The Moon Is Blue (1953)

A young architect (William Holden) meets an aspiring actress (Maggie McNamara, whose chatty performance was inexplicably nominated for a best actress Oscar) at the top of the Empire State building. Holden is sufficiently interested into inviting her back to his apartment and that’s when the troubles start. Based on the play by F. Hugh Herbert and directed by Otto Preminger (LAURA). This once shocking sex comedy may seem utterly conventional by today's standards but oh, the outroar this movie caused in 1953. In 1953, words like virgin, seduce, mistress and sex just weren' bandied about in romantic comedies. Preminger doesn’t do much to disguise its theatrical origins, you feel like you’ve got the best seats in house. The staginess of the enterprise wouldn’t matter so much if the dialogue were witty or scintillating but it’s all rather mundane. Poor McNamara fares the worst, working overtime on being perky till you‘re ready to strangle her. Fortunately there’s David Niven as Holden’s lecherous neighbor to liven things up. This is an actor who knows how to squeeze a line for all that it’s worth and he’s a treat. With Tom Tully, Dawn Addams and Hardy Kruger.