The Seven Year Itch

"The seven-year itch is a psychological term that suggests that happiness in a relationship declines after around year seven of a marriage."  In 1955, Billy Wilder (see blog posts for Sunset Boulevard and Shut Up And Deal) wrote, produced and directed the film, The Seven Year Itch, which starred Tom Ewell and Marilyn Monroe.

In the film, Richard (Ewell) is a "nerdy, faithful, middle-aged publishing executive" whose wife (of seven years) and young son are spending the summer in Maine.  After seeing his family off at the train station, he returns alone to his Manhattan apartment, where he meets his beautiful new neighbor (Monroe), who is subletting the upstairs apartment while temporarily in town to do some TV spots for a toothpaste commercial.  Richard invites her to his apartment for a friendly drink, hoping she is attracted to him, but her interest is only in his air conditioner.    

Over the next few days, Richard and his neighbor spend more time together and he feels he is succumbing to the seven year itch that he read about in a psychology book.  Eventually, fearing his wife is having her own seven year itch, Richard tells the neighbor she can stay in his air conditioned apartment as he will spend the rest of the summer in Maine.  

There is an iconic scene in the film when Richard and his neighbor come out of a movie theater after watching the classic 1954 science fiction film, The Creature from the Black Lagoon. As did I, she feels sorry for the creature.  Monroe then "stands over the subway grate to experience the breeze...in the pleated white halter dress, blowing her skirt in the wind."

Marilyn Monroe, or Norma Jean Baker, was born in Los Angeles on June 1, 1926. She "spent most of her childhood in foster homes and an orphanage."  At eighteen, Monroe started doing modeling for pin-up photos which led to her signing a movie contract.   In 1950, she had small parts in two critically acclaimed films, The Asphalt Jungle, with Sterling Hayden, and All About Eve, with Bette Davis.         

These parts eventually led to starring roles in Don't Bother to Knock (1952) with Richard Widmark, Niagara (1953) with Joseph Cotton, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) with Jane Russell, and River of No Return (1954) with Robert Mitchum.  As Burt Lancaster served as an image of masculinity (see blog post for Elmer Gantry), Marilyn Monroe became the iconic image of femininity. 

After The Seven Year Itch, she starred in Bus Stop (1956) with Don Murray, Some Like It Hot (1959 - another Billy Wilder production) with Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis, and The Misfits (1961) with Montgomery Clift and Clark Gable.

Sadly, Marilyn Monroe died on August 5, 1962, at the age of 36, as a result of "acute barbiturate poisoning."  Was it suicide (official report) or perhaps murder (conspiracy theory)?  I remember listening to radio reports of her death with my brother Ted, who was a big fan of hers.  I mentioned above that, during her movie career, she was an iconic image of femininity. More than fifty years later, Marilyn Monroe is still an iconic image of femininity and may well be forever.
_________
I will be on vacation next Sunday.  Next post will be Sunday, April 23.