The Academy Award for Best Actor is universally viewed as the ultimate achievement an actor can accomplish with a single performance. Decades ago, James Stewart joined a long list of Hollywood stars to receive that honor when he made The Philadelphia Story, but wasn’t fully convinced he deserved it.
Remembered as one of the greatest actors from Hollywood’s Golden Age, it’s no surprise that James Stewart earned that distinction. In fact, several of James Stewart’s best movies were in contention for Oscars. The actor was up for the award multiple times in his career, from when he was a rising star in the 1930s to the late 1950s when the star was already well past his prime.
James Stewart Didn’t Want To Win Best Actor For The Philadelphia Story
He Didn’t Think It Was Oscar Worthy
In 1939, James Stewart received his first of five Best Actor nominations, this one being for his critically acclaimed performance in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. That year, he lost to Robert Donat, who won for Goodbye Mr. Chips. Stewart was nominated again the next year for The Philadelphia Story, but this time it was he who took home the Oscar.
The other three nominations in his career were for The Anatomy of a Murder, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Harvey.
Interestingly, James Stewart said in his acceptance speech at the Academy Awards that he had actually cast his own vote for a different actor: Henry Fonda. Henry Fonda had been nominated for his role as Tom Joad in John Ford’s Grapes of Wrath.
On the surface, these comments reflect a humble side to James Stewart, but his thoughts on his Oscar win went a bit deeper than that. As it turns out, James Stewart genuinely didn’t think he should have won.
Katharine Hepburn was nominated for Best Actress for her role in The Philadelphia Story, but didn’t win.
Director Peter Bogdanovich revealed in his book, Who the Hell’s In It: My Conversations With Hollywood’s Legendary Actors, that James Stewart had once said, “I didn’t think much of my work in The Philadelphia Story.”
Why James Stewart Winning An Oscar For The Philadelphia Story Was So Surprising
The Philadelphia Story Was A Great Movie, But It’s Odd That Stewart Won An Oscar For It
Stewart’s lack of enthusiasm for his performance in The Philadelphia Story isn’t altogether surprising when considering the context. As Bogdanovich pointed out in his book, there was a common perception at the time that James Stewart’s win was meant to make up for the actor being snubbed for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
Whether or not that was actually the case will likely never be known, but there’s some logic behind the idea. James Stewart was the favorite to win in 1939, and many critics – according to Turner Classic Movies – believed that the Best Actor award should have gone to him over Robert Donat.
After the spirited, breakout performance he had in Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, the actor winning the Oscar wouldn’t have been a surprise at all, but the reverse was true in 1939, given not only his compeтιтion, but the nature of the role.
The other nominees for Best Actor in 1940 were Charlie Chaplin (The Great Dictator), Henry Fonda (Grapes of Wrath), Raymond Mᴀssey (Abe Lincoln in Illinois), and Laurence Olivier (Rebecca).
It shouldn’t be forgotten that James Stewart’s Mike Connor was more of a supporting character than the male lead, which was Cary Grant. His character was the obstacle standing in the way of the romance between Grant and Katharine Hepburn’s character.
Stewart had some funny moments and did well with the role he was given, but the part didn’t exactly have the potential of a Best Actor-level performance.
Stewart had some funny moments and did well with the role he was given, but the part didn’t exactly have the potential of a Best Actor-level performance. Yet, Stewart won for the film regardless.
James Stewart Made Two Other Movies In The Same Year That Could Have Won Oscars
Both Were Better Than The Philadelphia Story
If it’s true that his Oscar for The Philadelphia Story was a way of rectifying what had happened in the previous year, it’s worth noting that James Stewart had two other performances in the same year that easily could have achieved that purpose.
James Stewart fit perfectly into The Shop Around the Corner, using a combination of comedic and dramatic chops to help create a heartwarming Christmas film, well-deserving of its 99% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Shop Around the Corner has a reputation as one of the best romantic comedies from Hollywood’s Golden Age, which wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing chemistry between Stewart and Margaret O’Sullivan.
That same chemistry was also prevalent in The Mortal Storm, a movie made before the United States became involved in World War II. Stewart demonstrated a remarkable range playing an Austrian college student who speaks up against the rise of Adolf Hitler.
The Mortal Storm featured a heartwrenching ending where both of the main characters die, and one that would have been much less effective were it not for Stewart’s phenomenal acting in the film. Unlike The Philadelphia Story, it didn’t receive any Oscars, but was a much better movie for James Stewart.
