also as a great actress.Like I said, today it seems tame, but at the time it was anything but.
The Seven Year Itch is a reasonably decent film which would have been mostly forgotten by now but for one thing...the performance of the incomparable Marilyn Monroe.
This is a fun movie from the 50's with Marilyn Monroe at the peak of her career in Billy Wilder's adaptation of the George Axelrod play The Seven Year Itch with Marilyn in the role of the girl with no name as the neighbor upstairs referred to only as The Girl.
This is also mid way through the 50's when Director Wilder was turning out some of his best loved films including Sunset Boulevard, Stalag 17, and Some Like it Hot. Tom Ewel in the lead role as Richard Sherman reprises his Tony Award winning role from the long running Broadway play of the same name.
Clever, funny dialog in this film but it stays pretty close to the play and Ewel is the principal character and there's not as much Monroe as in Bus Stop or Some Like it Hot which may make Monroe fans want to see more of her in this but it's a good movie and I've seen it many times on TV over the years and would give it an 8.0 out 10..
I have always liked Marilyn Monroe, but, with that said, I honestly think that Hollywood totally wasted her by squeezing her into a stereotypical straitjacket where they tried to repeatedly capitalize on that clichéd persona by starring her in such mediocre movie-nonsense as this here "Comedy" that was so funny I forgot to laugh.As usual, Monroe looked very hot in this flick (in fact, she was simply sensational to behold), but, since she was clearly being presented here as a sex-object and being defined within the rigid restrictions of a fantasy, dream woman for every man, any opportunity for Monroe to really shine was flatly denied her.And, so, Monroe (whose character wasn't even allowed a name, but was given some of the dumbest and most contrived dialog to speak) simply remained just some flighty, little figment of one man's lecherous imagination throughout the entire course of this so-so picture.What definitely brought this faltering film's appeal-level down several major notches was the gross miscasting of Tom Ewell as the Richard Sherman character, a family man who just so happened to be the publisher of lewd and lurid dime-novels.Put plain and simple, Ewell, to me, was sickening.
This film and "Some Like it Hot", also directed by the great Billy Wilder, gave Marilyn Monroe's admirers a glorious view of the actress at her best.Tom Ewell, is equally excellent as the summer bachelor, Richard Sherman, left alone in Manhattan to fend for himself.
This Billy Wilder classic,though somewhat dated in attitudes, is still very watchable fifty years later.Richard Sherman(the underrated Tom Ewell) lives an ordinary urban life of the post WWII married man:works a busy job,loves his wife(who puts up with him aplenty)and has a spunky,energetic young son.
The Seven Year Itch blew the lid off of 1950's stodgy conservatism, shocked audiences with its irrereverant view of marital infidelity and showcased the late, great Marilyn Monroe in her most sexually suggestive role to date (at the time the film was released).Of course, the premise of the story is simple (without giving too much away).
In this day when outrageous, gross-out comedies like "Wedding Crashers" are at the top of the box office, it is refreshing to see a classic movie like "The Seven Year Itch" that has nothing vulgar or raunchy, and is morally acceptable for me.Billy Wilder, the man who directed this movie and the extraordinary 1959 film "Some Like It Hot" (also starring Monroe) said about her: "She was an absolute genius as a comedic actress, with an extraordinary sense for comedic dialog.
It's fun, lighthearted, and has the benefit of Monroe's charm, but it's much more dated than Wilder's other ventures.Tom Ewell and Marilyn Monroe star in a film about men who send their wives and children off to Maine for the hot New York Summer while they fill their minds with ideas of adultery and temptation.
Not today".The story to The Seven Year Itch is about a New Yorker Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell) ships his wife, Helen (Evelyn Keyes), and their son off to Maine for vacation.
But anywhere I'm only seeing these classic one by one, because it's all about perfect timing to watch them if I'm in the kind of mood to watching them, but after noticing that I haven't seen any Marilyn Monroe films so I quickly went to watch one of her films and I picked this movie and it was a good pick.Tom Ewell who plays the love himself thinking he can get any women he likes kind of guy and he was a funny character.
And though by no means does it mean that it's not a good film because it's another fine comedy from Wilder that teases with the idea of infidelity but is still no match to his most acclaimed works.The story of The Seven Year Itch concerns a faithful & overly imaginative middle-aged man who after sending his family off during summer holidays tries to live a bachelor's life but finds himself tempted by a beautiful neighbour.
Only Marilyn Monroe as The Girl brings life and effervescence to this movie; Tom Ewell, playing a summer vacation "bachelor" is dead weight.
That doesn't mean it gets boring, in fact Ewell and Monroe do handle the film whenever it gets shaky.Watch the Seven Year's Itch for its humor and the ensemble performance; Marilyn may favor serious performances over dumb blonde trifling roles, but I understand now why audiences love her so much – she plays a great dumb blonde!
Directed and partly written by the legendary Billy Wilder, the writing shows some insight and imagination about temptation and male-female relationships and does so in a humorous way.Marilyn Monroe portrays a character known only as "The Girl", who temporarily moves into an apartment building and meets a man who's wife and child have left for the summer.
My favorite scene is where the man has an imaginary conversation with his wife (actually gone on vacation for the summer) and they talk about his supposed powers over women.It's a significant film, but only for Marilyn Monroe fans, partly because it features the very famous, iconic white dress pose.
The Seven Year Itch is my favorite Marilyn Monroe movie.