Kazan chose to shoot the film in Benoit, Mississippi to give it a sense of authenticity. The location work lasted ten weeks and eventually won the overwhelming goodwill of its citizens. Although the subject matter of the story was risqué, none of its participants anticipated the overwhelming public outcry that followed its release. In fact, the Legion of Decency described the film as "morally repellant." Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York, preached a sermon in December 1956 solely dedicated to Baby Doll's corruptive influences. In contrast, at its opening several reviewers argued that Williams had created multi-dimensional characters that were both good and bad. Critic Arthur Knight commented, "the script makes no effort to reward the good and punish the wicked."

From 1916 into the 1950s thousands of motion pictures carried the legend "Passed by the National Board of Review" in their main titles. However, the Board was a de facto censorship organization. Producers submitted their films to the Board before making release prints; they agreed to cut out any footage that the Board found objectionable, up to and including destroying the entire film.