
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, September 13, 1994                   TAG: 9409130086
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B2   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES                                 LENGTH: Medium

TOM EWELL, FILM, TV STAR, DIES AT 85

Tom Ewell, the wry-faced comedy actor who stood next to Marilyn Monroe when a blast of air blew her skirt up in the famous scene from the movie ``The Seven Year Itch,'' died Monday. He was 85.

Ewell died after a long series of illnesses, said his wife, Marjorie.

With his homely face and cracked voice, Ewell admitted he was not easy to cast in leading roles. He was surprised when he was chosen over Gary Cooper, William Holden and others for the prized part opposite Monroe, then Hollywood's most popular sex symbol.

Ewell had played the role 730 times on Broadway, winning a Tony for it as best dramatic actor.

He was an established character comedian in the theater when he was picked in 1952 for ``The Seven Year Itch,'' George Axelrod's play about an urban husband who fantasizes about an affair with the attractive woman upstairs while his wife is on vacation.

Born Yewell Tompkins on April 29, 1909, in Owensboro, Ky., he defied his family by abandoning law studies for acting.

At the depth of the Depression, he moved to New York and washed dishes while hunting for stage parts. He said he set a Broadway record by appearing in 28 flops in a 14-year period.

He returned to the stage after four years in the Navy during World War II, then went on to roles in movies and television.

About his sexy co-star, Ewell told columnist Hedda Hopper, ``I've never met a sweeter, nicer person than Marilyn or one easier to work with.''

Ewell co-starred with another sex symbol, Jayne Mansfield, in ``The Girl Can't Help It.'' His other films include ``Tender is the Night,'' ``State Fair,'' ``Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?'' ``They Only Kill Their Masters,'' ``The Great Gatsby,'' ``The Last Tycoon'' and ``Easy Money.''

For two seasons, 1960 to 1961, he starred in ``The Tom Ewell Show,'' a CBS sitcom. In the 1970s, he co-starred in "Baretta," a police drama starring Robert Blake.

In 1946, Ewell married Ann Abbott, daughter of veteran Broadway director George Abbott; they later divorced. He married Marjorie Sanborn in 1948, and they had a son, Taylor.

Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.

by CNB