Never-before-seen photographs of Marilyn Monroe recreating her iconic ‘The Seven Year Itch’ subway grate scene have surfaced, offering a rare behind-the-scenes look at one of Hollywood’s most famous moments.
The images, featured in the upcoming book ‘The Marilyn Monroe Century’ by Bruno Bernard, Joshua John Miller and Mark A. Fortin, revisits the legendary 1955 sequence in which Monroe’s white dress is lifted by a burst of wind as she stands over a New York City subway grate.
The original shoot took place in Manhattan, where 20th Century Fox had invited press and crowds to witness the filming. Thousands gathered at the intersection of 52nd Street and Lexington Avenue, turning the production into a media spectacle. However, the noise from the crowd reportedly disrupted filming, forcing director Billy Wilder to abandon the footage.
The scene was later recreated on a soundstage in Hollywood, where Monroe returned to reshoot the moment in controlled conditions. It was during these studio sessions that photographer Bruno Bernard, a long-time acquaintance of Monroe, captured the newly released stills.
According to contributors to the book, Bernard had known Monroe since her early modelling days and maintained a close creative connection with her over the years.
The reshoot itself was reportedly intense, with multiple takes required as Monroe worked through direction from Wilder. Accounts from the set describe a highly controlled environment, with the actress repeating the now-famous line about the “delicious breeze” numerous times as the sequence was refined.
The shoot also coincided with a difficult personal period for Monroe, with reports at the time noting tension linked to her marriage to baseball star Joe DiMaggio, who was present during the original New York filming and disapproved of the scene.
Despite the challenges, the final version of the sequence became one of the most recognisable moments in film history and helped cement Monroe’s status as a global screen icon.
