Leo McCarey’s Great, Neglected Movie

At the 1938 Academy Awards, the Oscar for Best Directing went to Leo McCarey for his movie The Awful Truth. You could scarcely say that the honor was undeserved, especially in light of the reputation that movie now has as one of the great screwball comedies—and also as the moment when Cary Grant discovered the persona that he would exploit for the rest of his remarkable career. (It was said by some at the time that that persona is essentially Grant’s impersonation of the ineffably charming McCarey.) When McCarey stepped up to receive the Oscar, he expressed his gratitude to the academy—and then added, “But you gave it to me for the wrong picture.”