The Moon Is Blue is a 1953 American romantic comedy film produced and directed by Otto Preminger and starring William Holden, David Niven, and Maggie McNamara.

Written by F. Hugh Herbert and based on his 1951 play of the same title, the film is about a young woman who meets an architect on the observation deck of the Empire State Building and quickly turns his life upside down.

A comedy of manners, the film centers on virtuous actress Patty O'Neill, who meets playboy architect Donald Gresham at the top of the Empire State Building and accepts his invitation to join him for drinks and dinner in his apartment.

[4] Both men are determined to seduce the young woman, but they quickly discover that Patty is more interested in engaging in spirited discussions about the pressing moral and sexual issues of the day than in surrendering her virginity to either of them.

Otto Preminger had staged the 1951 Broadway production[5] of F. Hugh Herbert's play[6] at Henry Miller's Theatre,[7][8] with Barbara Bel Geddes, Donald Cook, and Barry Nelson[9] in the lead roles.

[16][17] Maggie McNamara, who appeared as Patty O'Neill in the Chicago production of the play, and briefly in New York, received her first screen role and the film's last casting.

[17][18][4] Herbert's play had been a huge success in Germany, and Preminger decided to film multiple-language versions simultaneously in English and German (Die Jungfrau auf dem Dach), using the same sets but different casts.

[4] On June 26, 1951, the office of MPAA censor Joseph Breen sent a letter back, stating that the script was unacceptable under the Motion Picture Production Code.

[4] Later,[4] on July 13, 1951, the office of Joseph Breen contacted Herbert and advised him his screenplay was in violation of the Production Code because of its "light and gay treatment of the subject of illicit sex and seduction."

On December 26, Preminger submitted a revised draft of the script which, due to numerous lines of dialogue exhibiting "an unacceptably light attitude towards seduction, illicit sex, chastity, and virginity", was rejected on January 2, 1952.

[21][4] In a display of solidarity, United Artists heads Arthur B. Krim and Robert S. Benjamin amended their contract with Preminger and deleted the clause requiring him to deliver a film that would be granted a Production Code seal of approval.

Preminger later stated he much preferred The Moon Is Blue to Die Jungfrau auf dem Dach because he felt that the psychology of the plot did not translate well.

[24] On June 30, Variety reported that three major nationwide theater chains were willing to exhibit the film, and it went into general release on July 8, and was in the top five box-office successes of that week.

On June 27, 1961, the PCA granted both The Moon Is Blue and The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), Preminger's similarly controversial release, the seals of approval they initially withheld.

"[36] Edwin Schallert of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "this film is likely to induce a goodly share of laughter and have a special appeal to feminine audiences", but thought it "talks too much for complete satisfaction as a picture.

"[37] The Chicago Tribune wrote that the film was "deftly constructed and moves along at a bright, brisk pace, peppered with some remarkably funny dialog, which sends audiences into such guffaws that some of the best lines are drowned in a sea of laughter.

I call the attention of Catholics to the pledge of the Legion of Decency, which emphasizes the obligation to avoid attendance at theatres that flaunt indecency by exhibiting such a picture.