It’s hard to imagine now, but back in 1976, Jack Nicholson was dead set on skipping the Oscars.
Seriously, the man who gave us the legendary R.P. McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest just didn’t want to show up. By that time, Nicholson had already been nominated five times and walked away empty-handed each time. The sting of defeat had worn him down. And despite the Miloš Forman-directed film being a massive hit — second only to Jaws in 1975 — Jack was convinced it’d be another bust.
“I can’t do this again,” he told producer Michael Douglas. Jack wasn’t trying to be dramatic — he genuinely felt jinxed.
But Douglas, who had produced the film (his very first one, in fact), wasn’t having it. He persuaded Nicholson to attend the ceremony, though it wasn’t easy. And when the night started with four losses, Nicholson leaned back from his seat and muttered to Douglas, “Oh, Mikey D, I told you, man.”
Douglas simply replied, “Hang in there.”
A Legendary Sweep
Good thing he did. That night, Cuckoo’s Nest pulled off what only It Happened One Night had done before — and only The Silence of the Lambs has done since: it won the Big Five at the Oscars — Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Actress.
It was a Cinderella moment for a film no one had really wanted to produce or distribute. And now, 50 years later, it’s coming back to theaters — July 13 and 16 — in a pristine 4K restoration, complete with an intro by film critic Leonard Maltin.
“This is my first 50th anniversary,” Douglas said recently. “It was the first movie I ever produced. To have something so lasting, something that people still get so much out of… it’s just a wonderful feeling.”
A Film No One Wanted to Make
It’s hard to believe, but studios weren’t jumping at the chance to turn Ken Kesey’s iconic 1962 novel into a feature film. Even though Kirk Douglas — yes, that Kirk Douglas — had bought the rights and even played McMurphy on Broadway, Hollywood just wouldn’t bite. Eventually, Kirk passed the rights down to his son, Michael, giving the younger Douglas his shot at movie-making.
The result? A groundbreaking film that not only changed the course of Douglas’s career but introduced the world to a host of now-familiar faces like Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd.
DeVito was actually the first one cast. Douglas had known him for a decade and took Forman to see him perform the role of Martini on stage.
“Miloš just lit up,” Douglas recalled, switching into a Czech accent. “He said, ‘Yes! Danny! Perfect! Cast!’”
An Unforgettable Shoot — In a Real Hospital
Despite the movie's weighty themes — mental health, individuality, rebellion — filming Cuckoo’s Nest wasn’t the tortured experience you might expect. The shoot was full of serious work, sure, but also a surprising amount of joy.
That’s partially because they shot at a real mental hospital in Salem, Oregon. The cast and crew stayed in the same nearby motel and even rode the same bus to set each day. That kind of close-quarters living built a camaraderie that came through on screen.
“There was full commitment,” said Douglas. “Nobody went home at night to their normal lives. That made a difference.”
Even Nicholson was caught off guard. “On the first day, we stopped for lunch and Jack pushes his tray away, steps outside for air, and goes, ‘Who are these guys? It’s lunch and they’re all still in character!’”
DeVito even remembers trying to live in the hospital itself — that’s how immersed they were. “We asked if we could sleep there,” he laughed. “They wouldn’t let us. The floor above had some seriously disturbed folks… people who had committed murder.”
Still, the vibe was more brotherhood than breakdown. “We had a ball doing it,” DeVito said. “Miloš was serious, and we all respected Kesey’s work. But we loved being a part of it.”
Behind-the-Scenes Battles and Losses
Not everything was light-hearted. Halfway through production, they discovered William Redfield (who played Harding) was battling leukemia. He would sadly pass away not long after the film’s release.
Also, director Miloš Forman had a strict “no dailies” policy — meaning the actors couldn’t see any playback of their performances. That frustrated some of them, but Forman wanted to keep the performances raw and in-the-moment.
Then there was Saul Zaentz, a name that doesn’t get mentioned as much as it should when people talk about this film. The late producer ran Fantasy Records (home to Creedence Clearwater Revival) and was the one who rolled the dice on financing Cuckoo’s Nest. What started as a modest $1.6 million project eventually ballooned to $4 million — a gamble that paid off big time.
Father and Son — A Bittersweet Legacy
One of the more poignant aspects of Cuckoo’s Nest is the undercurrent of father-son dynamics — both on-screen and off.
Kirk Douglas had dreamed of bringing McMurphy to the screen himself. He had originated the role on stage and deeply identified with the character. But by the time the film got greenlit, studios thought he was too old.
That must’ve hurt.
Yet when the film turned out to be a global success — with his son at the helm — it became something more powerful than personal glory. It was a shared legacy.
“I’m now far enough along in my career to understand,” Michael Douglas said. “You maybe get four, maybe five really great parts. McMurphy was one of those. I’m sure Dad felt that.”
“To not be able to play it on film must have stung. But then… the fact that the picture turned out so well, and his son was behind it? Thank God it turned out. If it had bombed, that would’ve been a disaster for both of us.”
A 50-Year Impact That Still Hits Home
Even now, Danny DeVito still keeps in touch with his Cuckoo’s Nest family — Nicholson, Lloyd, and Douglas among them.
“It holds up in a really big way,” DeVito said. “Miloš was so dialed into what made the script and story work. He didn’t miss a beat.”
As the film returns to theaters this month with a stunning 4K restoration, audiences old and new will get a chance to revisit — or discover for the first time — the story of a man who shook up a broken system with a smirk, a fight, and a whole lot of heart.
Michael Douglas, reflecting on that Oscar night 50 years ago, put it best: “It was a fairy tale from beginning to end. I doubt anything else I’ve done has really come close. Even winning Best Actor years later — it didn’t quite top that moment early in my career.”
🔑 Quick Takeaways:
-
Jack Nicholson almost didn't attend the Oscars in 1976.
-
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest swept the Big Five awards — a rare feat in film history.
-
The film shot at a real psychiatric hospital in Oregon, adding gritty realism and cast camaraderie.
-
It marked the producing debut of Michael Douglas — who got the rights from his famous father.
-
The film is returning to theaters July 13 & 16 in 4K.
Login