American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 105/001. Photo: Twentieth Century Fox / Charles K. Feldman Group Productions.
Victor Moore and
Marilyn Monroe in
The Seven Year Itch (Billy Wilder, 1955).
Victor Moore (1876-1962) was an American actor, comedian, director and writer. In 1906 he made his Broadway debut in the musical comedy 'Forty-five Minutes from Broadway', where he subsequently appeared in other comedies. In 1915 he made his film debut and had success with the drama
The Clown (William C. de Mille, 1916). Moore returned to the theatre and became a Broadway star at the age of over 50. His last of over 70 film appearances was in Billy Wilder's comedy
The Seven Year Itch (1955) as a plumber who rescues the stuck Marilyn Monroe from her bathtub.
By 1953,
Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) was one of the most marketable Hollywood stars, with leading roles in three films: the noir
Niagara, which focused on her sex appeal, and the comedies
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and
How to Marry a Millionaire, which established her star image as a "dumb blonde". Although she played a significant role in the creation and management of her public image throughout her career, she was disappointed at being typecast and underpaid by the studio. She was briefly suspended in early 1954 for refusing a film project, but returned to star in one of the biggest box office successes of her career,
The Seven Year Itch (1955).
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.