text:
Naive and Innocent in the Present Days, Tested the Limit of Censorship in the 50's
claudio_carvalho23 October 2006
In summertime in Manhattan, the plain and average Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell) sends his wife and son for vacation in the country. Sherman is the key man of a publishing firm, Brady & Company, which publishes cheap pocket books. The faithful Sherman has a routine life with his family and dreams on being successful with women. When a beautiful and sexy blonde lodges the upstairs apartment of his small building, Sherman first opens the front door for her and then he invites her to have a drink with him after the fall of her tomato vase on his chair on the backyard. Along the days, he spends some time with the girl and feels tempted by her, but later he misses his family and travels to meet them.
"The Seven Year Itch" is a naive and innocent romantic comedy in accordance with the contemporary moral standards, but actually this feature tested the limits of censorship in a time when Hollywood was ruled by a rigid moral code. The story is based on a George Axelrod popular 1952 Broadway play about a man that has an affair with his upstairs neighbor. Unfortunately in the 50's, the American cinema did not have the same artistic freedom as theater. The screenplays and movies were submitted to the scrutiny of the powerful Hayes office, the censorship of Hollywood. There was a Production Code in Hollywood that stated that adultery should not be the subject of comedy or laughs, and this story violated the Code. Billy Wilder was fascinated by this story and purchased the rights of George Axelrod. However, to make the movie was a challenge for this great director, since many scenes and lines were ripped away by the censorship and by the National Legion of Decency, mutilating the plot.
Marilyn Monroe was selected to the cast, but Billy Wilder wanted a plain, average and non-handsome actor for the role of Sherman. His first choice was Walter Matthaus, but Fox direction did not want to take the risk of an unknown lead actor, therefore they selected Tom Ewell. The most famous scene of Marilyn Monroe, with her dress being lifted by the air of the subway, was first an exterior scene, but later Billy Wilder needed to shot again in the set because the noise and whistles of the viewers spoiled the original footage. This external scene also provoked the end of the marriage of Marilyn with Joe Dimaggio, who felt humiliated with the manifestation of the public.
One dialog that I particularly like is when Sherman and the blonde leave the movie theater and she says that the creature needed to be loved, in an analogy between Sherman and the creature of the black lagoon. The restored DVD is fantastic and this is the most sexually suggested role of Marilyn Monroe to date. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "O Pecado Mora ao Lado" ("The Sin Lives on the Next Door")
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So...? What's not to like?
masercot15 December 2004
Forget today's sex symbols...Marilyn is IT.
If Kate Moss moved into the flat above mine while my wife was out of town with the kids, I'd have no trouble resisting temptation; but, Marilyn Monroe is a force of nature. She's a fertility goddess. She is pure hourglass with a dynamite smile. In short, she is pure concentrated femininity.
This movie is a comedy, and a good one at that. The timing of Monroe and Ewell is flawless. The scene where he jumps Marilyn on the piano bench in a brief moment of passion causing them both to fall to the floor gives this brief exchange...
"I'm sorry", Ewell says, "This has never happened to me before"
Marilyn answers, while standing up and adjust her clothes, "That's funny. It happens to me all the time"...
The exchange between Ewell and a psychiatrist is equally well-done. The movie is a classic. It is Jack Lemmon's The Apartment, done with an attractive woman and a man who, although not in full possession of his marbles, certainly is better adjusted than Lemmon's character.
This is a must see...
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Marilyn at her most innocent
caspian19786 September 2002
In Some Like it Hot, Marilyn was the hottest she ever was. In Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, she's the Woman of all Women. But in The Seven Year Itch, Marilyn is the prize of all treasures. She is timeless in every frame of the film. Coming across as this unique, cute, and innocent little woman, Marilyn makes your mind race, your heart thump, and your youth return.
No one else but Marilyn Monroe could play "The Girl" in the movie. She is just that, a girl, but much much more. Most of the physical comedy in the film is executed by Monroe herself. A lot of us don't realize this as we expect most of the comedy to come from the comedian in the film, Tom Ewell. A must see if you are a fan of America's first Dream Girl, the amazing Marilyn Monroe.
A Fabulously Funny, Fast-Paced Sex Farce From The Fifties...It's "Just Elegant!"
Thurston Howell15 July 1999
The 1955 comedy, "The Seven Year Itch," directed by Billy Wilder, is one of the most amusing sex farces ever filmed. Starring Tom Ewell and Marilyn Monroe, and based on George Axelrod's play, the film takes a humorous look at the problems of a typical middle-aged married man. Tom Ewell, and unassuming leading man with a flair and talent for comedy, is perfectly cast in this movie. Ewell plays the part of Richard Sherman, an average middled-aged man of the 50's...office worker, city inhabitant, with a loving wife and one son. He is left alone in the city for the entire summer while his family vacations in Maine. All is well until Mr. Sherman meets the beautiful blonde who rents the apartment above his for the summer. They soon get to know each other and become friends over champagne, potato chips, and a Rachmaninoff record. Their friendship causes Mr. Sherman to worry that his wife will find out about his relationship with the blonde bombshell. With his overactive imagination, Mr. Sherman dreams up numerous situations concerning this young woman, as well as his wife. Although his imagination causes Mr. Sherman much worry, it provides many of the film's most memorable and enjoyable scenes. Of course, the film is famous for the scene of Monroe standing over the subway grate, which has always been a classic movie scene. Monroe, although unnamed in the film, gives one of her best screen performances, which is "just elegant," as she says throughout the movie. She displays a talent for comedy as well as beauty, which should not be overlooked. Ewell's portrayal of Richard Sherman is delightful, hilarious, and perfect. His facial expressions and comedic timing contribute to the film's enjoyability. Along with these stars, the supporting cast is excellent as well. It includes such character actors as Robert Strauss (Mr. Kruhulik, the janitor), and Donald MacBride (Mr. Brady, Richard Sherman's boss). "The Seven Year Itch" is one of the ultimate 50's pop culture films. And since it was filmed in Cinemascope, it would be perfect to see on the big screen. Any fan of Monroe, Wilder, old movies, or 50's culture would enjoy this movie; I strongly recommend it. The comedy, timing, acting, and direction are flawless...and they all help to make "The Seven Year Itch" "just elegant!"
One of my new favorite romantic comedies
Smells_Like_Cheese15 September 2006
Lately, I have been really been getting into the classics, not to mention some new favorite actors. I always had wondered what the Marilyn Monroe movies were like. Because I always did love her in Some Like it Hot. She's not like today's actresses, she's not a stick, she looks so cute and like she has fun on screen. Not to mention she was a very beautiful actress.
The Seven Year Itch is a great romantic comedy where a man has sent his wife and son into the country while he works on his business over the summer. But after 7 years of marriage, he meets the new house sitter, played by Marilyn, and falls completely for her, causing a 7 year itch. He has also a wild imagination and just let's it go with him thinking he'll get caught, what if his wife is cheating on him, or what his life would be like if he was with Marilyn instead of his wife.
This is a very charming and lovable romantic comedy and will remain with that timeless image of Marilyn's white dress blowing up in the air. She's so adorable and anyone can easily become a fan of her's when they see this movie. It's a fun movie to watch and I highly recommend it.
sparkling but a bit confusing!
didi-513 May 2004
The film succeeds mainly because of Marilyn Monroe's obvious charisma and appeal - she really shines in this as the dizzy, curvy blonde upstairs. Tom Ewell has been married seven years and has seen his wife and son away for the summer - he determines not to smoke, not to drink, and not to chase women. The moment Monroe wiggles up those stairs all that goes out of the window and he starts fantasising about the new arrival.
There are a lot of funny situations and you're never quite sure what it in Ewell's head and what is real (well, I wasn't anyway). I love the scene where they are playing Chopsticks and of course, that old chestnut the 2nd Rach concerto rears its head! Victor Moore plays a doddery plumber and Oscar Homolka a shrink who advises Ewell not to consider anything as drastic as murder until he can get simple problems sorted out, while Evelyn Keyes makes the most of her few appearances as Ewell's wife (or is she his conscience?!).
The film is fun, the famous skirt and grid scene is now legendary (but quite unlike the often-seen poster shot), and there is much in this bouncy production after nearly fifty years to entertain pretty much anyone.
Marylin, feh, IT'S EWELL'S MOVIE!
possum-316 February 2004
All the comments about Marylin Monroe for this film miss the point--the whole film is about Tom Ewell's character's wild imaginations and absurd twists colored by his constant immersion in his job in the field of dime pulp novels. If this movie moves at all, it's because of Ewell's performance as the husband who has been completely domesticated except for his uncontrollable imagination. Monroe's 'characteristics' drive some of the plot, but Ewell's fantasies are getting out of control before she even enters the film. It's a wonderful peek into that largely unspoken-of psyche of the American family man.
Marilyn in another Classic Comedy? I think that's just elegant!
Translucid2k46 May 2005
This is a decent comedy and I enjoyed it on the whole. I'll be honest and say and the only real reason and I took an interested in the film and watched it is Marilyn Monroe. I've been trying to watch as many as her films as possible lately, ever since a study of Photography at college found me researching the icon of the silver screen. The good news is for me is that there was plenty of Marilyn to enjoy in this classic comedy. I was pleased to find that she is supported by a good cast and a very funny script, and the film on the whole is a real winner. There were several laugh out loud moments for me, and considering my young age and the fact this is a film from the 1950's I would say that's something pretty impressive. For me, though, the reason the film was great has to be Ms. Monroe. She is just simply stunning and elegant in this movie (A word her character very much likes to use!). She really captures the audiences heart as "The Girl" and it's not hard to see why Tom Ewell's character fell for her obvious charms - she is just a sheer delight in the film.
