THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH (1955)

Publishing executive Tom Ewell has a very active imagination.  So when his wife and kid go on a summer vacation, leaving him in NYC as a "summer bachelor" his imagination goes wild thinking about all of the woman who are just dying at the chance to sleep with him.  His mind then goes into ludicrous speed when perky Marilyn Monroe moves in upstairs.  Can't really say that I blame him though cause Marilyn is about as adorable, cute and sexy as I can ever remember seeing her.

THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH could have gone all kinds of directions, but since this was 1955 it goes the safe route and ends up being kinda disappointing.  Writer/Director Billy Wilder later called the film "a nothing picture" because of the censorship that prevented him from having Ewell's character sleeping with Marilyn, but I still like it.  Yeah, if it would have been made a decade later the subject of adultery wouldn't have been forbidden, but it wouldn't have featured Marilyn either.  And Marilyn is, far and away, the highlight of this movie.  Sadly though she doesn't have near the screentime that Ewell does.  His overactive imagination is humorous, but after a while it starts to wear thin.

Multiple fantasy scenes, 50's fashions, Robert Strauss cheesing it up as usual, Donald MacBride yelling the word "hootenanny", Morticia Addams dressed up as a horny nurse, references to RIOT IN CELL BLOCK 11, FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON and a small reference to homosexuals ("...and two guys on the top, interior decorators or something.") that somehow slipped through the cracks.  Worth a watch for classic movie fans and if you happen to get bored during the non-Marilyn scenes you can pass the time trying to figure out where little Ricky's bedroom is in that cramped apartment.