She received rave reviews for her performance in "Born Yesterday" on Broadway, and Cohn offered her the chance to repeat her role for the film version, but only after she did a screen test (which at first was used only as a "benchmark against which to evaluate" other actresses being considered for the role). She won the first Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and at the 23rd Academy Awards, Holliday won the Academy Award for Best Actress, defeating Gloria Swanson, nominated for "Sunset Boulevard", Eleanor Parker, for "Caged", and Bette Davis and Anne Baxter, both for "All About Eve".