A sequence which I found totally hilarious was that in which Ewell's character imagines a variety of heated liaisons with various women in his life - all of them supposedly throwing themselves at him. The way in which he and the "women" deliver the lines - in a classic dead-pan fashion had me almost crying with laughter. Really hilarious stuff. And that's not even mentioning the glorious skirt-over-subway scene. This is a film to watch and fall in love with. You'll really enjoy it if you like Marilyn, you want to laugh, you're looking for a warm movie to just relax to and you're interested in cinema history and classic Hollywood. A great film for so many people - rent it and enjoy!
Magic on the screen: Monroe fights the New York heat and gives pleasure to Ewell
Nazi_Fighter_David26 June 2007
In the 'fifties Hollywood created its biggest, best-loved and most powerful sex symbol of all—Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn's appeal was, perhaps, in her weakness, in that revealing look of innocence and confidence, in her intense desire to be loved
The 'seven year itch' points out the instinctive desire to be disloyal after seven years of matrimony, with a longing to satisfy one's sexual needs
This amusing film was adapted from a Broadway play of the same name by George Axelrod, with Tom Ewell reprising his Broadway role, walking, worrying, and sweating
Tom and Evelyn Kayes have been married for seven years… While he remains in Manhattan on business, Evelyn and their son Ricky (Butch Bernard) go off to Maine to escape the sweltering summer
The apartment upstairs has been rented to a television blonde model (Marilyn Monroe). When she forgot her front door key, she had to ring Ewell's bell to let her into the building
When Marilyn accidentally knocks a tomato plant onto Tom's terrace, the happily man invites the luscious young beauty downstairs for a drink, indulging in fantasies about taking her in his arms and kissing her 'very quickly and very hard'
Marilyn comes in, explaining that she feels safe with married men... He makes a clumsy pass while they are at the piano but both fall off the seat… He stammers an apology, but she pretends it is nothing
When Marilyn returns to her apartment, Tom envisions his wife having an affair in Maine with their big neighbor, Tom McKenzie (Sonny Tufts)… Then he sees himself lost between foolish fantasies of seduction, and terrible ideas of his wife capturing him in action… Finally he decides to put an end to his visions and asks Marilyn out to a movie...
On their way home, they stop on a subway
As the trains go by underneath, Marilyn's skirts billow up
It is so hot in the city she presumably loves the rush of air on her thighs
Marilyn plays the scene in innocent delight… And Billy Wilder's shot shows a strapping blonde with a white skirt blown out like a spinnaker above her waist
For this famous shot alone, the movie is a must see
Classic comedy by the great Billy Wilder with funny scenes , clever acting and amusement
ma-cortes2 May 2013
Legendary comedy masterpiece from filmmaker Billy Wilder and screenwriter George Axelrod that won various Golden Globe nominations . It packs a top-drawer duo protagonist , Marylyn Monroe and Tom Ewell , and a splendid secondary cast formed by a variety of notorious actors who make sympathetic interpretations . When his family , wife (Evelyn Keyes) and son , goes away for the summer, a so far faithful husband (Tom Ewell) is tempted by a beautiful neighbor (Marilyn Monroe) , a blonde model who moves upstairs . Understandably he gets itchy . Soon , the known but abortive relationship with his blond neighbor and his wolfish dreams coming to nothing in the face of her ingeniousness and his own ineptitude .
Rightly enjoyable and fun-filled , milestone comedy which neatly combines humor , mirth , entertaining situations and amusement . This noisy comedy is intelligently and pleasingly written to gives us lots of fun , laughters and smiles . This is the funniest comedy since laughter began , it is mordantly funny and todays considered a real classic movie . Billy Wilder kept the studio Twentieth Century Fox happy , the picture consistently made money and was hit at box office . Flawless comedy with a duo of sensational protagonists , including an unforgettable Marilyn who parades sexily at her best and more relaxed and enticing than ever , she tickles and tantalizes . Adding , of course , the funniest sequences of all being those in which Monroe's blown skirt and those in which Tom Ewell dreams as the great lover .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. The hit of the show is undoubtedly for the fetching Marilyn Monroe who gives one of the best screen acting . Magnificent performance from Tom Ewell as an angst-ridden forty-years-old husband left alone while his spouse go off on holiday . 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 . Furthermore , an attractive support cast giving appealing interpretations such as Robert Strauss , Oscar Homolka , Carolyn Jones , Sonny Tuffs and Evelyn Keyes .
This sexy motion picture was very well directed by Billy Wilder who includes several punchlines . Billy was one of the best directors of history . In 1939 started the partnership with Charles Bracket on such movies as ¨Ninotchka¨ , ¨Ball of fire¨ , making their film debut as such with ¨Major and the minor¨ . ¨Sunset Boulevard¨ was their last picture together before they split up . Later on , Billy collaborated with another excellent screenwriter IAL Diamond . Both of them won an Academy Award for ¨Stalag 17¨ dealing with a POW camp starred by William Holden . After that , they wrote/produced/directed such classics as ¨Ace in the hole¨ , the touching romantic comedy ¨Sabrina¨ , the Hickcoktian courtroom puzzle game ¨Witness for the prosecution¨ and two movies with the great star Marilyn Monroe , the warmth ¨Seven year itch¨ and this ¨Some like hot¨. All of them include screenplays that sizzle with wit . But their biggest success and highpoint resulted to be the sour and fun ¨¨The apartment¨. Subsequently in the 60s and 70s , the duo fell headlong into the pit , they realized nice though unsuccessful movies as ¨Buddy buddy¨ ,¨Fedora¨ , ¨Front page¨ and ¨Secret life of Sherlock Holmes¨, though the agreeable ¨Avanti¨ slowed the decline . The team had almost disappeared beneath a wave of bad reviews and failures . ¨The seven year itch¨ rating : Above average , essential and indispensable watching ; extremely funny and riveting film and completely entertaining . It justly deserves its place among the best comedy ever made . One of the very funniest films of all time and to see and see again . It's the kind of movie where you know what's coming but , because the treatment , enjoy it all the same .
A Dated "Sophisticated" Comedy
JamesHitchcock14 May 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Contains Spoilers
Hollywood's moral code in the fifties meant that sex comedies, in the sense that we would understand the term today, did not exist. `Sophisticated' comedies about divorce and adultery, with all the action taking place strictly offstage, were about as close as anyone ever got. This film is a typical example of that style of filmmaking. It is set in Manhattan during a summer heatwave. The leading male character, Richard Sherman, has sent his wife and son to escape to the cooler mountains of New England, but he himself has to remain in town, as July is a busy time at the publishing firm for which he works. The flat above his has been rented by an attractive young model, whose name we never actually learn. When Sherman meets her he spends most of his time in attempts to seduce her, interspersed with panic attacks at the thought of his wife finding out.
With its small cast of characters and action largely confined to a single flat, it clearly betrays its origins as a stage play. I have never seen the play on which it is based, but I was interested to learn that the play is actually more explicit in that the two main characters do have a sexual relationship. The theatre of this period was clearly more liberal about sexual matters than the cinema, in America at least. (In Britain the Lord Chamberlain's Office, which governed theatrical censorship, was quite as puritanical as its cinematic equivalent, the British Board of Film Censors). Despite this change of emphasis, the filmed version works well in its own right. Sherman becomes less a middle-aged lecher than a middle-aged fantasist. He fantasises about women, not because he wants to sleep with them (his fantasies generally end with him fighting the woman off amid protestations that he is a happily married man) but because his ego gets a boost from the thought that he is handsome, charming and irresistible. He pursues Marilyn Monroe's character not because he has any cause for dissatisfaction with his wife or any serious thoughts about divorce but because, approaching his fortieth birthday, he needs reassurance that he is still attractive to women.
Although Tom Ewell is witty and amusing as Sherman, it is Marilyn Monroe who steals the film (as she normally did). Now, this may seem like heresy to many, but Marilyn was not the most beautiful woman ever. She was not even the most beautiful actress of the fifties; several others such as Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor or Brigitte Bardot had more classically perfect features. What Monroe could do like no other actress of her time (and like very few who have come since) was to combine sex appeal with wide-eyed innocence. Her character in this movie is a fine example of this. Sherman falls for her precisely because she is not only pretty but also young and naïve; the sort of girl her can exercise his charms on without creating any real threat to his marriage. This is a film about flirtation, not about serious, long-term relationships, so it does not matter that the girl is the typical Hollywood `dumb blonde'. Monroe was perfect for the role; if virtually any other actress had been cast in it (including any of those mentioned above) the result would have been a very different film. There are also some amusing cameo roles from Oskar Homolka, as a Germanic psychiatrist, from Robert Strauss as the loud, pushy janitor and from Donald MacBride as Sherman's cynical boss.
