The Seven Year Itch (1955)

7/10

Xstal31 July 2023

Poor Richard Sherman's got himself in such a state, he's been mesmerised and is starting to fixate, a screen goddess lives upstairs, summertime is for affairs, now he's drinking, smoking, getting quite irate; as his wife has left the city for the country, and middle age makes him behave, quite dumbly, it's the itch of seven years, that's interfering with his gears, but just a scratch will turn his world, fragile and crumbly.

Fair play to him though, as I suspect most men in his position wouldn't behave the same way when presented with a new neighbour who's innocent exhibition and confiding character (along with a number of other engaging attributes) are so overwhelmingly enticing, especially to the archetypal 1950s middle aged man.

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8/10

Rachmaninoff and Marilyn

gbill-7487731 January 2020

Peak Marilyn. She's funny, sexy, and absolutely charming, and it's also of course got that iconic moment over the subway grate. I've also always liked Tom Ewell in this. As silly as his character is and as stagey as his monologues are, I think he's funny and satirizes married men with wandering eyes pretty well. He has ridiculous fantasies, clumsily tries to put the moves on a younger woman, and is wracked by guilt. I absolutely love the scene where he plays Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto #2 to set the mood (both in fantasy and reality), and how it was incorporated into the soundtrack. Another nice little moment is when he's fixing a couple of Tom Collins for the two of them, going on about how it couldn't have been chance for them to have met, while she's talking to herself about needing to return a fan to a store. I like how spare the story is, and the various one-liners in the script. Director Billy Wilder lamented making the film under the Production Code, and it is a shame that some things were censored, but Monroe's appeal can't be denied. I like it for what it is, a product of its time for sure, and a harmless sex comedy.

Favorite line: "Miss Morris, I'm perfectly capable of fixing my own breakfast. As a matter of fact, I had a peanut butter sandwich and two whiskey sours."

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8/10

Marilyn Monroe is the star attraction

hadaska-532903 September 2020

A comedic take on the male/female relationship from a male perspective 1950s version. This story never would fly as a product of the 21st century world let alone be a long running big Broadway hit and subsequently be made into a movie. It's subject is male dominance and masculine vulnerability to the seductive female as it collides with domestic family life. In this net is the family man presented to us in the unexciting presence of Tom Ewell meeting up with the glorious Marilyn Monroe at the height of her beauty. The movie in total is an entertaining offering representing the world that once was. The main attraction being Marilyn who captivates from beginning to end so irresistibly you can't take your eyes off her. This is Marilyn Monroe's movie from start to finish and for that reason alone makes it a must see.

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7/10

Naive and Innocent in the Present Days, Tested the Limit of Censorship in the 50's

claudio_carvalho23 October 2006

In summertime in Manhattan, the plain and average Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell) sends his wife and son for vacation in the country. Sherman is the key man of a publishing firm, Brady & Company, which publishes cheap pocket books. The faithful Sherman has a routine life with his family and dreams on being successful with women. When a beautiful and sexy blonde lodges the upstairs apartment of his small building, Sherman first opens the front door for her and then he invites her to have a drink with him after the fall of her tomato vase on his chair on the backyard. 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. The story is based on a George Axelrod popular 1952 Broadway play about a man that has an affair with his upstairs neighbor. Unfortunately in the 50's, the American cinema did not have the same artistic freedom as theater. The screenplays and movies were submitted to the scrutiny of the powerful Hayes office, the censorship of Hollywood. There was a Production Code in Hollywood that stated that adultery should not be the subject of comedy or laughs, and this story violated the Code. Billy Wilder was fascinated by this story and purchased the rights of George Axelrod. 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. His first choice was Walter Matthaus, but Fox direction did not want to take the risk of an unknown lead actor, therefore they selected Tom Ewell. The most famous scene of Marilyn Monroe, with her dress being lifted by the air of the subway, was first an exterior scene, but later Billy Wilder needed to shot again in the set because the noise and whistles of the viewers spoiled the original footage. This external scene also provoked the end of the marriage of Marilyn with Joe Dimaggio, who felt humiliated with the manifestation of the public.

