 The screenplay was adapted from the original Broadway show "The  Seven Year Itch" which was written by George Axelrod (qv). The  original Broadway show starred Tom Ewell (qv) (who reprised his  role as the imaginative Richard Sherman) and  Vanessa Brown (I) (qv). When the project was moved from Paramount  to 20th Century Fox, Brown was replaced by top sex symbol  Marilyn Monroe (qv) for the film adaptation. Due to the Hays  Office Production Code censorship rules, the racy dialogue and  sexual innuendos were significantly toned down from the play.