20th Century Fox

Most famously known as the movie that lifted Marilyn Monroe’s skirt, Seven Year Itch (or “Itch” as I call it), features COLOR footage of the old, original Pennsylvania Station in New York City. Itch is also a train movie without any physical trains seen — unless you want to count the elevated IRT Third Avenue Line seen briefly in a later scene.

What little we see of this palatial Beaux-Arts terminal is gorgeous though. This was the Pennsylvania Railroad’s masterpiece. It inspired me to purchase and research Paul Kaplan’s book “New York’s Original Penn Station — The Rise and Tragic Fall of an American Landmark”.

Of course, you can’t review this movie without a FEW screen caps of “Norma Jean” gassing it up with co-star Richard Sherman (played by Tom Ewell).

I’m not positive, but this MIGHT be the area of the station where Itch was filmed. The stairways and clock and overhead arches appear to line up. Photo credit: www.history101.nyc

Now THAT is a magnificent ceiling! As the camera pans down to the waiting room below, we see a cast of hundreds heading to the train gates. The Eighth Avenue entrance is packed with arrivals and luggage-toting Red Caps.

The gist of our story is: It’s a humid summer day in New York City. Husbands are sending their wives and children by train to cooler climes for the season — in this case the State of Maine. This makes the men, in effect, all BACHELORS for a month or two.

The above scenario explains the movie’s opening where hundreds of years ago, the Manhattan Indians sent their own squaws and papooses off — leaving just the snazzy unmarried gals behind. See, there’s a HISTORICAL precedence for this leering, caddish behavior.

Back in Penn Station, this phenomenon repeats itself. In both cases, Indian Girl/Tall Beauty is played by actress Dorothy Ford.

Anyway. Back to the Sherman Family. As the camera pans across, we get our only clear view of one of the train gates (Track #12 State of Maine Express). Train #124 (eastward towards Maine) had an interesting routing leaving Penn Station at 10:15pm for: NYP – Providence, RI – Worcester, MA – Portland, ME, arriving 07:05am. Railroads traveled on included New Haven, Providence & Worcester, and Boston & Maine.

The Red Cap has his hands full toting all that luggage, including a kid-sized kayak! Helen Sherman (played by Evelyn Keyes) is taking everything but the kitchen sink.

Arriving at their gate (Track # not displayed), Helen is out front and we get our first glimpse of little Ricky Sherman (played by Tom Nolan). Check out Ricky’s space suit, space helmet and ray gun!

Helen receives a chaste peck on the cheek from Richard. Ricky watches as Mom fumbles with their travel documents.

Richard realizes Ricky has forgotten his kayak paddle, but is turned back by the gatekeeper. Thus, Richard is stuck holding the oar as Tall Beauty/Dorothy Ford sashays by.

Trudging homeward, Richard and his paddle climb the stairs to his humble (yet air-conditioned) abode. Note the aforementioned elevated IRT Third Avenue Line… in the background.

Per IMDb Trivia: “…which closed its Manhattan operation on May 12, 1955, three weeks before the film premiered in New York City.”

BEGIN MARILYN INTERLUDE

Well! Look who just moved in upstairs. How convenient for a Tom and Marilyn hook up. And his swinging bachelor pad is air-conditioned! I’d say that CALLS for a drink. Note the kayak paddle representing his married status in the background. The bounder!

Aspiring actress that she is, Marilyn is doing a “Dazzledent” toothpaste ad. Wow, they even had color TV way back then? ;p

The movie’s most famous scene (standing on subway grate…in heels) lifting Marilyn’s dress — but only showing leg up to the knee. Disappointed!!! Damned killjoy Hayes Code. Still, Tom looks on with great interest — as he had to stand there take after take.

Press photographs and even the frikken DVD covers were much more revealing.

Quote from IMDB Trivia: “Monroe’s then-husband, famed baseball player Joe DiMaggio, was on set during the filming of the dress scene, and reportedly angry and disgusted with the attention she received from onlookers, reporters, and photographers in attendance. Wilder (the director) had invited the media to drum up interest in the film.”

END MARILYN INTERLUDE

If you’d like to learn more about old Penn Station, I highly recommend the above book and THIS LINK.

Here’s what IMDb has to say about The Seven Year Itch:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048605/

If you have ANY information about this movie you’d like to share, please contact me at: Lindsay.Korst@gmail.com, or leave a comment.  Thanks and enjoy the blog!

THE END