One dialog that I particularly like is when Sherman and the blonde leave the movie theater and she says that the creature needed to be loved, in an analogy between Sherman and the creature of the black lagoon. The restored DVD is fantastic and this is the most sexually suggested role of Marilyn Monroe to date. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Pecado Mora ao Lado" ("The Sin Lives on the Next Door")

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7/10

Marilyn at her most innocent

caspian19786 September 2002

In Some Like it Hot, Marilyn was the hottest she ever was. In Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, she's the Woman of all Women. But in The Seven Year Itch, Marilyn is the prize of all treasures. She is timeless in every frame of the film. Coming across as this unique, cute, and innocent little woman, Marilyn makes your mind race, your heart thump, and your youth return.

No one else but Marilyn Monroe could play "The Girl" in the movie. She is just that, a girl, but much much more. Most of the physical comedy in the film is executed by Monroe herself. A lot of us don't realize this as we expect most of the comedy to come from the comedian in the film, Tom Ewell. A must see if you are a fan of America's first Dream Girl, the amazing Marilyn Monroe.

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sparkling but a bit confusing!

didi-513 May 2004

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.

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7/10

Magic on the screen: Monroe fights the New York heat and gives pleasure to Ewell

Nazi_Fighter_David26 June 2007

In the 'fifties Hollywood created its biggest, best-loved and most powerful sex symbol of allMarilyn 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). When she forgot her front door key, she had to ring Ewell's bell to let her into the building

When Marilyn accidentally knocks a tomato plant onto Tom's terrace, the happily man invites the luscious young beauty downstairs for a drink, indulging in fantasies about taking her in his arms and kissing her 'very quickly and very hard'

Marilyn comes in, explaining that she feels safe with married men... He makes a clumsy pass while they are at the piano but both fall off the seat He stammers an apology, but she pretends it is nothing

When Marilyn returns to her apartment, Tom envisions his wife having an affair in Maine with their big neighbor, Tom McKenzie (Sonny Tufts) Then he sees himself lost between foolish fantasies of seduction, and terrible ideas of his wife capturing him in action Finally he decides to put an end to his visions and asks Marilyn out to a movie...

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

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8/10

Delightful Comedy that Never Loses its Luster

l_rawjalaurence3 July 2016

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. However his best intentions are frustrated by the presence of The Girl (Marilyn Monroe), who has moved into the apartment above him. Nothing actually happens, but the promise persists ...

Ewell gives a stellar performance, the best in his forty-five year acting career. In his rumpled gray suit, with tie askew, he embarks on a series of monologues where his better nature competes with his carnal desires. Most of them are shot in single takes in the Shermans' apartment: Ewell's India-rubber face changes rapidly as he debates the morality of inviting The Girl down for a drink. He walks from side to side of the frame, his shoulders hunched, almost as if he is bearing the cares of the world on his back.

The fantasy-sequences are extremely funny, with Ewell imagining himself as the protagonist in a comic reworking of FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, rolling about on the beach with a woman not his wife. Later on he casts himself as a Noel Coward-like figure speaking in a cod-British accent, as he plays Rachmaninov on the piano while trying to seduce The Girl (a reference to BRIEF ENCOUNTER).

When the latter scene is re-enacted for real, The Girl is completely uninterested in Rachmaninov. Sherman tries to embrace her, and the two of them end up falling off the piano bench in an ungainly heap. Although Sherman imagines himself as the Great Lover, he will never be able to fulfill his role.

Monroe is equally memorable in her role as the not-so-dumb blonde from Denver. It's clear she is attracted to Sherman - not because of his physical attributes, but because at heart he is an extremely sweet man. On the other hand she respects his love for his wife Helen (Evelyn Keyes), and thus refrains from making a pass at him. THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH contains the memorable sequence where she stands over a grille and lets the wind from a subway train beneath blow up her white dress. Wilder shoots this sequence very discreetly, leaving everything to the viewer's imagination. Monroe is far more seductive in an interior sequence, where she hides behind a chair and stretches out one leg, and then another. The janitor Mr. Kruhulik (Robert Strauss) witnesses what happens, and promises to leave Sherman alone.

Wilder's and Axelrod's script fairly crackles with one-liners, as well as a series of in-jokes referring to Charles Lederer (Wilder's fellow-scriptwriter), as well as a reference to Monroe herself.

THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH is one of those comedies that never loses its sparkle, even after repeated viewings.

