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.
George Cukor was the original choice to direct the film. He turned down the project and eventually Billy Wilder, whose contract with Paramount ended in 1954 (his last film with that studio was Sabrina), took it.
Gary Cooper was considered for the role of Richard Sherman.
Marilyn Monroe's constant tardiness and behavioral problems made the budget of the film swell to $1.8 million, a high price for the time. The film still managed to make a nice profit.
Marilyn Monroe's iconic white dress set a record when it was auctioned for $4.6 million in June 2011 (rising to $5.5 million after taxes and fees were included), quintupling the previous record for a movie costume ($923,000 for Audrey Hepburn's "little black dress" from Breakfast at Tiffany's).
Marilyn Monroe's lifelong bouts with depression and self-destruction took their toll during filming; she frequently muffed scenes and forgot her lines, leading to sometimes as many as 40 takes of a scene before a satisfactory result was produced.
After seeing Walter Matthau's screen-test performance in the part of Richard Sherman, Billy Wilder believed he had found his lead man. But 20th Century Fox was unwilling to take the risk on a newcomer. That's when Wilder next turned his sights on the actor who had originated the role on Broadway, Tom Ewell.
Amazingly, Marilyn Monroe's very narrow spike heels don't get stuck or break in the subway grating that she stands on it in the movie's most famous scene, although this was a universal problem, at the time, for the countless women wearing that very popular style heel in New York City in that era.
An important promotional campaign was released for this mainstream motion picture, including a 52 feet high cut-out of Marilyn Monroe (from the blowing dress scene) erected in front of Loews State Theater, in New York City's Times Square.
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.
In the early 1980s, 20th Century Fox (which has the film rights), wanted to remake this movie. Al Pacino was rumored to play Richard Sherman and Melanie Griffith was rumored to play the Girl. However the project was turned down and as of 2009, it remains in development hell.
Monroe was anxious to work with Wilder but had to agree to do "There's No Business Like Show Business" before Fox would allow her to do "The Seven Year Itch."
Not without a distinct ring of irony, the 9-month-old Marilyn Monroe-Joe DiMaggio marriage officially ended during this shoot.
The caption that goes by the "Textures" picture in U.S. Camera is about the Ruwenzori Mountains (Africa).
The classic shot of Marilyn Monroe's dress blowing up around her legs as she stands over a subway grating was originally shot on Manhattan's Lexington Avenue at 52nd St. on Sept. 15, 1954 at 1 AM. 5000 onlookers whistled and cheered through take after take as Marilyn repeatedly missed her lines. This occurred in the presence of an increasingly embarrassed and angry Joe DiMaggio, Monroe's husband at the time. The original footage shot on that night in New York never made it to the screen; the noise of the crowd had made it unusable. Billy Wilder re-staged the scene on the 20th Century Fox lot, on a set replicating Lexington Avenue, and got a more satisfactory result. However, it took another 40 takes for Marilyn to achieve the famous scene.
The film adaptation rights to the stage play "The Seven Year Itch" by George Axelrod had originally been bought by Paramount Pictures. After director Billy Wilder left Paramount, the project moved to 20th Century-Fox.
The film rights to this film had originally been bought by Paramount Pictures. After director Billy Wilder resigned to Paramount, the project moved to 20th Century Fox.
The movie premiere was on June 1st, 1955 which happened to be Marilyn Monroe's 29th birthday.
The movie's poster was as #22 of "The 25 Best Movie Posters Ever" by Premiere.