One of the greatest upsets in Oscar history took place March 20, 1948, when Loretta Young beat out the projected shoo-in for Best Actress, Rosalind Russell for Mourning Becomes Electra. The outcome seemed so certain Russell was out of her seat before Fredric March called Young’s name. Only Young’s producer, Dore Schary, had predicted the victory. Her expert comic timing, perfect accent and departure from her usual glamorous roles helped her win after over three decades in the movies. The part of a Swedish American farmgirl who ends up working for political powerbroker Joseph Cotton had been developed by independent producer David O. Selznick for Ingrid Bergman. When she turned the part down, he sold the property to RKO, where Schary insisted only Young could play the role. When the actress worried about sounding Swedish, he set her up with the same coach who had helped Bergman smooth out her Swedish accent.

From the collection of the Library of Congress.