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6/10

A Dated "Sophisticated" Comedy

JamesHitchcock14 May 2004

Warning: Spoilers

Contains Spoilers

Hollywood's moral code in the fifties meant that sex comedies, in the sense that we would understand the term today, did not exist. `Sophisticated' comedies about divorce and adultery, with all the action taking place strictly offstage, were about as close as anyone ever got. This film is a typical example of that style of filmmaking. It is set in Manhattan during a summer heatwave. The leading male character, Richard Sherman, has sent his wife and son to escape to the cooler mountains of New England, but he himself has to remain in town, as July is a busy time at the publishing firm for which he works. The flat above his has been rented by an attractive young model, whose name we never actually learn. When Sherman meets her he spends most of his time in attempts to seduce her, interspersed with panic attacks at the thought of his wife finding out.

With its small cast of characters and action largely confined to a single flat, it clearly betrays its origins as a stage play. I have never seen the play on which it is based, but I was interested to learn that the play is actually more explicit in that the two main characters do have a sexual relationship. The theatre of this period was clearly more liberal about sexual matters than the cinema, in America at least. (In Britain the Lord Chamberlain's Office, which governed theatrical censorship, was quite as puritanical as its cinematic equivalent, the British Board of Film Censors). Despite this change of emphasis, the filmed version works well in its own right. Sherman becomes less a middle-aged lecher than a middle-aged fantasist. He fantasises about women, not because he wants to sleep with them (his fantasies generally end with him fighting the woman off amid protestations that he is a happily married man) but because his ego gets a boost from the thought that he is handsome, charming and irresistible. He pursues Marilyn Monroe's character not because he has any cause for dissatisfaction with his wife or any serious thoughts about divorce but because, approaching his fortieth birthday, he needs reassurance that he is still attractive to women.

Although Tom Ewell is witty and amusing as Sherman, it is Marilyn Monroe who steals the film (as she normally did). Now, this may seem like heresy to many, but Marilyn was not the most beautiful woman ever. She was not even the most beautiful actress of the fifties; several others such as Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor or Brigitte Bardot had more classically perfect features. What Monroe could do like no other actress of her time (and like very few who have come since) was to combine sex appeal with wide-eyed innocence. Her character in this movie is a fine example of this. Sherman falls for her precisely because she is not only pretty but also young and naïve; the sort of girl her can exercise his charms on without creating any real threat to his marriage. This is a film about flirtation, not about serious, long-term relationships, so it does not matter that the girl is the typical Hollywood `dumb blonde'. Monroe was perfect for the role; if virtually any other actress had been cast in it (including any of those mentioned above) the result would have been a very different film. There are also some amusing cameo roles from Oskar Homolka, as a Germanic psychiatrist, from Robert Strauss as the loud, pushy janitor and from Donald MacBride as Sherman's cynical boss.

Although the film must originally have seemed sophisticated and daring, fifty years later it is somewhat dated and now seems tame and lightweight. Even the famous scene where Marilyn Monroe stands above the subway grating is much less revealing than popular legend or the film's reputation might have you believe. When I say that a film is `dated', I do not necessarily mean that one cannot today watch it with pleasure, but rather that it is an example of an older style of filmmaking that it would not be possible to recreate today. (Indeed, a film of this type would probably have been impossible at any period after the mid-sixties). There is still much in `The Seven Year Itch' that is worth watching, but it no longer seems as fresh or as funny as it probably did when it was first released. It has not lasted as well as Monroe's other famous collaboration with Billy Wilder, `Some Like It Hot'. 6/10.

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9/10

So...? What's not to like?

masercot15 December 2004

Forget today's sex symbols...Marilyn is IT.

If Kate Moss moved into the flat above mine while my wife was out of town with the kids, I'd have no trouble resisting temptation; but, Marilyn Monroe is a force of nature. She's a fertility goddess. She is pure hourglass with a dynamite smile. In short, she is pure concentrated femininity.

This movie is a comedy, and a good one at that. The timing of Monroe and Ewell is flawless. The scene where he jumps Marilyn on the piano bench in a brief moment of passion causing them both to fall to the floor gives this brief exchange...

"I'm sorry", Ewell says, "This has never happened to me before"

Marilyn answers, while standing up and adjust her clothes, "That's funny. It happens to me all the time"...

