Michael Douglas Shares a Great Jack Nicholson Story from the Set of 'Cuckoo's Nest'

[@debrabock6475]

As a retired psychiatric nurse, the film was true to fact. One of the greatest films. Loved cigarette

[@kickupurple]

ok nurse Ratched, medication time :)

[@LeaveAhNah]

As a former psychiatric patient in an Oregon mental hospital, I also concur it was accurate.

[@lisacampbell4819]

⁠@@kickupurpleI think (imo, & maybe I’m wrong but just trying to help here) the part of this comment u thot was crazy was last part: “I loved cigarette”..bc it wasn’t explained in this particular vid short (nor grammatically correct.) But (again☺️)I think what she meant was that she loved this movie & esp the infamous cig scene(s). Hope this helped U, or someone in some way! 😅👍🙋‍♀️👋

[@kickupurple]

@@lisacampbell4819 you are too funny I don't need help I was just quoting a line in the movie, maybe it's really med time for you? 😁😁😵😵

[@mRcordwilK]

Yeh we was all there and we know this to be true

[@Streaming_Music]

"I'm surrounded by method actors!"

[@Malouco]

Method acting 🎭 should be called… RUNNING EVERYONE OFF THE SET ACTING

[@seferino]

LoL 😂😂😂

[@warriorwaitress7690]

True story: I had some friends in the '90s who were in a local band. They were somehow invited to play for the psychiatric patients at the Oregon State Hospital, so a few carloads of us drove down there from Portland to go with them and see the show. At one point we were outside having a smoke break near a maintenance shed, and we spotted some graffiti on it that said, "Fake it, get out, then k1ll". We were equal parts amused and alarmed, lol.

[@michaelandrews1480]

"I knew it! I'm surrounded by a**holes! Keep firing a**holes!!" (From the movie Spaceballs). 🤣🤣🤣

[@ephwurd2yurMother]

The commander said comb the desert and that's what we're gonna do god damnit

[@KellyDsWorld]

I can’t get over how much Michael looks like his Dad…. Especially with the silver hair 😍

[@MelloMe_]

Absolutely. I thought it was Kirk at first too.

[@mangomonkey6938]

His voice got old too

[@gretchenschmidt9748]

He sure does

[@robert48719]

He's old, of course his hair lost colour

[@gawd4582]

Sounding like him too.

[@DanielToma-m5i]

One of the best clips I’ve ever seen is Jack Nicholson, Nurse Ratchett, & the other inmates on the set, and the 1975 Golden Globes is being aired. Nicholson won for Best Actor for ‘Chinatown’, but couldn’t accept in person because he was filming Cuckoo’s Nest. The clip is Nicholson looking at the camera, expressing thanks for the Golden Globe, and explaining that he’s at a mental facility, and unable to leave. Then Nurse Ratchett walks over, looks at the camera, and says that Mr. Nicholson needs to get back to the therapy session, or something like that. Just so creative.

[@markhurrell23]

Pay close attention to the kid that stutters hanging from the ceiling in the background

[@markhurrell23]

​@@jars7774No. I wish I was legendary actor Brad Dourif.

[@whatsittoya5539]

@@markhurrell23IT’S CHUCKY HANGING BACK THERE

[@davidhubbard6963]

I seen that clip...very creepy very nice🥴

[@crnkmnky]

The clip I found is from the BAFTAs (British film academy).

[@KenDodd1317]

What a film, what a cast. It has to be one of the greatest movies of all time.

[@Njbear7453]

100%

[@deirdre108]

With great music played on a saw.

[@danielfarmer1334]

The guy that wrote the book it was based on, lived near Eugene Oregon

[@Keepcalm-lovesports]

If I remember correctly it won the Big Five at the Oscars. There is only a couple movies that achieved this feat.

[@Njbear7453]

@@Keepcalm-lovesports silence of the lambs being another

[@e2renee]

This was one of the very few movies which was as good as the book. Kudos to Michael Douglas!

[@celestebenamara6606]

AGREE!!!

