A Search for the Perfect Director
Acquiring the perfect director took more than one take. Ten years, to be exact. Initially, Kirk Douglas’ determination to secure Czechoslovakian cinema mastermind Miloš Forman, whose dark and sardonic style was the perfect fit, flopped. Douglas, who had the production rights and starred in the Broadway version of the story, had reached out to Forman sending him a copy of the book. Sadly, the effort was ill-fated and Czech customs confiscated it.
Both men thought they had been slighted by each other. Finally, a decade after the Broadway version, the younger Michael Douglas contacted Forman and mailed another copy. He enthusiastically embraced the venture.
It Almost Got Cut
The classic fishing boat scene hilariously depicting McMurphy escaping with the patients almost did not happen. At the last minute, Director Miloš Forman decided to include it.
The memorable moment, filmed at Depoe Bay in Oregon, the smallest harbor in the world, was the movie’s final shot. Tidbit: the entire crew, except Nicholson, got violently seasick.
And So Did the Beard
Nicholson was totally convinced a beard would suit McMurphy. So, on the first day of shooting, he showed up with a full beard—only to have Forman force him to shave it.
This would not be the last time the two egos clashed. Perhaps Delos V. Smith as inmate Scanlon, pictured here, provided plenty enough beard for the cast?
Like Father Like Son
Michael Douglas took over the project from Kirk Douglas. Entreating his father, “Let me run with this,” he took it as a passion project. Michael absolutely loved the book. “It was a brilliantly conceived story of one man against the system,” and he dreamed of bringing it to the big screen.
With Michael at the helm, they went about casting McMurphy. Jack Nicholson clinched it over Burt Reynolds, Gene Hackman, Marlon Brandon, and several others who didn’t make the cut.
The Casting
Casting Chief Bromden was a no-brainer. Will Sampson, a member of the northern Oregon Celilo tribe, was an unknown actor and park ranger. He was the only Native American screened who was large enough to fill the part. Size mattered. At 6’7”, he was plenty tall.
Since then, he has adorned our screens in "Alcatraz; The Whole Shocking Story" and "The White Buffalo". He was a known rodeo rider. In 1987 he tragically passed away after a long illness.