Priceless...

The exchange between Ewell and a psychiatrist is equally well-done. The movie is a classic. It is Jack Lemmon's The Apartment, done with an attractive woman and a man who, although not in full possession of his marbles, certainly is better adjusted than Lemmon's character.

This is a must see...

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6/10

Funny Monroe but unfunny Ewell...Jack Lemmon would have been better...

Doylenf26 August 2006

Whatever fun and spontaneity THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH has as a movie is due entirely to the lines and situations given to MARILYN MONROE. Only when she is on the screen, does the story go into full spin with double-entendre remarks and visual gags. Monroe is at her peachiest as the girl who's seemingly unaware of the raging hormones going on right under her nose by her neurotic neighbor.

As the neighbor, TOM EWELL is given entirely too much footage and becomes downright obnoxious and annoying with his monologues long before the finale. 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. Billy Wilder's direction is hampered by his casting choice of Ewell to repeat his stage role with less than satisfying results.

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10/10

A Fabulously Funny, Fast-Paced Sex Farce From The Fifties...It's "Just Elegant!"

Thurston Howell15 July 1999

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. Tom Ewell, and unassuming leading man with a flair and talent for comedy, is perfectly cast in this movie. Ewell plays the part of Richard Sherman, an average middled-aged man of the 50's...office worker, city inhabitant, with a loving wife and one son. He is left alone in the city for the entire summer while his family vacations in Maine. All is well until Mr. Sherman meets the beautiful blonde who rents the apartment above his for the summer. They soon get to know each other and become friends over champagne, potato chips, and a Rachmaninoff record. Their friendship causes Mr. Sherman to worry that his wife will find out about his relationship with the blonde bombshell. With his overactive imagination, Mr. Sherman dreams up numerous situations concerning this young woman, as well as his wife. Although his imagination causes Mr. Sherman much worry, it provides many of the film's most memorable and enjoyable scenes. Of course, the film is famous for the scene of Monroe standing over the subway grate, which has always been a classic movie scene. Monroe, although unnamed in the film, gives one of her best screen performances, which is "just elegant," as she says throughout the movie. She displays a talent for comedy as well as beauty, which should not be overlooked. Ewell's portrayal of Richard Sherman is delightful, hilarious, and perfect. His facial expressions and comedic timing contribute to the film's enjoyability. Along with these stars, the supporting cast is excellent as well. It includes such character actors as Robert Strauss (Mr. Kruhulik, the janitor), and Donald MacBride (Mr. Brady, Richard Sherman's boss). "The Seven Year Itch" is one of the ultimate 50's pop culture films. And since it was filmed in Cinemascope, it would be perfect to see on the big screen. Any fan of Monroe, Wilder, old movies, or 50's culture would enjoy this movie; I strongly recommend it. The comedy, timing, acting, and direction are flawless...and they all help to make "The Seven Year Itch" "just elegant!"

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6/10

The movie responsible for one of Marilyn's most famous pictures

Lady_Targaryen16 February 2006

Warning: Spoilers

''The Seven Year Itch''is one of the classics with Marilyn Monroe, when we have the famous scene of Marilyn's dress blowing up around her legs as she stands over a subway grating.(and also the scene that made Marilyn's and Joe's wedding to end!)

In Manhattan,Richard Sherman( as many other husbands from the Island) sends his wife Helen and his son Ricky to travel to their summer's house during the horrible summer in Manhattan,while he needs to work, since it is high season. Richard tries to behave himself, without drinking alcohol,smoking and meeting new women while his wife is distant from him,but when he meets his beautiful and sexy neighbor (played by Marilyn Monroe) many things scape from his control.

The lead character is very neurotic, what makes me feel angry and wishing to punch him sometimes, but the story is kind of original, specially for the time it was written.(lots of censorship)

aka "O Pecado Mora Ao Lado" - Brazil

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5/10

"Ewell" be sorry

rjrozen16 June 2000

This is a movie, like "The Great Dictator" or "Birth of a Nation," that more people _know_ than have _watched_. Everyone is familiar with the scene in which Marilyn Monroe stands over the subway grate, but how many people have actually seen this film? Well, for all those people, the answer is: don't bother. 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. He is annoying, irritating, and an absolute vacuum at the dead center of this film. Unfortunately, Ewell is on screen about twice as long as Monroe, and he spends most of the time talking to himself, which is just cruel. His is a role that, in the hands of someone like Jack Lemmon, could have been terrific. Ewell, however, supplies an obtrusive, boring narration to a leaden, plodding performance. In the end, I didn't want Ewell's wife to catch him in his tentative indiscretions, I wanted a meteorite to hit him.