[@jaynedoe80]

Another one was In Cold Blood.

[@deirdre108]

McMurphy straining to lift the tub control unit from the floor, fails, hearing a little snickering around the room replies---I tried, didn't I? At least I did that. Great scene.

[@e2renee]

@@deirdre108 I found a copy at my local Goodwill and gave it to my son for Christmas. He was mesmerized!

[@pinnacleproductions6275]

I am confused here. Michael Douglas was in One Flew Over? I have seen it dozens of times and do not remember him in it. Am I just getting old?

[@33Justthinking]

This is still an active hospital. It is a very scary place to this day. Jack did a great job acting the part.❤❤❤

[@Truthserum7]

Wild

[@sandrad7447]

A friend of my father's was the actual head of the mental hospital when the movie was filmed. The filmmakers had planned to hire some local actor to play the the small role, but Michael Douglas found my dad's friend so interesting that he offered him the small role of the head of the hospital in the film. He took the role.

[@favoritemustard3542]

​@@sandrad7447that's really neat! I'll remember that during the next week or so when I rewatch the film.

[@sunshinetx36]

What is the name of the hospital it was filmed at?

[@marcpetrie7090]

@@sunshinetx36it says at the very start it’s the Oregon State mental hospital

[@garygibson4845]

My older brother was in one of those hospitals in Illinois back when they made this movie. It took me 15 years to summon the courage to watch it. A great movie and very real! Those were disturbing places and times. At least lobotomies were not allowed at that time in history.

[@jvallas]

That's what JFK's sister had, if I'm not mistaken.

[@ssl3546]

@@jvallas Yes, that is what was done to Rose against her will because she was embarassing the family.

[@darraghfarrell9024]

AND THIS FILM WILL ALWAYS BE REGARDED AS THE GREATEST FILM EVER MADE!?! LOVED IT!?!

[@jeannieborders1398]

Prayers for all the people in the mental hospitals🙏🙏🙏 it’s so sad💔

[@cyman0730]

If prayers worked, they wouldn't be mentally ill. Unless some people's prayers are better than the patients' loved ones & caregivers.

[@eldonn4871]

M. Douglas was one of the producers.

[@dabrownone]

Thank you. I was like wtf, he wasnt in that lol

[@DaniB19819]

Yep..me too , ..I'm like was Michael Douglas in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's nest ?? ..no !!!😂..1st book I ever read ..I had the coolest English teacher and she had us read this ..we absolutely loved it as a class, and then she played the movie for us. One of my top ten faves of all time.

[@Bra1966sil]

@@dabrownone He won an Oscar as a producer

[@donnasmigel3183]

REALLY!? Huh 🤔 And thanks so much for your reply.

[@aifricbrennan473]

Was just about to ask , thank you 😊

[@goldwingerppg5953]

My absolute favorite movie and Jack Nicholson my favorite actor. Great guy too, much to my surprise.

[@seancurran2659]

Love Michael Douglas. I remember when i was 8 or 9 having to go to bed and trying to stay up to watch " The Streets of San Francisco" with he and Karl Malden. I watch it now on "Pluto TV". Great Show. For some reason network TV lost its ability to make shows like that. 😢 I dont know what happened. Network TV is horrible now!

[@aminemaia921]

It was magical

[@gardensofthegods]

Yeah that was a good show I remember we used to watch it .

[@gardensofthegods]

If they made a show called The Streets of San Francisco now it would be about people reporting all the human feces they see on the street

[@chriskarley384]

Damn ! I forgot all about that show! It really was fantastic!!🤯👍

[@JennyJeong425]

They gave up trying because most people don't watch it. All the streaming services have flooded the market.

[@domesticengineerlifecoach6938]

One the Greatest movies ever made!! That unforgettable nurse.👏

[@SusanTetreault-g7h]

That movie brought out all your emotions & ❤ not easy. It's absolutely one of the best movies ever.❤❤❤❤😊

[@jvallas]

We saw it in the theatre, and at the end of the movie, the entire place was completely silent the entire time we were walking out. Not a single word from anyone if I'm remembering right.

