Navy Blues was first announced in the 31 Jan 1929 FD as a forthcoming Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp. (M-G-M) silent film called The Gob, starring William Haines. At that time, Edward Sedgwick was the director. The 16 Feb 1929 Motion Picture News named Anita Page as Haines’s co-star. According to the 30 Mar 1929 issue, filming was halted after several days of production for “re-vamping” of the story. The 24 Apr 1929 and 8 May 1929 issues of Var indicated that the picture would now be made as an “all-talker,” and W. L. River and J. C. Nugent were named as dialogue writers. On 18 May 1929, Motion Picture News reported that production was resuming under the direction of E. Mason Hopper, as Sedgwick had begun another assignment by that time.
       The 6 Jul 1929 Hollywood Filmograph announced the new title, Navy Blues, and named Clarence Brown as the director. The 20 Jul 1929 Motion Picture News explained that all the previous work done on The Gob had been scrapped, and the story had been changed, keeping only the “naval background.” Haines and Page were still attached to co-star in the “all talking” production, which would mark the first for Haines. Principal photography on the revamped picture began on 20 Jul 1929, as indicated in the 3 Aug 1929 Motion Picture News.
       The 14 Aug 1929 Var reported that filming was currently taking place “on the Pacific with the destroyer fleet.”
       The 10 Aug 1929 and 7 Sep 1929 editions of Motion Picture News added Harry Woods to the cast, and noted that William Haines’s sisters, Ann and Lillian Haines, would appear as background actors in the picture.
       According to the 13 Nov 1929 Var, four directors contributed to Navy Blues. Following Sedgwick and Brown, David Burton and Sam Woods were reportedly called in to complete scenes.
       The 21 Sep 1929 Motion Picture News production chart listed a 23 Nov 1929 release date, but two months later, the 16 Nov 1929 edition announced a 20 Dec 1929 release. The 1 Jan 1930 Var confirmed that the picture had opened in several cities by late Dec 1929. The New York opening was held on 10 Jan 1930 at the Capitol Theatre, according to the 15 Jan 1930 Var review.
       Both Var and the 12 Jan 1930 FD review complained of the weak plot and forced comedy.