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A so-so comedy that's just not for me.

Jim Griffin23 April 2002

Something that irritates me about the IMBD is that if you criticise a movie that was made before 1980, a truckload of idiots send you messages telling you how much you hate old movies. Let me say right away, I don't. I like films from pretty much every era of cinema that I've had the chance to see, but, having had common sense recently installed, I've come to realise that age doesn't automatically make a movie great, just as modernity doesn't automatically make a movie bad.

So bearing in mind that I'm talking about this one movie, and not every movie made in the 1950s, The Seven Year Itch is as average as they come. 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. Very obviously adapted from a play, there are few characters, few sets, and even fewer laughs. That it succeeds at all is due to the charm of the leads and the occasional good joke that sneaks its way into the script.

The film's main problem comes in how it tells its story. First, it depends on Ewell constantly talking to himself, babbling on endlessly about what he's doing, what he might do, what he's never done, and what other people will think he's doing, done and about to do. Secondly, he is constantly daydreaming, the film constantly dissolving into one of his fantasies that are unfortunately no funnier than reality. If you find this storytelling approach irritating, as I did, the film's potential is lost immediately.

You'll no doubt be shocked to learn that in this film Marilyn Monroe is cast as a dumb blonde. Most people in the world seem to immediately pitch a trouser tent at the thought of Norma Jean, but I can't say I count myself among them. The problem with a dumb blonde is that she's dumb, so to find her attractive, you have to be attracted to stupidity. I'm not, so it doesn't matter how much she pouts, or how often we're treated to shots of her hourglass figure; she's as thick as a lobotomised footballer and therefore unattractive. She's basically got the personality and intelligence of a six year old, and, not being Gary Glitter, I can't say that appeals to me.

A comedy with few laughs, a sex symbol who doesn't float my boat, and a classic that just doesn't do it for me. I guess there's another bunch of snide messages coming my way.

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7/10

Decent but way overrated

planktonrules30 December 2007

Tom Ewell plays a dull guy whose wife and son are away for the summer. During their absence, his male ego begins acting up and he wrestles with a need to feel viral as well as be a decent man. Throughout all these struggles, he talks about his inner thoughts to the audience. This extensive use of the monologue shows that this was originally a play and the film takes place almost exclusively in Ewell's apartment. However, later in the film, his sexy new neighbor (Marilyn Monroe) appears in his life and seems to offer him the ultimate temptation. How all this plays out is rather cute and is reminiscent of later films such as GUIDE FOR THE MARRIED MAN--but it is a tad better and more enjoyable.

Had this film not co-starred Marilyn Monroe and had the whole "floating dress" scene not been included, then I doubt if anyone would have paid much attention to this small film. Now this isn't to say it's a bad film--it's rather likable. However, given that 80% of the film is a monologue by Tom Ewell, it's highly unlikely the film would have received much publicity at all nor would it have been given such a large budget.

Worth seeing? Yes, but certainly not up to all the massive publicity heaped on the film in 1955 (the publicity campaign even included HUGE multi-story cutouts of Marilyn in the dress scene).

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7/10

Classic comedy by the great Billy Wilder with funny scenes , clever acting and amusement

ma-cortes2 May 2013

Legendary comedy masterpiece from filmmaker Billy Wilder and screenwriter George Axelrod that won various Golden Globe nominations . It packs a top-drawer duo protagonist , Marylyn Monroe and Tom Ewell , and a splendid secondary cast formed by a variety of notorious actors who make sympathetic interpretations . 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 . Understandably he gets itchy . Soon , the known but abortive relationship with his blond neighbor and his wolfish dreams coming to nothing in the face of her ingeniousness and his own ineptitude .

