Oscar Got It Wrong!: Best Actress 1953

The Contenders:
Deborah Kerr: From Here to Eternity
Leslie Caron: Lili
Ava Gardner: Mogambo
Maggie McNamara: The Moon is Blue
Audrey Hepburn: Roman Holiday (winner)

Watching Oscar: The Moon is Blue

Film: The Moon is Blue
Format: Turner Classic Movies on rockin’ flatscreen.

Scandals of past eras are often really entertaining. It’s incredibly funny that a nothing little romp like The Moon is Blue not only created a massive scandal, but also helped take down the Hays Code. The Moon is Blue was so controversial that three states—Kansas, Maryland, and Ohio—actually banned this film for being salacious. It is a little be racy, but only in its conversation. It’s sort of a screwball comedy that is more about sex than it is about love. But that’s as far as it goes—a little very mildly racy talk—and nothing more.

There’s not really a lot to the film in terms of story. Architect Donald Gresham (William Holden) spots attractive young woman Patty O’Neill (Maggie McNamara) in the lobby of the Empire State Building. He’s immediately attracted to her and follows her up to the observation deck. After a little verbal flirting back and forth, it’s evident that the two are attracted to each other and have been paying attention to each other. She noticed what he bought in the store, and he noticed what she was thinking about buying and bought it for her.