Although the film must originally have seemed sophisticated and daring, fifty years later it is somewhat dated and now seems tame and lightweight. Even the famous scene where Marilyn Monroe stands above the subway grating is much less revealing than popular legend or the film's reputation might have you believe. When I say that a film is `dated', I do not necessarily mean that one cannot today watch it with pleasure, but rather that it is an example of an older style of filmmaking that it would not be possible to recreate today. (Indeed, a film of this type would probably have been impossible at any period after the mid-sixties). There is still much in `The Seven Year Itch' that is worth watching, but it no longer seems as fresh or as funny as it probably did when it was first released. It has not lasted as well as Monroe's other famous collaboration with Billy Wilder, `Some Like It Hot'. 6/10.
A legendary scene, but little else to remember...
Enchorde9 February 2010
Recap: Richard Sherman has just sent his wife and kid away to the countryside, to let them escape an especially bad New York City heat wave. Sherman is left behind during the summer, having to work. But something else starts to occupy his mind, his new upstairs neighbor. It isn't just anyone, but a spectacularly beautiful young woman. A model to boot. Sherman starts flirting with her, but his guilty conscience is having the best of him. Should he or should he not act on the romance with the girl upstairs.
Comments: A rather unusual story where most of the story is played out in either Sherman's apartment or Sherman's imagination, as he obsesses if he should or shouldn't act on his impulses. But unusual and original as it is, it is not that funny that one could hope for. Legendary screenwriter and director Billy Wilder spearheads this movie and that promises a lot, and it doesn't live up to the expectations. There were a few outright laughs, it mostly made me smile a little. With Sherman's obsessing it almost gets a little brooding instead.
It does bear watching though, if nothing else for one famous scene where Marilyn Monroe steps out on the grating above the subway, and her dress blows up around her legs. It's fun to have seen the original seen that has been copied and parodied countless times since.
But at almost two hours running, it is not really good enough to really carry itself. Some small moments of good jokes but otherwise it was just rather long. If you want to watch a really funny Marilyn Monroe movie I recommend Some like it hot. Also directed by Wilder it is much better.
Clever And Usual Script,
lesleyharris305 May 2013
The Seven Year Itch is a fantastic movie with a very clever story line and an extremely talented cast.Marilyn Monroe is fantastic in this movie,her performance is brilliant,and,like always she is beautiful.If anyone ever wondered where the famous picture of her dress blowing in the air comes from,this is the movie.The script to the movie is very unusual,I was expecting it to be a simple fifties movie,but it wasn't,a lot of dialogue between the characters is strange,and Richard should probably be put into a mental hospital.Fans of Marilyn Monroe and classic movies from this era of film will definitely enjoy The Seven Year Itch.
Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell) makes an effort to dedicate his life to his business while his wife is away for the summer with their son,but an attractive new neighbor distracts him from doing what he promised.
Delightful Comedy that Never Loses its Luster
l_rawjalaurence3 July 2016
Even after sixty years, THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH retains its freshness and bounce - a delightful testament both to the script (by Billy Wilder and playwright George Axelrod) and the quality of the performances.
The story is a simple one: left on his own during a hot New York summer, Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell) tries his best to avoid the temptations of drink, tobacco and an extra-marital affair. However his best intentions are frustrated by the presence of The Girl (Marilyn Monroe), who has moved into the apartment above him. Nothing actually happens, but the promise persists ...
Ewell gives a stellar performance, the best in his forty-five year acting career. In his rumpled gray suit, with tie askew, he embarks on a series of monologues where his better nature competes with his carnal desires. Most of them are shot in single takes in the Shermans' apartment: Ewell's India-rubber face changes rapidly as he debates the morality of inviting The Girl down for a drink. He walks from side to side of the frame, his shoulders hunched, almost as if he is bearing the cares of the world on his back.
The fantasy-sequences are extremely funny, with Ewell imagining himself as the protagonist in a comic reworking of FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, rolling about on the beach with a woman not his wife. Later on he casts himself as a Noel Coward-like figure speaking in a cod-British accent, as he plays Rachmaninov on the piano while trying to seduce The Girl (a reference to BRIEF ENCOUNTER).
When the latter scene is re-enacted for real, The Girl is completely uninterested in Rachmaninov. Sherman tries to embrace her, and the two of them end up falling off the piano bench in an ungainly heap. Although Sherman imagines himself as the Great Lover, he will never be able to fulfill his role.
Monroe is equally memorable in her role as the not-so-dumb blonde from Denver. It's clear she is attracted to Sherman - not because of his physical attributes, but because at heart he is an extremely sweet man. On the other hand she respects his love for his wife Helen (Evelyn Keyes), and thus refrains from making a pass at him. THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH contains the memorable sequence where she stands over a grille and lets the wind from a subway train beneath blow up her white dress. Wilder shoots this sequence very discreetly, leaving everything to the viewer's imagination. Monroe is far more seductive in an interior sequence, where she hides behind a chair and stretches out one leg, and then another. The janitor Mr. Kruhulik (Robert Strauss) witnesses what happens, and promises to leave Sherman alone.
Wilder's and Axelrod's script fairly crackles with one-liners, as well as a series of in-jokes referring to Charles Lederer (Wilder's fellow-scriptwriter), as well as a reference to Monroe herself.
THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH is one of those comedies that never loses its sparkle, even after repeated viewings.
A so-so comedy that's just not for me.
Jim Griffin23 April 2002
Something that irritates me about the IMBD is that if you criticise a movie that was made before 1980, a truckload of idiots send you messages telling you how much you hate old movies. Let me say right away, I don't. I like films from pretty much every era of cinema that I've had the chance to see, but, having had common sense recently installed, I've come to realise that age doesn't automatically make a movie great, just as modernity doesn't automatically make a movie bad.
So bearing in mind that I'm talking about this one movie, and not every movie made in the 1950s, The Seven Year Itch is as average as they come. The minimal plot sees Tom Ewell's `summer bachelor' trying to resist the charms of neighbour Marilyn Monroe while his wife and son are shipped off for the season. Very obviously adapted from a play, there are few characters, few sets, and even fewer laughs. That it succeeds at all is due to the charm of the leads and the occasional good joke that sneaks its way into the script.
The film's main problem comes in how it tells its story. First, it depends on Ewell constantly talking to himself, babbling on endlessly about what he's doing, what he might do, what he's never done, and what other people will think he's doing, done and about to do. Secondly, he is constantly daydreaming, the film constantly dissolving into one of his fantasies that are unfortunately no funnier than reality. If you find this storytelling approach irritating, as I did, the film's potential is lost immediately.
You'll no doubt be shocked to learn that in this film Marilyn Monroe is cast as a dumb blonde. Most people in the world seem to immediately pitch a trouser tent at the thought of Norma Jean, but I can't say I count myself among them. The problem with a dumb blonde is that she's dumb, so to find her attractive, you have to be attracted to stupidity. I'm not, so it doesn't matter how much she pouts, or how often we're treated to shots of her hourglass figure; she's as thick as a lobotomised footballer and therefore unattractive. She's basically got the personality and intelligence of a six year old, and, not being Gary Glitter, I can't say that appeals to me.
A comedy with few laughs, a sex symbol who doesn't float my boat, and a classic that just doesn't do it for me. I guess there's another bunch of snide messages coming my way.
Seven was the lucky number for everyone involved in this movie!
lee_eisenberg11 July 2005
Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell) is having to stay home and continue going to work while his wife and son go on vacation. He then notices the young woman (Marilyn Monroe) living in the apartment above him. He realizes that he's probably been bitten by the seven year itch, where he gets interested in other women after seven years of marriage.
Obviously, everyone remembers the subway-grating scene. But there's much more to "The Seven Year Itch" than just that. It shows how, through his acquaintanceship with this young woman, Richard rediscovers a sense of strength in himself. Among other things, it goes to show (or rather, reaffirm) what a great director Billy Wilder was.
Billy Wilder has done much better, but I don't care
Spleen13 July 1999
This is the movie responsible for the photo of Marilyn Monroe with her dress being lifted up by the blast from an air vent. I think this is a production photo - at any event I didn't see famous image anywhere in the air vent scene of the movie. But the photo sums things up pretty well. This film is about Marilyn Monroe being sexy. Actually, it's about Tom Ewell being tortured to the brink of insanity by Marilyn Monroe being sexy, but such a detail need not concern us here. I wasn't really looking at Tom Ewell.
The comedy is weak and the plot is weak. Tom Ewell's character is certainly weak (in both senses: weak-willed and weakly delineated). Billy Wilder's sharp and witty treatment is there, but - well - weak. Ah, who cares. The situation has all of the tension Wilder thinks it has, and the film still has its charm. This is so even if one is immune to the charms of Marilyn Monroe - which is to say, not a heterosexual male.
"Ewell" be sorry
rjrozen16 June 2000
This is a movie, like "The Great Dictator" or "Birth of a Nation," that more people _know_ than have _watched_. Everyone is familiar with the scene in which Marilyn Monroe stands over the subway grate, but how many people have actually seen this film? Well, for all those people, the answer is: don't bother. The problem with this film isn't Monroe, who turns in one of her best performances this side of "Some Like it Hot," but rather with Tom Ewell. He is annoying, irritating, and an absolute vacuum at the dead center of this film. Unfortunately, Ewell is on screen about twice as long as Monroe, and he spends most of the time talking to himself, which is just cruel. His is a role that, in the hands of someone like Jack Lemmon, could have been terrific. Ewell, however, supplies an obtrusive, boring narration to a leaden, plodding performance. In the end, I didn't want Ewell's wife to catch him in his tentative indiscretions, I wanted a meteorite to hit him.
