The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, winning two (Best Actor and Best Screenplay). At the 1940 ceremony, 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!"