[@bobbiecrawford8967]

This has to be one of the best movies of all time. Didn’t know Michael Douglas was a producer.

[@dwightdowson9259]

Brillìant Script and Production Mr.Douglas!

[@donbarbaraphillipson6285]

I took part of my RN Psychiatric training at Oregon state hospital back in 1969-70 about. I was on an all female ward. I don’t remember any scary moments. The staff was fine. I about had a heart attack finding out that One Flew Over…filmed there!!!😮😮😮😮

[@michaelcase8574]

The Hospital in the film is 2 miles from my home. There is a great museum in which it highlights the movie with lots om memorabilia.

[@Callsign_Spartacus_37Fox]

My dad was working at the hospital as a truck driver at the time. He has lots of cool stories.

[@bradmarkell12167]

Do tell

[@gardensofthegods]

Well why not share some of those stories here with us

[@Callsign_Spartacus_37Fox]

To use the hospital, the movie was required to use some of the patients and staff to work on the film. Some appear in the movie. Many of the characters in the movie are based off real characters, such as “Chief”. After the movie completed filming, the real Chief was going to be moved to a halfway house. So he decided to go to the wood shop the hospital had, and he cut off his part of his arm (from just below the elbow). He didn’t scream or act in pain in anyway. He just walked back to the hospital and told them that he “wouldn’t have to leave now”. While filming, 2-3 of the patients just walked off. Took a few days to find them.

[@gardensofthegods]

@@Callsign_Spartacus_37Fox really sad about that guy Chief it just sounds like he didn't want to have to deal with the real world and incredible that he actually really liked being there . Pretty funny about some of them walking off the grounds ...haha .

[@Callsign_Spartacus_37Fox]

@@gardensofthegods Yeah, Chief (just like in the movie was a huge Indian guy) was completely institutionalized. After that, no more patients were allowed into the wood-shop. As for the patients that walked off…They were low security, not considered dangerous. They were part of a work release program, so they were allowed to leave the hospital, with security, for work. But when the filming started, they were no longer allowed to. They were unhappy about that, so the 3 of them decided to leave and go into town anyway. They just hung around town, ate, and visited were they worked at. They returned at the end of the day when they would normally return from work.

[@PONY3113]

This movie haunted me....They filmed some of the scenes at the VA I attend. It's a decades old hospital. Campus is massive and is so beautiful.

[@gailater2285]

I drove my father to the VA in Roseburg on an involuntary commitment in 1969 !

[@randyjobst581]

I think to me, this is one of the greatest pieces of cinema ever created. I’ve never seen a movie with 8 or 10 just flawless acting performances.

[@bige8496]

I grew up in Salem, Oregon, where the hospital is that hosted the filming location. Back in the 80s, that place was definitely loaded with all the crazy's for sure. He's telling the truth...

[@bison2022]

When I got home from overseas in 1970 ,I went to see one flew over the coocoos nest off Broadway in a theater in the round. Kirk Douglas played mc Murphy. I got to watch arms distance and wished I was further away. You couldn't convince me these were not patients instead of actors. Frightening to say the least! I'm so lucky to have watched your dad work so close. I'm a huge fan.

[@BbGun-lw5vi]

How did Kirk’s McMurphy compare to Jack’s McMurphy? I’m very curious.

[@georgespalding7640]

My God I can't believe it's been 50 years since they made that movie. Time is going so quickly now as I get older.

[@connieprudhel296]

I remember that movie a great movie. Jack Nicholson the best. His charisma is very charismatic. More people need that❤😊

[@alanratay4583]

That movie seemed like you were watching the real thing. It didn’t seem like a movie at all. Incredible.

[@joyeverlasting6124]

Absolutely

[@sandrad7447]

A friend of my father's was the actual head of the mental hospital when the movie was filmed. The filmmakers had planned to hire some local actor to play the the small role, but Michael Douglas found my dad's friend so interesting that he offered him the small role of the head of the hospital in the film. He took the role.