Great Marilyn Doesn't Quite Save Off-Center Screwball Comedy
herbqedi3 January 2003
I've heard about this movie all my life, but actually just watched it for the first time on New Years Day 2003. I must say that I was quite disappointed. Billy WIlder is my all-time favorite director, and he does a great job bringing out MM's best. There are also five or six wildly funny scenes, but the silly, and sometimes ridiculous, Walter-Mitty-esque blurs of reality suffered by Tom Ewell's character throw this comedy completely off-balance. Ewell has the manic energy the plot calls for, and Donald McBride and Robert Strauss give great supporting turns. But Sonny Tufts is awful, and ultimately, even a sparkling gem of a performance by MM is weighed down by too much silliness.
One iconic image, otherwise Billy Wilder's weakest film
moonspinner5520 May 2006
Director Billy Wilder gets a great, comic book-styled performance out of Marilyn Monroe: she's guilelessly sexy and playful, and has no idea she's enchanting the married man who lives downstairs in her building. Unfortunately, hers are the only moments of inspiration in an otherwise dim-bulb comedy which must rank as Wilder's most disappointing venture. Beginning with the animated credits sequence (where colored boxes open to reveal teeny-tiny print), Wilder's handling is flat, his timing is off, and the central situation--a husband rationalizing having an extra-marital fling--has no heart. As the man whose wife and child are away on vacation, Tom Ewell gives a flaccid performance, overplaying every emotion and generally making this picture unbearable. Ewell fantasizes different scenarios and constantly jabbers to himself, but he's only in the way (and Billy Wilder does everybody a disservice by staging one overlong sequence in Ewell's shower--with Ewell in it!). Worthwhile for Monroe's fans who won't mind slogging through the inept, timeworn gags and groaning dialogue, just to see the platinum blonde's skirt get that famous blast of air over the subway grating. Too bad the rest of "The Seven Year Itch" wasn't as imaginative. *1/2 from ****
"When something itches, my dear sir, the natural tendency is to scratch"
ackstasis21 September 2008
After sixteen wonderful pictures, I didn't think that Billy Wilder could do wrong. However, after lulling me into a false sense of security, the director then delivered a right hook to my jaw, leaving me dazed, confused and with a splitting headache. As melodramatic as that sounds, I really did spend last night with a niggling feeling of discomfort in my brain, as though I'd been unexpectedly betrayed by an old friend. 'The Seven Year Itch (1955)' has the best of intentions, and it showcases sex-icon Marilyn Monroe in one of her most alluring roles, but overall it just doesn't work; by the end of the film, I found myself more than a little exasperated. The screenplay was adapted from George Axelrod's popular 1952 three-act play of the same name, which Wilder apparently liked to such that he prophetically included an allusion to it in his 'Sabrina (1954).' Whether or not film censorship played a role in diluting the director's true vision, all I can say is that I am decidedly disappointed.
"A stairway to nowhere! I think that's just elegant." So says The Girl (Marilyn Monroe) when she notices the low-budget fashion in which a former-duplex has been converted into two separate apartments. This is exactly how I feel about this film: it's a stairway to nowhere. The story starts off with definite promise, as a middle-aged husband (Tom Ewell) says farewell to his beloved family for the summer, and must fight the urge to misbehave in their absence ("oh, no, not me!"); that means no drinking, no smoking and no women. Oh, what glorious temptations Wilder could have flung in this man's path! Unfortunately, this is where the story's foundations in theatre come into play. Just as the story promises to get interesting, it stumbles into an inescapable rut, and everything suddenly stagnates, the running time prolonged through frustratingly-pointless monologues and imagined conversations. Ewell's neurotic overreacting, funny at first, becomes grating, and I couldn't wait until he rid himself of that so-called Seven Year Itch.
That there are shafts of light beaming into this dark tunnel is a welcome reassurance to this keen Wilder fan. The casting of Marilyn Monroe is perfect, bringing a sex appeal that was unrivalled by even the finest beauties of her time. Young, lively and naive, The Girl accepts Richard Sherman's awkward advances as just another daily occurrence, frequently mistaking his obvious lust for simple neighbourly kindness. That imaginative money shot above the New York subway is justly iconic, and probably most fully defines Monroe's screen persona, even though Wilder would utilise her to even greater effect in 'Some Like It Hot (1959)' four years later. Despite my general dissatisfaction with the screenplay, there are, nonetheless, a few great lines of dialogue, many delivered by Oskar Homolka as the straight-shooting psychiatrist Dr. Brubaker ("At fifty dollars an hour, all my cases are interesting!"). Remarkably, 'The Seven Year Itch' was a considerable box-office success, something I can't quite understand, considering the failure of some of his most impressive pictures. Sorry, Billy – I guess nobody's perfect, after all.
A Billy Wilder classic
grantss23 October 2015
A Billy Wilder classic.
It's holiday time. Due to work commitments, a man, Tom Ewell, ends up home alone while his wife and kids go on vacation. Then he meets his beautiful neighbour (played by Marilyn Monroe) and things get complicated...
Clever plot, funny dialogue and two great performances make this a comedic masterpiece. Also a study in fidelity...
Tom Ewell is very funny as Richard Sherman but it is Marilyn Monroe who steals the show. She sizzles as the inadvertent femme fatale, and is the perfect straight foil for Ewell's antics.
Some solid supporting performances too, especially from Robert Strauss as Kruhulik.
Legendary Marilyn
louise_denby16 September 2006
The seven year itch is an unforgettable legendary masterpiece. It's humorous, witty and extremely sophisticated, also very much delightful. Monroe gives a great Aurora of sex appeal. The amazing and powerful Director 'Billy Wilder' did a great job creating a film so full of life and realness. The innocence, and flirting are very casual and the film is just magical, it's beautiful and has to be seen. It's also a film that has never been copied in that same way, this is because it couldn't be, there's only one seven year itch, and there always will be to me.
The film has a message 'not to be unfaithful' and to resist temptation, and to mainly be yourself. What a great, memorable and powerful name for a film too, it describes it if you think about the film after watching it, it's your own personal perspective which i like. It's not the type of film that everyone can necessarily have the same types of views.
It was adapted from a Broadway play of the same name by George Axelrod, with Tom Ewell. I think it did a lot of good that Tom was educated and aware of the story as he was in the play and that's what made him so brilliant in the film, he was perfect as well and the wonderful and unforgettable Marilyn. The film is remembered for the radiant performance of Monroe, with the two personalities, the little girl and heart and the beautiful and secretly intelligent woman. I didn't like how she was portrayed as again a blonde bombshell, but you know she was fabulous at it and she know what she was doing, she also knew that that wasn't the real her and she wanted other's to know too, accept some didn't take any notice and wanted to know her as that. I also hated that she was know as 'the girl' this is very important and sexist, but it worked.
A voice-over narration introduces the film: this is where we see Richard Sherman (Ewell) send of his wife and young son 'Ricky' for the summer at a crowded train station. In the next scene a number of businessmen follow a shapely female. This is where the story begins. Mr Sherman has a very creative imagination. When he first see's Monroe walking up the stairs to her friends apartment (Ewells) face tells all.
Of course everyone all knows the famous legendary scene even if they haven't seen the film. Monroe in her white dress, which blows up from the vents in the street, and Mr Sherman's line 'Cools the ankles doesn't it', while looking.
The seven year itch is very important in Cinema history and any Monroe or Ewell fan must see it, or someone who loves a great film.
Funny Monroe but unfunny Ewell...Jack Lemmon would have been better...
Doylenf26 August 2006
Whatever fun and spontaneity THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH has as a movie is due entirely to the lines and situations given to MARILYN MONROE. Only when she is on the screen, does the story go into full spin with double-entendre remarks and visual gags. Monroe is at her peachiest as the girl who's seemingly unaware of the raging hormones going on right under her nose by her neurotic neighbor.
As the neighbor, TOM EWELL is given entirely too much footage and becomes downright obnoxious and annoying with his monologues long before the finale. It's obvious that he lacked the chemistry for the part (a role he originated on stage), and someone like JACK LEMMON would have been a much better choice as the man downstairs.
For Monroe's fans, this is one of her best performances coming at a time when she was doing some great work at The Actor's Studio in NYC.
SONNY TUFTS and EVELYN KEYES have roles that don't amount to much and drift in and out of the story with very little effect. Billy Wilder's direction is hampered by his casting choice of Ewell to repeat his stage role with less than satisfying results.
A classic American comedy film
palaste28 February 2002
"The 7 Year Itch" is about Richard Sherman, a normal, middle-class American family man who has to live several months alone in his New York apartment while his wife and little son are on vacation. The real story starts when Sherman meets a beautiful young woman who works as an actor in the "Dazzledent" TV commercials.
Despite his vow not to get involved with other women, Sherman starts flirting with the young woman, and starts to feel so guilty about it he wraps himself up in a world of his own imagination. Sooner or later he has trouble separating the truth from his own imagination.
This movie of course received attention because it stars Marilyn Monroe as the beautiful young woman (who remains nameless for the entire duration of the movie), but the story was so well written and acted it could have done without her. There are hints of Franz Kafka's books in the way that Sherman's world becomes a blur of fact and fiction. The scenes of his imagination are well played without overstating the point.
