"One flew east, and one flew west
and one flew over the cuckoo's nest..."

All these years later, I still remember that bit of Mother Goose that begins the book, and I can still see the images from the unforgettable movie version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, with its mix of actors and real patients in the wards of the Oregon State mental hospital.

Well, the cuckoo's nest will soon be no more. The hospital, which stood in the film as the physical symbol of a repressive regime, will soon be torn down. The nasty discovery of the remains of thousands of patients, ashes in disintegrating canisters stored in the old facility, hastened its demise.

The 125-year-old building will make way for a new facility that will offer (we can only hope) more enlightened treatment. And for all the real-life patients who suffered there, the heartbreaking, indelible movie will stand as a better memorial.

The hospital in 1920/Wikimedia Commons

Only in America could a portrait of a classic movie monster by a pin-up painter wind up in a museum dedicated to the wholesome images of Norman Rockwell.

This wonderful rendering of Boris Karloff in full Frankenstein mode by Rolf Armstrong, best known for his calendar girls and pin-ups, was in private hands for years. When the owner passed away, the will provided that the painting go to a museum, a Dallas auction house hooked up the estate with the Rockwell folks. And now it's one of the most popular pieces there.

So, if you happen to be anywhere near Stockbridge, MA in the near future, check it out.

Hat tip to Robo Japan. Nice find!