[@scorpsieorwin5678]

Mr. Douglas had stage IV squamous cell carcinoma oral cancer. He immediately began both radiation and chemotherapy treatments. After a long and difficult battle, Michael is now cancer free and in good health. He continues to have regular check-ups to monitor his remission.

[@donnaflowers2007]

May God bless ❤😊😊

[@sachamusica1]

Nerd

[@patriciabagby90]

My husband had the same thing and even the same doctor! He did a great job!

[@rubydawn1]

I worked in a hospital like it when this movie came out I loved the movie I was 20 years old.

[@mattsmith4589]

NEVER IN MY LIFE DID I THINK RICH EISEN WAS THIS VERSATILE! I’m truly blown away the level of talent you get on your show. 😭😭😭.

[@61wanderer61]

Jack, of all people, questioning the other actors level of sanity? What a great story!

[@catheline51]

Michael Douglas has such a perfect speaking voice. Enunciates every word.

[@hawncho7198]

We need state hospitals again

[@Bikewithlove]

Agreed. All this ‘woke’ Lysenkoism was exacerbated by Kesey’s luxury beliefs. Cuckoo’s nest was hedonistic propaganda that demonized psychology and ultimately created the fentanyl crisis. There are special places in hell for Marcusian boomers like Kesey.

[@Chatta-Ortega]

They're still there but they mostly accept a fraction of the patients they used to treat. You can no longer self-admit or volunteer for hospitalization.

[@vonniemichelle3670]

LOL And that is a fact, Jack.

[@420JackG]

Absolutely

[@mwilliamson3989]

California still has some

[@ryedoll]

I've got a buddy in Oregon State Hospital right now. He'll never get out which is a good thing. That place is no joke at all. If they used actual inmates because let's face it, that's what they are. Their inmates that don't have proper mental facets like the rest of us. These guys are lucky to be alive to be honest

[@Zajuts149]

I was today years old when I learnt that Michael Douglas was a producer of "One flew over the cuckoo's nest". When I saw it, I never followed the credits that carefully.

[@richposports7030]

Never knew!😮 As for the movie...utterly moving. 😮😢

[@corabernal6432]

I remember that one time when I was in a mental hospital they showed that movie Kinda like preaching to the choir 😆😎❤️🙏

[@Nopeagain708]

Love cuckoo’s Nest

[@soundmindtv2911]

I grew up near there. When they filmed at the state hospital in Salem, it was crazy. They had the entire hospital barricaded off with tall plywood barricades for over a year.

[@highbeltjp]

One of my all time favourite films

[@angellee9307]

MR KIRKS BABY IS ALMOST AS HANDSOME AS HE WAS. BLESS YOU DEAR MOVIE STAR!

[@jackytoomata9332]

Listening to Michael Douglas talks about this movie makes laugh out loud! Jack Nicholson did know that the extras people were actually the real patients from the nut house!

[@carolecarr5210]

The older Michael gets, the more he looks like his father.

[@julieball1167]

He would look odd if he looked like his mother 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@kellydl7256]

One of the best movies made.

[@ToniM10]

Jack...always tells it like it IS!!.. LOL ✌️❤️😎🤣👍👍

[@Flynnoo7]

I love stories like this.😊😂😊

[@liberty8424]

One of The Best Movies ever Made!!❤❤❤

[@dannylooney7348]

HE WAS JEALOUS BC THEY NEVER BROKE CHARACTER!!😂😂😂😂😂that’s so funny

[@Wise-Lady-La-Aura]

Great movie! I worked in a mental hospital, in high school in the 1970’s. The patients really do break for lunch, or they get in trouble. 😆 Maybe they got special treatment during the movie. Oh , the stories I could tell!! Bring back free State mental hospitals! People need to be put in them again!

[@rebeccatrainor6366]

I worked @ a state mental hospital in Washington. It was dangerous to do work on the wards that housed the criminally insane (forensic wards)...in a split second you could be injured or killed. It's hard to believe it would be allowed to intermingle with grouos of these patients on set in Oregon.

