What would you expect from Gordon Gekko?

Here is one of my favorite Oscar stories.

In 1975, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay (for Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman).

The screenplay award was particularly interesting since it was based on the novel by Oregon writer Ken Kesey . Kesey’s name, however, was curiously missing from the list of people whom producer Michael Douglas thanked in front of that night’s international television audience. Of course, Douglas likely forgot the novelist by intention. Kesey, it seems, was in the process of suing Douglas, claiming that he was owed a bigger share of the movie profits.

“Oscar night should have been one of the great days of my life, like my wedding,” Kesey said afterward. “I really love movies. When they can be turned around to break your heart like this, well, it’s like something you never thought would happen.”

But like all reporters, I always look for the good quote. And here it is: Referring to Douglas’ acceptance of the Best Picture Oscar, Kesey said, “I’d like to have subpoenas in some of those award envelopes.”

That story came from “Inside Oscar: The Unofficial History of the Academy Awards,” by Mason Wiley and Damien Bona. I included it here as a way of, one, sharing my love-hate obsession with the Oscars and, two, drawing attention to our annual Oscar Contest .

We promise to reward the three winners with prizes, not subpoenas.