The Seven Year Itch (1955)

This picture probably is one of the most iconic poses by Marilyn Monroe and was taken during the filming of the Seven Year Itch. I’ve seen this picture many times, but never knew it was from this movie. The Seven Year Itch is about Richard Sherman (Tome Ewell) who spends his summer alone in New York, like many other men apparently did in the fifties, while his wife and son are out-of-town to escape the heat. For many men this means an opportunity to go wild and many did. Although Richard is not planning anything he meets a woman who temporarily lives in an upstairs apartment. Will he be able to resist the temptation to make a move on her?

This comedy consists of a lot of scenes where Tom Ewell is the only person acting. This does not have to be a bad thing, but he’s constantly talking to himself. It’s something that really annoyed me, although it sometimes did result in something funny. I don’t think it’s the right way to tell a story. When Marilyn Monroe finally appears the two really work well together. Monroe shows that she does have comedic timing.

During the fifties there were no computers available to quickly edit the movie, cutting and pasting was a manual process. If you see the cuts they have made to show Richard’s imagination, it’s easy to imagine this must have taken quite some time. These special effects are done very well.
The iconic pose that is shown in the first picture does not appear in the movie and that’s a shame. The scene in the movie doesn’t show Marilyn Monroe completely, sometimes a shot of her legs and sometimes her upper body.

I think the only reason that this movie is still being watched is Marilyn Monroe. If any other actress would have played her role the movie would probably be forgotten or at least not as well-known. The annoying way the story is told (Richard talking to himself) was the reason for me to not enjoy it as much.

Score: 6