[@deirdre108]

Was this Stillacoom?

[@tinaschlindwein9267]

Great show n Jack Nickleson is a legend

[@bobwferguson]

Great movie we read the book in English at a military school before the movie came out

[@itorapadas]

Jack: "Who are these people? They don't stop for lunch!" Michael, who is producer of movie said to himself: "Yes and i LOVE THEM ALL!"

[@RevSandi]

I remember visiting my mom in that hospital when I was about four years old, so that would have been in 1969.

[@lindachandler4750]

My husband was playing football at a mental institution and one of the patients ran off with a player over his shoulder 😂😂

[@annetterodriguez6741]

Picturing Nicholson upset about this is hilarious 🤣🤣

[@kimlee1416]

Thats so funny with what Jack said, made me have a good laugh.

[@JohnVC]

The patients were probably looking at Jack and saying "Who the hell is this guy? He's crazier than us."

[@crruan1142]

Streets of San Fran, best music of all cops shows ever‼️👏❤️

[@allapattah5550]

Pure Funk

[@barbaracabello587]

Nope . . . "Mod Squad" and "Starsky & Hutch" ! ! !

[@kellicat6352]

I have not watched in a long time. Will watch asap.

[@IngridVonSury-i2n]

What a fantastic movie

[@namenotavailable7365]

I would've figured Jack had been a patient there already for some time.

[@chrismofer]

Don't you know you've... Always been here?

[@michaelcelani8325]

​@@chrismofer..At the Stanley Hotel" in Estes Park Co. or at the fictional Overlook Hotel in Oregon..?

[@michaelcelani8325]

​@@chrismofer....Grady. ??

[@barbaracabello587]

​@@chrismofer. . . ARKHAM ASYLUM . . .

[@Starkardur]

Didn't his character pretend to be insane?

[@tedstyle3798]

These guys are amazing! They never break character!

[@joevokey1340]

That’s when movies weren’t all the same crap of super heroes with magic jazz hands 👐🏼

[@cosmicHalArizona]

Working in Hollywood should prepare actors for this experience.

[@Danmjubb86]

In my top 5 movies of all time

[@radrcer]

Today the mental hospital is I5 tent cities between Seattle and San Diego

[@alexmanojlovic768]

They're NUTS!! Jack Nicholson should feel right at home then??!!.... 😂

[@jimmybuffet4970]

It must have been the highlight of their year to be involved with the film. It was great that they did that.

[@MARKCANEER]

Michael Douglas is a Good man and an Excellent actor. He gets my respect.👍

[@user-jw4fz3sq1w]

Miss the quality of storytelling films that Michael Douglas used to act in and be involved in. Wishing him all the best.💓

[@jeffduflo8204]

The acting is beyond real. Possibly the greatest film ever produced.

[@maureenparker6185]

Jack was real special in that movie!

[@spanishpeaches2930]

Fun fact. MD made more money from this film than his dad did in all of his films.

[@anitarose7915]

Wow, Michael looks great!! Good to see him well! That is if this is a current video.

[@YourConscience.o_o]

I'm gonna say it. Mike Douglas doesn't get his flowers. Dude is a legend. Respect!

[@margarethakloots5287]

I wish I could see this movie again after living in the US long enough and a visit of a state hospital in CA!

[@nitroburn72]

Been living in Salem, Oregon, since '75. Great movie and it's always cool to see clips that reference the film and the filming location being in this city. They've since restored and upgraded the hospital. Unfortunately, these days, our state allows way more mentally ill people (imo) to roam around town and live on the streets than be housed at the mental hospital where they should be. I had a gf and know others who've worked at the hospital and have been told many stories of the perverted and disgusting things that patients there do, in addition to regular violence by patients towards nurses and staff and the hospital's SOP that deprives nurses and staff the ability to defend themselves. People walking around maturbating, spitting and flinging nasty nasty stuff (including poo, etc) at staff, etc...just disgusting. Truth often isn't ever allowed to see the light of day, since everyone in charge has to 'paint the picture of life' prettier than it really is. Much of what we see and hear in life is a facade hiding greater truth. Aside from all that...it was great movie, longtime Salem residents are always proud knowing this film was done here, and Jack Nicholson has always been a fantastically eccentric guy/actor. The film is a classic goody!