I recommend this movie to everyone. It is an example of how comedy films should be made, and proof that "American comedy" does not have to mean "farting animals" which Hollywood has sadly recently forgot.
Gregor's Top 20 of 1955 +10

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Life is good for Scott Moore. Well, life would be good for anyone who helped create the top-grossing R-rated comedy in film history. Yeah.
That's bigger than "Borat." Bigger than "There's Something About Mary." Bigger than "Animal House," for chrissake!
"It's so great," he says via phone. He's getting ready to visit Boulder for a screening of his film, the summer's big smash hit "The Hangover," which he wrote with his long-time writing partner Jon Lucas, on Saturday, Sept. 19.
"It's both rewarding on a personal and a professional level, after nine years of doing lots of good work without seeing our names on it," he says.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Moore graduated from CU-Boulder in 1989, with a degree in economics. Huh?
So he switched. Economics sounds fairly frivolous after that.
He took a lot of film classes, too. There was no film studies major at CU at the time, but the small size of the department was a boon for him, as it allowed him much more hands-on experience.
He never really joined a comedy scene, either. "We'd rather write the jokes down and have someone else deliver them," he says. Right out of school, Moore went to work as a intern at Disney.
"I started by trying to be a producer, but that was no fun," he says. "It was a lot more fun to write," and he "scratched and clawed" his way into the business.
Along the way, he bumped into Jon Lucas.
The genesis of "Hangover" came from the two thinking about the conventions of the "bachelor party" film genre.
"It's been done a lot," he says, "and a lot of them are terrible. The thing is, a party is fun to watch for about five minutes. Talking about it the next day is funnier, a lot funnier. Think about 'Jaws' or horror movies, too - it's better if you don't see the monster. The audience can paint a picture in their heads of what happened that's more extreme than anything we could film.
A sequel is already in the works, although Moore and Lucas aren't in on it.
Moore begins to talk about the body-switching subgenre. Even my movie-minutiae mind balks - "There is?" I blurt.
David Dobkin ("Wedding Crashers") is attached to direct.
Moore's sitting pretty, and as I type this up, I think - hey, he didn't have to talk to me. He doesn't have a product to pimp, he's got no reason to give me his time. Plus it was 7 a.m. where he was when I called him. That's pretty cool. He's a nice guy.
I stick him with one more question: what was the unexplained chicken doing in the hotel room in "Hangover"?


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text:
Displaying items by tag: Peter Conroy
Two Irish Surfers Up For 2017 Big Wave Prize
#Surfing - Two Irish surfers are nominated for ride of the year in the 2017 WSL Big Wave Awards after taking on the monster swell at Mullaghmore Head last month.
Conor Maguire and Peter Conroy were in the right place at the right time on 9 February to get a tow-in to the 'emerald walls' at the surfing hotspot off Co Sligo.
Bundoran resident Maguire found himself barrelled by the kind of surf usually associated with the big wave paradises of the Pacific.
Meanwhile, Northcore team member Conroy, from Co Clare, caught his own massive wall of water to stake his claim among the world's top riders.
Both clips were captured by Clem McInerney, who was also on hand to shoot one of American surfer Will Skudin's two nominated efforts at Mullaghmore — as well as Dublin-based Emirati surfer Mo Hassa Rahma's spectacular wipeout, as The National reports.
Published in Surfing
Peter Conroy
Peter Conroy Latest To Join Northcore Surfing Stable
#Surfing - Irish big wave rider Peter Conroy is the latest addition to the Northcore surfing team.
A relatively late starter in surfing at the age of 16, the Clare native had a solid background in competitive swimming and lifeguarding to build upon
That meant he was well prepared for the heavy surf off Ireland's West Coast, where he keeps a rigorous fitness and training regimen, including his chairmanship of the Irish Surf Rescue Club - organisers of the annual Tow-In Surf Session.
This summer he celebrated his nomination for the 'tube of the year' gong in the Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards.
And now he's a part of Northcore's surfing squad for the UK and Ireland, alongside fellow Irish riders Conor Maguire - who joined two years ago - and team ambassador Richie Fitzgerald.
Conroy said of joining the team: "I'm very excited to work with the Northcore crew for future projects and pushing my limits further with the help of their excellent products."
Northcore's spokesperson added: "We are really pleased to welcome Peter to our team. He's a well respected, talented surfer with a wealth of big wave surfing experience and skills.
"He charges the biggest, meanest waves out there amongst some of the worlds very best as his nomination for XXL Ride of the Year testifies! It's an honour to welcome Peter to Northcore."
Irish Surfer, Snapper Up For 'Tube Of The Year' Gong
#Surfing - Ireland is represented for another year running on the shortlist for the Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards to be presented next month.
According to The Irish Times, Clare surfing pro Peter Conroy and Portrush photographer Roo McCrudden are in the running for the 'tube of the year' gong, which could net them a cool $5,000 in prize money.
McCrudden captured the stunning shot of Conroy riding the tube formed by an enormous cresting wave Mullaghmore in Sligo - a break that proved similarly attention-worthy for last year's 'biggest wave' nominee Ollie O'Flaherty.
Conroy told the paper that the magic wave "came out of nowhere" and that he didn't even realise just how big it was till he saw McCrudden's photographs later.
The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.
Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards
Roo McCrudden
Big Waves Come to Mullaghmore After Long Wait
#Surfing - Some of the world's top big wave surfing talent enjoyed the 'day that almost never was' at Mullaghmore in Sligo on Sunday.
As the video above shows, competitors in the long-delayed Billabong Tow-In Session finally got a chance to prove their mettle after two amber alerts in a week for the international event, pushed back from last year after a calm storm season.
Confidence was high as the storm front that has been battering Ireland for the past two days made its way across the Atlantic, bringing with it the giant swells needed to green-light the action.
Big wave surfers being secretive sorts, due to the dangerous nature of offshore tow-in surfing and their determination to keep their favourite spots 'just for them', we don't yet have results of the action, or even confirmation that the waves were big enough to count!
But what we do know is that the likes of Billabong XXL 2013 Ride of the Year nominee Peter Conroy were present and ready to tackle the colossal walls of water Mother Nature was set to provide.
Meanwhile, Met Eireann warns that gale force winds are expected to continue today (29 January) with southwesterly gusts of up to 110 km/h possible. Those in coastal areas have been warned to exercise caution.
Billabong TowIn Session
The Wait Begins for Second Tow-In Surf Session
#SURFING - The waiting period for the second Tow-In Surf Session at Mullaghmore Head is now under way.
http://www.afloat.ie/watersport/surfing/
The invite-only list of the world's top big wave surfers has until 1 March 2012 to try to best the monster waves ridden in last February's inaugural contest.
http://www.afloat.ie/watersport/surfing/item/15024-surfers-take-on-big-waves-in-sligo/
Irish pioneers Richie Fitzgerald, Peter Conroy and Glyn Ovens will be on call for the return event, which has also invited back open teams winners Benjamin Sanchis and Éric Rebière, according to Surfworld Bundoran.
http://www.surfworld.ie/tow-in-ireland-awaits/
Sanchis is also the 2011 Billabong XXL biggest wave award winner, and intends to defend his crown in Sligo.
"Mullaghmore is a spectacular wave, but you really need to be prepared to surf big waves there," he said.
The first Tow-in Surf Session - which was even immortalised in a documentary - was organised by the Irish Surf Rescue Club in part to dispel the myth that tow-in surfing, where surfers are towed by jetski to bigger offshore waves, is an irresponsible activity.
http://www.afloat.ie/watersport/surfing/item/17168-irelands-big-wave-surfers-showcased-in-new-film
http://afloat.ie/safety/rescue/
"Our team has put an enormous amount of training, both here and abroad, to ensure that the sport of tow surfing and this event can be as safe as possible," said organiser Paul O'Kane.
The latest news on the second Tow-In Surf Session will be made available on the Billabong website HERE.
http://www.billabong.com/eu/event/149/billabong--monster-tow-in-surf-session
towin surfing
TowIn Surf Session
Richie Fitzgerald
Glyn Ovens
Benjamin Sanchis
Eric Rebiere
Irish Surf Rescue Club
Paul O'Kane
Surfers Take On Big Waves in Sligo
More than 20 of Ireland's and Europe's top surfers took on the monster waves at Sligo's Mullaghmore Head at the weekend in Ireland's first ever 'big wave' surf contest.
The Tow-in Surf Session was organised by the Irish Surf Rescue Club in part to dispel the myth that tow-in surfing - where surfers are towed by jetski to bigger offshore waves - is an irresponsible activity.
Club president Paul O'Kane told The Irish Times: "Our surf riders and personal watercraft operators are all very safety conscious, highly trained, and contests like this can help to further develop skill sets."
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0215/1224289828781.html
Eric Ribiere and Benjamin Sanchis from France took top place in the open category in a contest that rewarded skill and commitment on the biggest waves. Peter Conroy and Gyln Ovens came first in the Irish division, follwed closely by Al Mennie and Andrew Cotton.
Awards went to professional boarder Gabe Davies for best wave, Al Mennie for best barrel and Richie Fitzgerald for heaviest wipeout.
Easkey Britton also held her own as the only female competitor, catching a solid 20-foot wave.
