The Seven Year Itch

Heralded writer-director Billy Wilder gleefully lampoons lust and Hollywood romance with The Seven Year Itch, a cheeky sex comedy about a married man with an overactive imagination. With his wife and child off on vacation, harried New Yorker Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell) sneers, "Some husbands think that just because their wives are away, they can run wild." While some may rush out to score tattoos and mistresses in their wives' absence, Sherman plans a peaceful summer. That is until he gets an eyeful of his new upstairs neighbor—a bubbly, beautiful, and breathy blonde (Marilyn Monroe at her comedic best). Soon Sherman's imagination runs wild with fantasies of infidelity that promise seduction, drama, and—ultimately—destruction. But as the oppressive summer heat chases this gorgeous girl into his arms—or at least his air-conditioned apartment—he frets that his far-off wife (Evelyn Keyes) may face similar temptations. Sherman's suspicions lead to a clamorous climax that is surprisingly sweet, cementing Wilder's reputation as a keen comedy craftsman. Pairing the droll Ewell with a lithe, spirited Monroe and heaping on plenty of cheeky banter and self-aware one-liners, Wilder creates an unforgettably effervescent and hilarious romp.