[@tig50]

Oregon is definitely a state that needs to reopen that mental hospital

[@scotquest12]

Hell yes get them out of Portland

[@angelwingz892]

One of many.

[@JP-od9ps]

Nyc too

[@deirdre108]

I think its still operational.

[@Hank13665]

Good one

[@63maddog]

I a Field Rep for the State of Oregon for a couple decades. We were in Pendleton Oregon and part of the same system. We were using the beautiful library for scheduling our Strike meetings. One meeting was really good…lots of great questions and one dude was really leading the Q&A. Cool and really engaging. That all ended when the door when a tech stormed in, looked around and barked, KEVIN!!! get back you back to group NOW! Our super member was a patient. I have not stopped laughing! Our strike was successful!

[@grahamruddock6462]

That's brilliant!! I have been wetting myself for the last five mins!!😂😂😂

[@Starkardur]

This debunks the theory that Jack Nicholson is this crazy method actor

[@AvengingAngel777]

I thought he was going to say how well Jack fit in with the criminally insane . . . .

[@timthompson8297]

I’ve really liked Douglas for decades. Funny and talented.

[@ritasmith8045]

I bet they had so much fun making that film.

[@miguelstein8431]

Salem Oregon!

[@colemcleod941]

Jack, Jack, what is it? Michael, I know this is going to sound crazy to you, but I think I remember this place...

[@timothyhemperly6474]

That institution is in Salem, Oregon. I saw it from the outside fortunately.

[@kathywood8649]

I work down the street from it, there are plenty of people there on the outside that should be on the inside!

[@mikedaniel4986]

Some of it was also filmed here in Pendleton

[@danaleanne38]

Loved this move ❤

[@paulclissold1525]

so one flew over was michaels film kirk was to play mcmurphy but at the last minute the lead role was recast.

[@deborahsmith7970]

Love Michael Douglas❤❤❤ Love his wife too!!!🙂

[@theunknown4570]

For a few years there in a row. Michael Douglas was the man in Hollywood

[@georgespalding7640]

Between Jack Nicholson, Robert de niro, and Tom Hanks the three of them have been involved in probably 20 of the top 50 greatest movies ever made.

[@ExposeEvil_FleefromIt77]

I don't recall Michael Douglas in the movie ..but it was a great movie irregardless.

[@porsche9302]

To think Jack was probably trying to have conversations with these people and was getting confused as hell.

[@BethStoner-t8v]

Loved the part when they were all on the boat❤

[@chipw9513]

I toured the museum last summer, different movie props, but no brain frying machine

[@reshamejia4480]

This just goes to show these were two professionals. Jack actually walked outside to vent and Michael followed him to see what was up. I feel with actors nowadays they would’ve probably thrown a fit and spoken to these people with very indecorous tone. Class acts, the both of them. Top three favorite Jack Nicholson movies: 1. A Few Good Men 2. Something’s Gotta Give 3. As Good As It Gets

[@DartsNoCity]

You did notice, though, that when he answered Jack, he pranked him by letting him still believe the insane denizens of the hospital were actors instead. Hardly what I'd call "decorous," but I appreciate and agree with the sentiment that people were much more polite in those times.

[@Zeus-rq5wn]

I think you probably shouldn't write every fantasy that pops into your head. Especially your "feelings".

[@papimimi5469]

The Shining

[@Islandtime23]

Cuckoos Nest The Shining The Departed (A lot of other ones I almost put)

[@reshamejia4480]

All classics. I like Jack when he’s playing a somewhat relatable character. To me you can really see the acting skills there.

[@ozzybeloiu466]

Anyone else imagining what kind of person ends up in an Oregon mental hospital in 2024? I mean, have you seen what walks around freely there 😂😂