Employed as a talent scout for MGM in 1931, Grady happened to see a production of a play at Princeton called "The Spanish Blades," in which a senior named
James Stewart had a role. Grady deemed all the rest of the cast "amateurs" prone to "excessive mugging and gestures"... but "the skinny guy at the end," although he "was six foot four... and looked uncomfortable as hell," nevertheless "played it straight and was a standout." After introducing himself backstage, Grady wrote in his notebook that the actor had "an ingratiating personality" but was a type in which the studio would have "no particular interest." Eighteen years later, Grady would be best man at Stewart's wedding to
Gloria Stewart.