Easkey Britton also held her own as the only female competitor on the day, catching a solid 20-foot wave.
Click HERE for more video of the contest's big wave surfing action.
Co Sligo
Al Mennie
Eric Ribiere
Gabe Davies
Easkey Britton


It's alive! Thanks Jack, I knew there had to be some small thing I was missing... now it works like a charm.
Good suggestion, tried 3 different cables (which work with another microcontoller and a usb hub, so they're probably good) on various usb ports but I don't get a connection. Would be bad if it was in that faulty batch. If that's the case, would that apply to my logicstart megawing too?
Today my Papilio One 500k arrived, so I plug it in the computer with a standard usb to micro cable and tried to load the hello world quickstart bitfile. After installing the papilio loader (in windows) and the necessary drivers however, the papilio did not seem to be connected to the pc at all. I did not get a 'device found' popup and there is no change in the list of devices when I connect or disconnect the board. Unsurprisingly clicking 'run' in papilio loader does nothing at all. I did try the whole procedure anew in ubuntu (i'm dual booting). The papilio loader did give a message: Could not access USB device 0403:6010. If this is linux then use sudo. I did use sudo, but got excactly the same message. Does anyone have any idea what could be the problem?


text:
Prediction of new-onset asthma and nasal allergy by skin prick test and RAST in a cohort of adults
Kerstin Gallmeier, Eva Becker, Anne Kirsten, Gabriele Wölke, Olaf Manuwald, Heike Meyer, Helgo Magnussen, Dennis Nowak, Joachim Heinrich
European Respiratory Journal 2014 43: 92-102; DOI: 10.1183/09031936.00012813
Kerstin Gallmeier
1Helmholtz Zentrum München, Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Epidemiology I, Neuherberg
Eva Becker
Anne Kirsten
2Pulmonary Research Institute at Hospital Grosshansdorf, Center for Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery, Grosshansdorf
Gabriele Wölke
Olaf Manuwald
3Institute for Environmental Medicine, Erfurt
Heike Meyer
Helgo Magnussen
Dennis Nowak
4Institute and Outpatient Clinic for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
Joachim Heinrich
For correspondence: heinrich@helmholtz-muenchen.de
Limited information exists regarding the incidence and predictors of asthma and nasal allergy in adulthood. We determined the incidence rate of asthma and nasal allergy in adults and assessed the predictive value of skin prick tests (SPTs) and radioallergosorbent tests (RASTs) for these two outcomes.
Two German centres involved in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey conducted a follow-up assessment in 2012 of the baseline participants (1185 adults aged 21–47 years assessed in 1990). The predictive value of SPTs and RASTs on new-onset asthma and nasal allergy was assessed by Cox regression and by calculating the positive or negative predictive value.
During the 20 years between baseline and follow-up, 3.1 and 4.4 per 1000 person-years of new-onset asthma and nasal allergy cases were recorded, respectively. The hazard ratios for SPTs of any specific and of all aeroallergens combined were slightly higher than those of RASTs for asthma and nasal allergy. The negative predictive values of both the SPT and RAST were very high and similar (0.94–0.96), whereas the postive predictive values were low (0.09–0.20).
Positive SPT results showed a better association with new onset asthma and nasal allergy than positive RAST either to any specific aeroallergens or to all combined.
Positive SPT shows better association with new-onset asthma and nasal allergy than positive radioallergosorbent tests http://ow.ly/qacPS
Asthma and nasal allergy are common chronic disorders affecting 2.0–8.4% and 12.1–34.4% of Europeans, respectively [1]. The prevalence of both conditions was increasing but appears more recently to have plateaued. Worldwide data indicate heterogeneity in asthma prevalence trends, whereas the prevalence of nasal allergy continues to increase in most countries [2]. Therefore, allergic diseases pose a serious public health problem with a substantial impact.
A few studies have prospectively assessed the incidence of asthma and/or nasal allergy in adulthood using a 10-year follow-up [3–6]. Most of these papers have utilised data from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS). No study has yet reported on the onset of asthma and nasal allergies in adulthood using a follow-up of ≥15 years. While the prevalence of asthma and nasal allergy has been reported previously in adult German populations [7, 8], there are no studies providing incidence rates for Germany utilising a long-term follow-up of 20 years. Previous studies [3, 4, 9, 10] have identified sex, smoking, atopy, body mass index, bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR), exposure to mould and early acute respiratory infection as risk factors for asthma and nasal allergy. However, no study has considered the potential predictive value of skin prick tests (SPTs) or radioallergosorbent tests (RASTs) as determinants for new asthma and nasal allergy onset in adults. The longitudinal predictive power of these factors should be examined.
Our study presents prevalence and incidence data for asthma and nasal allergy in a German prospective cohort followed for 20 years. We also examined potential long-term predictors of new-onset asthma and nasal allergy, with a special emphasis on the role of SPT and RAST positivity.
Study population and design
The ECRHS is a population-based multi-centre cohort study of respiratory health among adults. Study design and methods have been described previously [11], and the full protocol is available at www.ecrhs.org. Two German centres, located in Hamburg and Erfurt, were included in this study. Briefly, ECRHS I (baseline study) was performed between 1990 and 1992 on random samples of the general population. In stage 1, each participant was sent a screening questionnaire. From the responders, a random sample was invited to take part in a clinical examination (stage 2). ECRHS II (2000–2002) and ECRHS III (2010–2012) are follow-up studies of the population included in ECRHS I stage 2. Data presented in this study were collected between 1990 and 2012 in the German centres in Hamburg and Erfurt, as part of the framework of ECRHS. In ECRHS I, 1282 and 1251 individuals participated in the Erfurt and Hamburg cohorts, respectively (fig. 1). In Erfurt, 16 individuals did not consent to address storage and thus only 1266 individuals were contacted for ECRHS III. In Hamburg, a randomly drawn subsample of 900 individuals was invited to participate in ECRHS III. Of the contacted individuals in Erfurt and Hamburg, 667 and 518, respectively, were between 21–47 years at baseline in ECRHS I. Therefore, our study population consists of 1185 males and females aged 21–47 years who participated in the medical examination at baseline. Of those, 924 subjects (540 from Erfurt and 384 from Hamburg) participated in the ECRHS III (responders) and 261 persons did not (nonresponders). To identify a population at risk of new-onset asthma and or nasal allergy, those who reported a history of asthma or nasal allergy in ECRHS I were excluded (asthma: 17 out of 23 in Erfurt or Hamburg and nasal allergy: 68 out of 89 in Erfurt or Hamburg). Within the remaining population, new-onset asthma and nasal allergy were defined as a positive response to the questions: "Have you ever had asthma?" and "Do you have any nasal allergies, including hay fever?", respectively. The age of new-onset asthma and nasal allergy was lower than the age at baseline (ECRHS I) for 29 and 26 participants, respectively. When this difference was not >2 years, the age of new-onset of disease was set equal to the age at baseline. For individuals for whom this difference was >2 years, the midpoint of the age of reported new onset of disease and age at ECRHS III was set as the age of new onset. In case the midpoint was still lower than the age at baseline or that no age of new onset of disease was reported, the subject was excluded. The final study population consisted of 874 subjects (517 from Erfurt and 357 from Hamburg) with no indication for asthma at baseline and 754 subjects (465 from Erfurt and 289 from Hamburg) with no indication of nasal allergies at baseline (fig. 1).
Flow chart for statistical analysis plan a) for asthma and b) for nasal allergy (NA). ECRHS: European Community Respiratory Health Survey; SPT: skin prick test; RAST: radioallergosorbent test.
The study protocol was approved (ethical approval for baseline in 1989 (Medical Association of Schleswig-Holstein in Bad Segeberg, Hamburg) and in 1991 (Erfurt) and for follow-up in 2009 (regarding both substudies)) by the Local Ethics Committee of the Bayerische Landesärztekammer and of the Medical Association of Schleswig-Holstein in Bad Segeberg. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.
Assessment of allergic sensitisation in ECRHS I
SPTs were performed using Phazets (Pharmacia Diagnostics AB, Uppsala, Sweden), which are individual antigen-coated lancets, and two control lancets (histamine and uncoated). The lancets were applied to the volar surface of the forearm. After 15 min, the outline of the wheal was drawn on a strip of adhesive transparent tape, which was subsequently transferred to the data sheet. Wheal diameters were read at the widest point and at an angle of 90° to the diameter at the midpoint. A skin test for a specific allergen was considered positive if a mean wheal diameter to the allergen was ≤3 mm, and the wheal diameter to histamine was ≥3 mm and to uncoated Phazets <3 mm. Cat, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Cladosporium herbarum and birch allergens were selected for this analysis.
Specific IgE against these same four allergens was also measured in serum samples in a central laboratory by RAST (CAP-RAST; Pharmacia Diagnostics). Values >0.35 kU·L−1 for an allergen were considered positive. Specific IgE against Timothy grass was not assessed as we wanted a similar allergen spectrum for both the SPTs and RASTs. Of the individuals with single RAST positivity for Timothy grass, 8.5% (five out of 59) and 27.8% (10 out of 36) had new-onset asthma and nasal allergy, respectively.
