Which Oscar-winning film was dubbed "Cohn's Folly" in Hollywood, and thought to be non-adaptable for the big screen?

Answer 1

From Here to Eternity (1953)

Many thought the explicit, almost 900 page 1951 best selling novel by James Jones upon which the film was based, was too long and too adult to be filmed. Columbia's studio chief Harry Cohn paid only $82,000 for the rights.