Michael Douglasis an actor who truly fits the definition of “living legend”. He’s had a long and prolific career, including an Academy Award-winning turn inWall Street. ButWall Streetwasn’t the only time Douglas took home an Oscar. At the 48th Academy Awards in 1976,Douglas took home the award for Best Picturefor his role in producingOne Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.TheJack Nicholson-led psychodrama had a “clean sweep” at the 1976 ceremony, meaning it picked up awards in the five biggest categories of the night: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Screenplay. Douglas may not have starred inOne Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, but he did play a major role in getting it to the big screen.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
In the Fall of 1963, a Korean War veteran and criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where he rallies the scared patients against the tyrannical nurse.
Michael Douglas Produced ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’
Douglas first became involved withOne Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nestearly in his life; his fatherKirk Douglaspurchased the rights toKen Kesey’s novel and intended to turn it into a Broadway play. In a bit of an ironic twist, Nicholson had also wanted to purchase the rights until he was outbid by the elder Douglas. Douglas himself grew attached toCuckoo’s Nestwhile he was in college, especially as he was involved with student activism while studying at the University of California. “It was a great book. And I remember loving it and thinking, ‘Wow, this is… what a wonderful story,'” Douglas toldScott Feinbergwhile guesting onThe Hollywood Reporter’sAwards Chatterpodcast. He eventually convinced his father to take a crack at producing his own take onCuckoo’s Nest. “Okay give me a year, let me run with it…I’ll attempt to do the whole thing, get a production together and all of that.” The elder Douglas wound up letting his son take a crack at the material.
But even though Michael Douglas had the rights toOne Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, he ran into a few issues getting off the ground. First and foremost was finding a director. Douglas originally wantedRichard Rushto direct, but couldn’t secure the necessary funds. This led toSaul Zaentzboarding as a producer.MilošFormanfinally coming on-board to direct after Douglas & Zaentz watchedThe Fireman’s Ball. “The Firemen’s Ballhad the sort of qualities we were looking for: it took place in one enclosed situation, with a plethora of unique characters he had the ability to juggle,” Douglas recalled during aninterview withThe Guardian.
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Forman had his own personal reasons for accepting the job, as he feltthatOne Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nestparalleled the hardships he underwent in his homeland of Czechoslovakia. “To me, [the story] was not just literature, but real life, the life I lived in Czechoslovakia from my birth in 1932 until 1968. The Communist Party was my Nurse Ratched, telling me what I could and could not do; what I was or was not allowed to say; where I was and was not allowed to go; even who I was and was not,” Forman said during a2012 interview with theNew York Times.
‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’s Author Sued Michael Douglas
Douglas and Saentzran into some legal issueswhile trying to getOne Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nestoff the ground. Zaentz had originally sought out Kesey to write the film, as he felt that it could bring a level of authenticity to the film adaptation. Though he’d worked on early drafts of the script,Kesey wound up suing the production due to creative differences. “It was our only longstanding, painful issue. We got in to a financial dispute – it was silly, but maybe it was his way of defending his ego,” Douglas would say when discussing the incident with theGuardian. Eventually,the lawsuit was settled out of courtand filming continued. Kesey never saw the film version ofCuckoo’s Nestin full, but disliked what he saw, according toFight ClubauthorChuck Palahnuik,who wrote a foreword forCuckoo Nest’s deluxe edition: “The first time I heard this story, it was through the movie starring Jack Nicholson. A movie that Kesey once told me he disliked.”
‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ Earned Its Oscars & Kicked Off Douglas’ Hollywood Career
Due to his role as a producer, Douglas took home the Best Picture Award forOne Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nestin 1976.Cuckoo’s Nestremains a rare breed of film, as it isone of only three entriesin the Academy Awards to take home the top five awards. It more than earned those awards,as Forman and Nicholson deliver a stirring tale that captures the spirit of the original novel.Nicholson, in particular, commands the screen every time he appears as Randal McMurphy; his chaotic presence is the perfect foil forLouise Fletcher’s icy Nurse Ratched. The rest of the cast is stacked full of excellent performances, includingDanny DeVitoandChristopher Lloyd.
Douglas’career skyrocketed afterward, as he starred in a number of iconic films, beginning withRomancing the Stoneand its sequelJewel of the Nile(which he also produced). He also made the erotic thriller a popular genre with the double-header ofBasic InstinctandFatal Attraction. Douglas’ choice to produceOne Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nestis a strong example of how there’s more than one path to Oscar gold. “They thought I was crazy to lead this hugely successful shot…I mean, that would never happy today, by the way,” he said duringAwards Chatter. But perhaps Douglas' bold swing should be less of an exception and more of a rule for Hollywood.
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nestis available to rent from Prime Video in the U.S.
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