Rightly enjoyable and fun-filled , milestone comedy which neatly combines humor , mirth , entertaining situations and amusement . This noisy comedy is intelligently and pleasingly written to gives us lots of fun , laughters and smiles . This is the funniest comedy since laughter began , it is mordantly funny and todays considered a real classic movie . Billy Wilder kept the studio Twentieth Century Fox happy , the picture consistently made money and was hit at box office . Flawless comedy with a duo of sensational protagonists , including an unforgettable Marilyn who parades sexily at her best and more relaxed and enticing than ever , she tickles and tantalizes . 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. The hit of the show is undoubtedly for the fetching Marilyn Monroe who gives one of the best screen acting . Magnificent performance from Tom Ewell as an angst-ridden forty-years-old husband left alone while his spouse go off on holiday . 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 . Furthermore , an attractive support cast giving appealing interpretations such as Robert Strauss , Oscar Homolka , Carolyn Jones , Sonny Tuffs and Evelyn Keyes .

This sexy motion picture was very well directed by Billy Wilder who includes several punchlines . Billy was one of the best directors of history . In 1939 started the partnership with Charles Bracket on such movies as ¨Ninotchka¨ , ¨Ball of fire¨ , making their film debut as such with ¨Major and the minor¨ . ¨Sunset Boulevard¨ was their last picture together before they split up . Later on , Billy collaborated with another excellent screenwriter IAL Diamond . Both of them won an Academy Award for ¨Stalag 17¨ dealing with a POW camp starred by William Holden . 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¨. All of them include screenplays that sizzle with wit . But their biggest success and highpoint resulted to be the sour and fun ¨¨The apartment¨. Subsequently in the 60s and 70s , the duo fell headlong into the pit , they realized nice though unsuccessful movies as ¨Buddy buddy¨ ,¨Fedora¨ , ¨Front page¨ and ¨Secret life of Sherlock Holmes¨, though the agreeable ¨Avanti¨ slowed the decline . The team had almost disappeared beneath a wave of bad reviews and failures . ¨The seven year itch¨ rating : Above average , essential and indispensable watching ; extremely funny and riveting film and completely entertaining . It justly deserves its place among the best comedy ever made . One of the very funniest films of all time and to see and see again . It's the kind of movie where you know what's coming but , because the treatment , enjoy it all the same .

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6/10

Wilder's Only Misfire in 1950s

kenjha28 December 2010

With his family away for the summer, a man lusts after his curvaceous neighbor. Starting with "Sunset Blvd." in 1950 and ending with "The Apartment" in 1960, Wilder made a remarkable string of classics, a decade of excellence that no other director has matched. The sole stinker among the ten films is this lame comedy. It has some amusing moments, but not enough to sustain it. Based on a play where many of the lines are delivered via a monologue, the film retains the format, although it's silly to have Ewell talking to himself. The film is mainly remembered for the iconic picture of Monroe with her skirt blowing up, but ironically the full shot does not appear in the film.

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9/10

It's all a dream

mrwoof-367-88594028 August 2022

A conclusion I came to some time ago (and that doesn't seem to be reflected in any of the other reviews here) is that the whole story is a dream, a waking fantasy, on the part of Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell). There were no scenes where there is any objective confirmation of the existence of the Marilyn Monroe character, where anyone else could confirm any of the events between them; even the scene where Kruhulik (Robert Strauss) walks in is just the three of them, and Kruhulik is drunk, thus unreliable as a witness. Add to that the fact that Marilyn's character has no actual name, and is only referred to in the credits as "the girl", leads me to believe that the whole thing is Sherman's fantasy, that "the girl" never actually existed, that it's all a guilt-driven fantasy on the part of a 39-year-old middle-class white guy confronted with a "summer bachelorhood" in the City without his family. 🤔😉😊

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7/10

Highly enjoyable, if static, film.

gridoon25 December 1999

This movie definitely hasn't managed to escape its stage origins: the few characters, the limited sets and the talky nature of the script result in a rather static comedy. The story is slim, too, and can barely sustain the film's 103 minutes. However, the lively performances, the often witty dialogue (the gimmick of having the main character talk constantly to himself is annoying at first but then you adjust to it) and, of course, Monroe's stunning beauty somehow make you overlook the film's flaws. Good-natured, glossy and highly enjoyable.

