At the 1940 Academy Awards , James Stewart won for Best Actor , and Donald Ogden Stewart for Best Writing , Screenplay . James Stewart did not expect to win and was not planning to attend the ceremony , but he was called and " advised " to show up in a dinner jacket . He said he had voted for Henry Fonda for his performance in '' The Grapes of Wrath '' , and always felt the award had been given to him as compensation for not winning for his portrayal of Jefferson Smith in '' Mr. Smith Goes to Washington '' the previous year . Donald Ogden Stewart , on the other hand , declared upon winning '' his '' Oscar : " I have no one to thank but myself ! " There were also four nominations : Hepburn won a 1940 New York Film Critics Circle Award for her performance , and the film was named the third best of the year by '' Film Daily ''
1940 Academy Awards
13th Academy Awards
The Philadelphia Story (film)