Lung function measurements and BHR in ECRHS I
In ECRHS I, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) was determined using pneumatograph-based electronic spirometers (Compact Pneumo Laboratory, and PSC-PC, Jaeger, Würzburg, Germany). BHR was obtained using the metacholine challenge (Mefar MB3 dosimeter; Mefar srl, Bovezzo, Italy) and was defined as a fall of at least 20% in FEV1 associated with a cumulative dose of ≤2 mg methacholine.
Analysis of data
Characteristics of responders and nonresponders at baseline were compared using Chi-squared tests. Asthma and nasal allergy incidence rates were calculated as the number of new cases of asthma and nasal allergy, respectively, divided by the person-years at risk during the observation period.
Relative risks with 95% confidence intervals are given for potential determinants of new-onset asthma and nasal allergy. The following potential determinants were considered: sex, centre, asthma (for new-onset nasal allergy), nasal allergy (for new-onset asthma), eczema, BHR, family history (considered positive in the case of an affirmative answer to any of the following questions: "Did your mother ever have asthma?", "Did your mother ever have eczema, skin or nasal allergy or hay fever?", "Did your father ever have asthma?" and "Did your father ever have eczema, skin or nasal allergy or hay fever?"), pet ownership (considered positive in the case of an affirmative answer to any of the following questions: "Do you keep a cat?", "Do you keep a dog?" and "Do you keep any birds?"), mould exposure ("Has there ever been any mould or mildew on any surface, other than food, inside the home?"), job exposure ("Have you ever worked in a job which exposed you to vapours, gas, dust or fumes?"), current smoking, contact with older children in early life (considered positive in the case of reported older siblings or an affirmative answer to the question "Did you go to school, playschool or nursery with older children before the age of 5 years?"), any positive SPT (to cat, D. pteronyssinus, C. herbarum and birch), and any positive RAST (cat, D. pteronyssinus, C. herbarum and birch). Atopic status was determined using SPT and RAST. The social status of individuals was assessed using the reported age at which full time education was completed and was categorised into three groups: age ≤16 years, 17–23 years and >23 years. The population-attributable fraction was calculated as the risk difference divided by the risk in exposed (atopic) individuals multiplied by the proportion of all cases in the exposed (atopic) population.
Cox regression analyses were performed with person-years under observation as the dependent variable and asthma or nasal allergy as the event. Hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals are given for predictive variables in crude models and in models adjusted for sex, centre, social status, family history and smoking.
Measures of diagnostic accuracy of SPTs and RASTs (positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), sensitivity and specificity) were calculated for individuals who developed asthma or nasal allergies between 1990 and 2012. Positive likelihood ratio (LR+) was determined by the calculation of sensitivity/(1-specificity) and negative likelihood ratio (LR-) by the calculation of (1-sensitivity)/specificity. The significance level was set to 5%. Kaplan–Meier curves were obtained with SigmaPlot 12.0 (Systat Software, Inc., San Jose, CA, USA). Venn diagrams were plotted using the Venn Diagram Plotter Program originally written by Kyle Littlefield for the Department of Energy (PNNL, Richland, WA, USA). All statistical analyses were performed with SAS 9.2 (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA).
Descriptive data
Of the 1185 adults asked to participate in ECRHS III, 924 responded (response rate 78.0%). In general, responders and nonresponders did not differ in their basic characteristics, as assessed in 1990–1992 during ECRHS I (table 1). However, responders were more likely to be female, from Erfurt and be of higher social status than nonresponders. In contrast, responders were less likely to own pets and currently smoke.
Table 1– Characteristics of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) study population, aged 21–47 years, at baseline (1990–1992), stratified by participation in ECRHS III
Outcome data
In total, 50 cases of new-onset asthma and 60 cases of new-onset nasal allergy occurred during the 20-year observation period (1990/1992–2010/2012), which corresponds to 16 072 and 13 668 person-years at risk, respectively.
The incidence rates for asthma and nasal allergy are presented in table 2. The asthma crude incidence rate was 3.11 per 1000 person-years and that for nasal allergy was 4.39 per 1000 person-years. In Hamburg, the incidence rate was higher than in Erfurt for both outcomes. Rates were also higher for females than males. At the end of the follow-up period, 44% of the new asthma cases and 10.3% of subjects without asthma stated that they had suffered from wheeze in the last 12 months. Additionally, 28 (56%) of the incident asthma cases reported current treatment with asthma medication and thus might have been free of symptoms. Of those not undergoing current treatment with asthma medication, 33.3% of the subjects with new-onset asthma and 9.7% without asthma reported wheeze symptoms in the last 12 months.
Table 2– New-onset asthma in subjects without asthma and new-onset nasal allergy in subjects without nasal allergy during the 20-year follow-up period
The relative risk and 95% confidence intervals for the relationship between each risk factor with new-onset asthma and nasal allergy are given in table 3. These findings differ slightly when the analyses are stratified by centre (online supplementary tables S1a and S2b).
Table 3– Unadjusted predictors for the new-onset of asthma and nasal allergy in German adults during a 20-year follow-up
The hazard ratios obtained by Cox regression, which were adjusted for sex, centre, social status, family history and smoking, were higher for each SPT compared with the corresponding RAST for both new-onset asthma and nasal allergy (table 4). A significantly increased hazard for new-onset asthma showed a positive RAST for cat, as well as positive SPTs for cat, D. pteronyssinus and birch. Positive SPTs for cat and birch, as well as a positive RAST for birch were significantly associated with an increased hazard for new-onset nasal allergy. The highest hazard ratio was observed between a positive SPT for cat and new-onset asthma as well as between a positive SPT for birch and new-onset nasal allergy. Any positive SPT and any positive RAST significantly increased the hazard for new-onset asthma and nasal allergy. Thus, for both outcomes, the hazard ratio was stronger for any positive SPT than for any positive RAST. When the analysis was stratified by centre, this trend was similar in Hamburg but reversed in Erfurt. However, the numbers in both of these stratified analyses are small and there is a substantial overlap in the confidence intervals (online supplementary tables S1a–S4b).
Table 4– Adjusted associations between skin prick tests (SPTs) and radioallergosorbent test (RAST) and the new onset of asthma and nasal allergy during a 20-year follow-up
As seen in figure 2, there is partial overlap between individuals with new-onset asthma and nasal allergy who were positive to any SPT and any RAST. Among those with either new-onset asthma or nasal allergy, more individuals tested positive for any RAST than for any SPT. In total, 31 (62%) out of 50 individuals with new-onset asthma and 38 (63%) out of 60 individuals with new-onset nasal allergy tested positive for at least one SPT and/or at least one RAST at baseline and, therefore, were atopic. The population attributable fraction for asthma and nasal allergy was 36% and 44%, respectively.
Venn diagram depicting the overlap between any positive skin prick test (SPT) and any positive radioallergosorbent test (RAST) at baseline (1990–1992) in patients with a) a new onset of asthma (N=50) or b) nasal allergy (N=60) in European Community Respiratory Health Survey III. Any positive SPT: at least one positive SPT; Any positive RAST: at least one positive RAST.
Of the 874 nonasthmatic individuals at baseline, 196 were positive to at least one SPT, 21 of whom developed asthma during the 20-year observation period. Similarly, 293 of the 874 nonasthmatics were positive to at least one RAST, 25 of whom developed asthma. With regard to nasal allergy, 754 individuals were without nasal allergies at baseline, 123 of whom were positive to at least one SPT and 24 of whom subsequently developed nasal allergies during the follow-up period. Finally, 216 (of the 754 individuals without nasal allergies) were positive to at least one RAST, 31 of whom developed nasal allergies during follow-up. Sensitivity was higher for RAST than for SPT for both asthma (50.0%, 95% CI 36.1–63.9% versus 42.0%, 95% CI 28.3–55.7%) and nasal allergy (51.6%, 95% CI 39.0–64.3% versus 40.0%, 95% CI 27.6–52.4%). Although the confidence intervals are overlapping specificity was higher for SPT than for RAST for asthma (78.8, 95% CI 76.0–81.6 versus 67.5, 95% CI 64.3–70.7) and for nasal allergy (85.7, 95% CI 83.1–88.3 versus 73.3, 95% CI 70.1–76.6). As seen in table 5, the PPVs for SPT and RAST for asthma were very low and similar and the confidence intervals overlapped (0.11, 95% CI 0.07–0.16 versus 0.9, 95% CI 0.06–0.12). For nasal allergy, the PPVs for SPT and RAST were low and differed more substantially, although again the confidence intervals overlapped (0.2, 95% CI 0.13–0.28 versus 0.14, 95% CI 0.10–0.20). The NPVs for SPT and RAST were high and similar for asthma and nearly identical for nasal allergy.
Table 5– Measures of diagnostic accuracy regarding skin prick test (SPT) and radioallergosorbent test (RAST) as predictors of new-onset asthma and nasal allergy
LR+ and LR- for SPTs and RASTs were rather weak, as LR+ was (with the exception of SPTs in nasal allergy, where the LR+ was 2.8) below 2 and LR- was between 0.5 and 1.0 for both tests (table 5).
The relationship between time to onset of asthma/nasal allergy and new-onset asthma/nasal allergy for subjects with any positive SPT and subjects with any positive RAST at baseline is shown in figure 3. 2 years after the baseline survey (ECRHS I), the probability of new-onset asthma was greater for individuals with at least one positive SPT than for those with at least one positive RAST. For all time-points, the probability of new-onset nasal allergy was higher for individuals with at least one positive SPT than for individuals with at least one positive RAST.