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10/10

One of my new favorite romantic comedies

Smells_Like_Cheese15 September 2006

Lately, I have been really been getting into the classics, not to mention some new favorite actors. I always had wondered what the Marilyn Monroe movies were like. Because I always did love her in Some Like it Hot. She's not like today's actresses, she's not a stick, she looks so cute and like she has fun on screen. 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. But after 7 years of marriage, he meets the new house sitter, played by Marilyn, and falls completely for her, causing a 7 year itch. He has also a wild imagination and just let's it go with him thinking he'll get caught, what if his wife is cheating on him, or what his life would be like if he was with Marilyn instead of his wife.

This is a very charming and lovable romantic comedy and will remain with that timeless image of Marilyn's white dress blowing up in the air. She's so adorable and anyone can easily become a fan of her's when they see this movie. It's a fun movie to watch and I highly recommend it.

10/10

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6/10

An Itch, He Won't Scratch

bkoganbing1 February 2008

I know I'm going to be in a minority on this film, but The Seven Year Itch doesn't work for me in the same way that apparently it does for most people. 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. If that's what Billy Wilder was trying to say in this film, he didn't communicate too well with me. And I'm a big fan of his work for the most part.

Instead we get almost two hours of this poor doofus Tom Ewell brooding long over masturbatory fantasies about Marilyn. That is when he's not worried about wolfish Sonny Tufts putting the moves on Evelyn while on vacation. For me it gets a bit much.

Still The Seven Year Itch was a big success on Broadway and on film, so who am I to argue about whether it's good or not. It just didn't work that well for me.

The Seven Year Itch marked the farewell film appearance of Victor Moore who played the plumber and whose career dated all the way back to the previous century on Broadway and vaudeville. He was a funny and whimsical performer who won audience's hearts for over 50 years.

Personally I think Tom Ewell should have taken the advice of that eminent 20th century philosopher Dean Martin who said that for Ewell's situation God put chorus girls on the Earth.

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9/10

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

Translucid2k46 May 2005

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!

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7/10

Advice for married men: Watch those flicking thumbs.

raymond-1510 September 2006

Warning: Spoilers

Marilyn Munroe bursts onto the screen and glows throughout this enjoyable farce. Based on the play of fifty years ago it still maintains a theatrical format in which Tom Ewell as Richard Sherman actually speaks his thoughts gushing out from an over active imaginative brain.

He invites this beautiful blonde to his apartment for a neighbourly drink and Richard imagines what the evening might lead to. In conversation the girl tells him how she put her toe in a dripping tap while having a bath and how she had to call the plumber to release her. . Moments later while opening a bottle of champagne Richard gets his finger caught in the neck of the bottle.

When there is a knock at the door the blonde curls up hidden in an armchair. It's the janitor who has come to collect a rug for dry cleaning. He sees her protruding naked leg and gives Richard a knowing look. When Richard discovers later that the blonde is involved in TV ads his imagination goes into over drive. If she blabs about the incident it could be broadcast widely over the TV network or so he thinks . Richard's wife and son are taking a short holiday so when she telephones, Richard lies about how he is spending his time in her absence just in case she misinterprets his intentions. The fact that the blonde moves in for several nights so that she can enjoy the air-conditioning would be hard to explain.

Much of the humour derives from the naiveté of the blond and the reckless possibilities from Richard's imagination. The fact that Richard is engaged in the publishing business makes it difficult for him to divorce reality from the fiction of the plots he is constantly evaluating.

To add to his constant bewilderment, he begins to imagine his wife may be having an affair with a family friend. This makes for a very funny scene when he accuses his friend of having sex with his wife on a hayride. His friend is flabbergasted when Richard starts talking about divorce proceedings. It all makes for good fun.

Billy Wilder was the producer and director and wrote the screen play. He did a great job and I for one spent a very enjoyable evening watching the result of his work.

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5/10

She keeps her underwear in the ice box !

hitchcockthelegend4 March 2008

I just don't understand the mass affection for this film, it's a tidy watered down sex comedy that fails to achieve anything other than mild humour. 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. The first thing wrong that stands out to me is the performance of Tom Ewell, he overacts here, and at times when the humour should be impacting on the viewer he simply achieves the opposite by being annoying. Put in Ewell's place Walter Matthau in the role {Wilder's choice for the role but he was overruled}, and you can imagine just how much better the comedy would have been delivered. 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.

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