In 1953, the Western “Shane” competed for the Best Picture Oscar with two historical dramas, “Julius Caesar” and “The Robe,” a romantic comedy “Roman Holiday,” and a WWII drama, “From Here to Eternity,” which swept most of the important Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Fred Zinnemann.
In 1993, the film was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
Casting
Director George Stevens originally wanted Montgomery Clift and William Holden for the Shane and Starrett roles.
When both proved unavailable, Stevens asked Paramount exec Freeman for a list of available actors with current contracts; within minutes, he chose Alan Ladd, Van Heflin, and Jean Arthur.
Shane was Jean Arthur’s first screen role in five years, and her last, at the age of 50, though she later appeared in theater, and short-lived TV series.
Arthur accepted the part at the request of Stevens, who had directed her in The Talk of the Town (1942) with Cary Grant and Ronald Colman, and The More the Merrier (1943) for which she received her only Oscar nomination.
My Oscar Book:
When asked if he enjoyed the movie, the author of “Shane,” Jack Schaefer, replied, “Yeah, I did, all except for that runt”, referring to the five-foot-six-inch (168 cm) Ladd.
In 1989, Schaefer told the Oberlin alumni magazine that his Shane character was supposed to be a “dark, deadly person” whom he had hoped would be played by George Raft
Oscar Nominations: 6
Picture, produced by George Stevens
Director: George Stevens
Screenplay: A. B. Guthrie
Supporting Actor: Brandon De Wilde
Supporting Actor: Jack Palance
Cinematography (color): Loyal Griggs
Oscar Awards: 1
Cinematography
Oscar Context
“Roman Holiday” received three awards, including one for Motion Picture Story, Ian McLellan Hunter, who served as a front for blacklisted Dalton Trumbo; Trumbo got his award in 1992.
Alan Ladd failed to get an acting nod for one of his best performances. William Holden received the Best Actor for Billy Wilder’s “Stalag 17,” and
Frank Sinatra won the Supporting Actor Oscar for “From Here to Eternity.”
