Did you know Cuckoo's Nest was originally adapted as a Broadway play starring Kirk Douglas as McMurphy. Nobody saw it and the play flopped. Douglas spent years trying to get a film produced but didn't succeed. When he sold the rights to his son Michael, the production got off the ground, Jack Nicholson was cast as McMurphy. This was against Kirk's wishes because Kirk wanted the lead role for himself, believing it to be an Oscar-caliber role. But by the 1970s he was considered too old for the part and Michael refused. This created a rift between Kirk and his son according to his autobiography, but he quickly forgave him when the film was a hit. While he regretted not getting the role that ultimately won Nicholson his first Oscar, he admitted that Cuckoo's Nest made him and his son more money than any film he'd ever acted in