Kaplan–Meier curves for new-onset of asthma and nasal allergy shown as the cumulative proportion of new-onset asthma/nasal allergy at certain times under control against the time to onset of a) nasal allergy or b) asthma. Participants were from Erfurt and Hamburg and were aged 21–47 years at baseline. SPT: skin prick test; RAST: radioallergosorbent test; any SPT positive: at least one positive skin prick test; any RAST positive: at least one positive radioallergosorbent test.
The present study provides information about the incidence, risk factors and prediction by SPT and RAST of new-onset asthma and nasal allergy in a population of German adults followed for 20 years.
The incidence rates for asthma and nasal allergy were higher in Hamburg than in Erfurt. Females had a higher incidence rate than males for both conditions. The incidence of asthma was related to sex, BHR, nasal allergy, social status, any positive SPT and any positive RAST. The incidence of nasal allergy was associated with eczema, any positive SPT and any positive RAST. SPT was a slightly better predictor for the new onset of asthma and nasal allergy than RAST. An analysis of allergen-specific SPT and RAST identified a positive reaction to the cat allergen as the strongest predictor for new-onset asthma and a positive reaction to the birch allergen as the strongest predictor for new-onset nasal allergy.
The main limitation of long-term prospective cohort studies is a loss to follow-up. However, the response rate of our study in ECRHS III can be regarded as high (78% when only eligible subjects are considered). Responders did not differ from nonresponders in many potential risk factors, such as age, nasal allergy, eczema, SPT or RAST. Nevertheless, our sample cannot be considered as completely unbiased. The long observation period of our study, with time intervals of ∼10 years between follow-ups, might lead to recall bias, especially in terms of age of new-onset of disease. We used self-reported data from questionnaires to assign asthma and nasal allergy status, which may lead to misclassification, especially with regard to asthma, given the potential confounding influence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We think asthma medication, as an outcome, is likely to be less subject to recall bias than self-reported physician diagnosis of asthma or nasal allergy. Including more self-reported respiratory symptoms as outcomes would have similar limitations. More "objective" data, such as lung function measurements and BHR testing or a clinical case ascertainment, would diminish the misclassification bias of this study. Unfortunately, this information was not available. Also, it is possible that some of the new-onset asthma cases are attributable to a change in diagnostic labelling.
14 and 46 individuals, respectively, reported that they ever had asthma and nasal allergy in ECRHS I but did not report these symptoms in ECRHS III. These inconsistencies could be due to a true remission in individuals who have had asthma or nasal allergy years ago, but that the disease did not persist. Considering the long observation period of this study, it is plausible that some individuals with new-onset asthma or nasal allergy who had negative SPT and RAST at baseline became sensitised during the observation period. Furthermore, a lower cut-off point for the tests might lead to a higher sensitivity.
The large sample size, international standardised methods of data collection following ECRHS protocols and he population-based setting of this study are unique and important strengths. Moreover, the design of a prospective cohort with a long (20-year) follow-up time, which includes a question on new onset, allows incidence rates to be calculated. The detailed information on health behaviours and risk factors, gained through questionnaires and medical examinations, permits analyses to be adjusted for a large number of potential confounders.
Incidence rates of asthma (crude 3.1, males 2.2 and females 4.1) were within the range of those observed in previous cohort studies (crude 2.2–4.5, males 1.0–4.5 and females 1.3–4.9) [12–14]. As reported by most other studies, a higher incidence rate was found for females than for males [9, 10]. One study reported that only the risk of developing nonallergic asthma differed by sex [15].
In the current study, incidence rates of nasal allergy (crude 4.4, males 3.6 and females 5.3) are below the lifelong incidence reported by Matheson et al. [4] in all 48 centres of the ECRHS study (7.0 males and 7.9 females). This difference might be due to the fact that our study does not report lifelong incidence but rather the incidence of nasal allergy between 1990 and 1992, and 2010 and 2012 only. This shorter timeframe probably leads to less recall and misclassification bias.
Although risk factors for asthma and nasal allergy have been assessed previously, this is the first cohort study to show the effect of potential determinants on new-onset of disease over a 20-year follow-up.
The association between low social status and new-onset asthma found in the present study confirms the results of previous publications that have reported similar associations with the prevalence of asthma [16], with the exception of the study by Montnemery et al. [17]. The association between socioeconomic status and asthma in children is complex [18] and is likely to depend on asthma severity, poverty, many lifestyle factors and potentially also country of residence. While (probably severe) asthma prevalence is higher in children from less privileged families in inner cities, we previously found that asthma is more prevalent in the higher social classes in a large cohort of German children, which is consistent with other German studies [19].
The impact of atopy on asthma remains unclear. 20 years ago, Burrows et al. [20] stated that asthma almost always has an allergic basis in children and adults. However, Anto et al. [3] and Zacharasiewicz et al. [21] found the attributable fraction of atopy on the development of asthma to be in the range of 12% and 30% in adults. The attributable fraction we report (36%) is higher.
Among subjects with new onset of nasal allergy, 63% were atopic (at least one positive SPT or RAST) at baseline. This finding is consistent with data published by Zacharasiewicz et al. [21], who reported that 61% of rhinitis cases were atopic. However, their attributable fraction (53%) is higher than that of the current study (44%). The nonatopic cases may represent rhinitis without an allergic base or may represent cases who were not atopic at baseline but who developed atopy during the observation period. Furthermore, including Timothy grass in the RAST would probably have lead to higher attributable fractions for new-onset asthma and nasal allergy.
SPT and RAST are both significant predictors for new-onset asthma and nasal allergy. The calculation of PPV and NPV demonstrated that positivity to at least one SPT is a better predictor for both conditions than positivity to at least one RAST. However, the overlapping confidence interval of these point estimates indicates that this potential superiority is likely to be minor. The negative prediction of at least one positive SPT and at least one positive RAST were (nearly) equal and performed better than the positive predictions. The sensitivity of RAST for new onset was stronger than of SPT, while specificity showed better results for SPT. Similar results were reported for both conditions for adults by Tschopp et al. [22] using Phadiatop instead of RAST and for children by Schäfer et al. [23] with regard to hay fever.
The likelihood ratio indicates the value of a diagnostic test by comparing the likelihood that a certain test result would be expected in a patient with the definite disorder with the likelihood of the same result expected in a patient without the definite disorder. Here, a distinction is drawn between LR+, concerning positive test results, and LR-, concerning negative test results. The classification of the test value given by the likelihood ratio is determined as excellent (LR+ >10 and LR- <0.10), good (LR+ 5–10 and LR- 0.1–0.2), moderate ( LR+ 2–5 and LR- 0.2–0.5) or weak (LR+ 1–2 and LR- 0.5–1.0) [24]. Therefore, the value of SPT and RAST in terms of prediction of new-onset asthma and nasal allergy is poor. When interpreting the test values of SPT and RAST for new-onset asthma, it must be acknowledged that only a proportion of all asthma cases are atopic. Furthermore, the much lower rate of SPT positivity than RAST positivity might have an effect on these estimates. Sensitisation to cat allergen was most strongly associated with new-onset asthma, followed by mite. Considering the allergens tested in this study, for new-onset nasal allergy, sensitisation to birch allergen was the strongest predictor, followed by cat. Positive SPT of every single allergen was more strongly related to new-onset of both asthma and nasal allergy than a positive RAST. This association might even increase with the use of a lower cut-off value for SPT [23, 25]. Previous studies have stated that the results of SPT and RAST are not interchangeable and that a positive SPT not accompanied by a positive RAST might be due to IgE antibodies that are not detectable by any RAST procedures [26, 27]. As previously shown, there are differences in the prevalence of atopic diseases between east and west Germany [7, 28]. Therefore, as anticipated, the current results differ between Hamburg and Erfurt when the analyses are stratified by centre. This observation supports the hypothesis of site-specific influences on risk factors for the new onset of asthma and nasal allergy. Although the sample sizes are small, there seems to be a generally higher risk of specific allergic sensitisation for asthma onset in Hamburg compared with Erfurt. Similar differences were not found for nasal allergies. As suggested by the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood [29], there might be substantial variation in the dependency between asthma and atopy, which could explain the differences in the associations between SPT and RAST with new onset of asthma and nasal allergy in Erfurt and Hamburg.
We report that SPT and RAST are both unpromising tests for prediction of new onset of asthma and nasal allergy in a cohort of German adults followed for 20 years, although a positive SPT seems to present a slightly better predictor than any detectable specific IgE. However, the role of atopy on these diseases remains ambiguous, especially with regard to asthma. Further prospective longitudinal studies are needed to determine long-term predictors for new-onset asthma and nasal allergy.
We wish to thank all participants in the study. We are indebted to the ECRHS study group and to all coworkers who were responsible for the design and conduct of the study.
This article has supplementary material available from www.erj.ersjournals.com
Support statement: The work was supported by the Competence Network Asthma/COPD funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (FKZ 01GI0881-0888) and the German Research Foundation (HE 3294/10-1, NO 262/7-1, MA 711/6-1).
Conflict of interest: Disclosures can be found alongside the online version of this article at www.erj.ersjournals.com
Received January 22, 2013.
Accepted August 7, 2013.
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