SEVEN YEAR ITCH MOVIE
SEVEN YEAR ITCH CODE

SEVEN YEAR ITCH MOVIE

He took this photo while he was on the set of The Seven Year Itch, a movie that Marilyn Monroe was. The filmed version of THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH had to be toned down considerably from its racier stage version. This photo was taken by Matty Zimmerman in 1955. Why do you think the iconic image of Marilyn Monroe standing over the subway grate has become such a cultural touchstone? How does the image reflect the times as they were – or the times as they were changing?

Controversial at the time for its depiction of infidelity, how do you think THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH plays today? Are its themes provocative? Why or why not – and how does your answer reflect the ways in which culture has changed since 1955? Or post your responses in the comment section below. Join the conversation on Twitter and Instagram now using #AFIMovieClub. The movie doesn’t end at the credits: Family-friendly Discussion Questions Feldman, an Italian-language version was also considered as a vehicle for Gina Lollobrigida.ĭID YOU KNOW? Walter Matthau was director Billy Wilder’s original choice for the role of Richard in the filmed version of THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH – but the role went to Tom Ewell, who’d previously won a Tony Award® for his performance in the original stage production.ĭID YOU KNOW? After the film first opened, it was protested by the National Legion of Decency, which threatened to give it a “C” – or condemned – rating for its themes of infidelity.ĭID YOU KNOW? The tremendous publicity for THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH included a four-story cutout of Marilyn Monroe in her now-iconic pose hung at Loew’s State Theatre marquee in New York City. The National Legion of Decency objected to the revealing cutout, and it was replaced with a “more decorous” version. Some newspapers refused to run the ad featuring Monroe’s windswept skirt pose, and other ads had to be used in its place.

SEVEN YEAR ITCH CODE

When producers across various studios expressed interest in obtaining the rights to the play for a screen adaptation, officials in the Production Code Administration advised that it could never be made into a film – maintaining that “adultery must never be the subject of comedy or laughter.”ĭID YOU KNOW? Director Billy Wilder intended to concurrently film at least three separate versions of THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH – an English-language version starring Tom Ewell and Marilyn Monroe a French-language production starring Fernandel and a Spanish-language picture starring Cantinflas. According to producer Charles K.

Women werent given great roles, and so the prototypical dumb blonde gig that Monroe gets here isnt all that surprising. DID YOU KNOW? THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH was based on a hit play of the same name by George Axelrod. The Seven Year Itch is very much a product of 1950s Hollywood.

Seven year itch