Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (play)
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Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter is an original comedy play that opened on Broadway October 13, 1955, starring Orson Bean, Martin Gabel, Jayne Mansfield, and Walter Matthau.
It was written and directed by George Axelrod, and produced by Jule Styne. The production closed November 3, 1956, after 444 performances. The main character, Rita Marlowe, a vapid blond sex symbol romantically involved with a famous athlete, is believed to be a caricature of Marilyn Monroe, who was engaged to baseball legend Joe Dimaggio at the time. Rita Marlowe's surname was an obvious blending of Monroe's first and last names. Axelrod was also the playwright who penned the successful broadway play The Seven year Itch, the screen version of which was released the previous year starring Monroe.