Before “The Seven Year Itch” was released in 1955 and became the iconic Monroe comedy classic we all now know and love, it first came to life on Broadway with none other than Tom Ewell in the male leading role.
Here Tom Ewell is photographed with Vanessa Brown the original actress to play “The Girl” in “Itch.”
“The Seven Year Itch” opened on Broadway at the Fulton Theater on November 20, 1952 and ran for 1,141 performances closing in August of 1955, two months after the June premiere of the Monroe movie.
The Seven Year Itch Broadwat production at the Fulton Theatre , New York , USA , 20 November 1952 13 August 1955 . Written by George Axelrod . Directed by John Gerstad . Shown from left : Tom Ewell , Vanessa Brown .
This is by NO means a comparison between the two leading ladies, there is no doubt that Vanessa gave an incredible performance, It’s just fun to see the similarites and differences between the two.
Today in history, a giant of the entertainment industry, Oscar winning writer and Director Billy Wilder would have turned 114 years old.
Billy Wilder directed Marilyn in her two most successful comedies: “The Seven Year Itch” (1955) and “Some Like It Hot” (1959). In his many statements to biographers and journalists, his full appreciation for her talents, and dispair at the strains of working with her, are eloquently and directly expressed. Wilder defined Marilyn’s special magnetism on camera as “flesh impact- she looks on the screen as if you could reach out and touch her… she had a quality no-one else ever had on the screen expect Garbo.” And years after her death, he summed up his feelings: “I miss her. It was like going to the dentist, making a picture with her. It was hell at the time, but after it was over, it was wonderful. “
Dubbed “Hollywood’s most mischievous immigrant,” Wilder was behind some of the most iconic and highly respected movies ever to come out of Tinsletown. His impressive list of credits also include “Double Indemnity” (1944), “A Foreign Affair” (1948), “Sunset Boulevard” (1950), “Stalag 17” (1953), “Sabrina” (1954), all of which were Oscar nominated, as well as “The Lost Weekend” (1945), and “The Apartment” (1960), both of which won Oscars. In 1986, Wilder recieved a Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute.
After Wilder passed away in 2002, he was buried at Westwood Villiage Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, the same final resting place as Marilyn (and only two plots away from his long time friend and colleague Jack Lemmon.) His headstone reads:
A tribute to arguably one of his greatest gifts to the world: “Some Like It Hot.“
“She was the easiest person I ever worked with.” William Travilla on Marilyn Monroe.
William “Bill” Travilla, known professionally as “Travilla” was an American costume designer for theatre, film and television. Marilyn fans will know him best as being the head costume designer on eight of her films:
Monkey Business (1952)
Don’t Bother to Knock (1952)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954)
River of No Return (1954)
Seven Year Itch (1955)
Bus Stop (1956)
“She was so childlike she could do anything, and you could forgive as you would forgive a seven year old. She was both a woman and a baby, and both men and women adored her.”
The admiration for Marilyn was clearly reciprocated, as Monroe once autographed a nude calendar for him with the words:
“Billy Dear, please dress me forever. I love you, Marilyn”
Travilla had a long and varied career spanning more than 4 decades, he created some of the most iconic looks in film and television and was nominated for an Academy Award four times, eventually winning in 1950 for his work on “The Adventures of Don Juan.”
Travilla passed away on November 2nd 1990 aged 70.
If you are in or around the DERBY area, get yourself along to QUAD Cinema, as they are screening “The Seven Year Itch” 23rd March at 3pm and “Bus Stop” April 7th at 2.30pm.
These films are being screened to compliment a new photography exhibition showcasing Marilyn Monroe lookalikes. Simply called “Marilyn” the free event is running until the 14th April.
The website says:
“The promise and the peril of the Hollywood Dream can be embodied in one person: Marilyn Monroe. It has been over half a century since her death and her image seems stronger now than ever. Many who recognize Marilyn don’t know her movies, yet they accept her as the classic example of glamor and stardom. Marilyn is the ultimate symbol of Hollywood, but also a cautionary tale of the cost of fame.
But despite the dark side of her story, she represents a place that inspires the imagination and offers a faraway glimmer of hope, generation after generation. When Emily Berl moved to Los Angeles in 2012 pursuing the Hollywood Dream, she began to notice the face of Marilyn Monroe everywhere: T-shirts, murals, magazines. Her image was so ubiquitous that it blended into everyday life.
But what Marilyn Monroe represents is not restricted to one city. All over the world, there are women who dress as her, whether as impersonators, tribute artists, or simply fans. For them, Marilyn represents an important part of their lives, for some a lifelong career, for others a focus of deep love and dedication.
The project Marilyn is a series of photographs of women who dress as Marilyn Monroe and examine the star’s endurance alongside that of the Hollywood Dream.”
