4. Stewart remained a relatively minor star until 1938.
MGM continued to loan Stewart to other studios, and several films made in 1937-38 brought him critical approval, but little in the way of major stardom. That changed when director Frank Capra hired him to appear in a film made by Columbia Pictures, You Can’t Take It With You. The film, in which Stewart played a leading role opposite costar Jean Arthur, was a commercial success and won the Academy Award for Best Picture of the Year in 1938. On film, Stewart and Arthur shared comedic chemistry which rivaled that of Loy and Powell, and was noted by critics and audiences.
Despite the success of You Can’t Take It With You, Stewart followed it with three successive commercial failures in 1939. Then Capra approached him again, this time for a role in which he would play a naïve Senator. Jean Arthur was cast as his secretary and assistant in the film. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was a smash hit when it was released, and Stewart’s performance received high praise from critics. He also received his first nomination for the Academy’s Best Actor award, which in 1939 went to Robert Donat for his performance in Goodbye, Mr. Chips.