# In 1934, a ‘Best Picture’-winning movie stabbed Cary Grant in the back. It was a betrayal he could never forgive

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1934-a-best-picture-winning-movie-stabbed-cary-grant-in-the-back-it-was-a-betrayal-he-could-never-forgive/
- Published: 2026-11-06T14:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T15:51:49+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/best-picture-winning-movie-stabbed-cary-grant-in-the-back/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- Paramount refused to loan Grant for *Mutiny on the Bounty*.
- The film won Best Picture with Franchot Tone in the role.
- Grant left Paramount and pursued freelance stardom.

## Summary

In 1934, MGM asked Paramount to loan Cary Grant for the leading role of Roger Byam in *Mutiny on the Bounty*, but Paramount chief Adolph Zukor refused. The film went on to win Best Picture, and the article argues that losing the role fuelled Grant’s decision to leave the studio system and pursue a freelance career.

Grant was still early in his film career, having made his feature debut in 1932. Franchot Tone took the role and was nominated for Best Actor alongside Clark Gable and Charles Laughton; none won. When his Paramount contract expired the next year, Grant did not renew it and reportedly left the Academy, later becoming a major star in films including *The Awful Truth* and *His Girl Friday*.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.