Nichols returned to Broadway to direct Neil Simon's "The Prisoner of Second Avenue" in 1971. The play won Nichols another Tony Award for Best Director. In 1973, Nichols directed a revival of Anton Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya" on Broadway starring George C. Scott and with a new translation by himself and Albert Todd. In 1973 Nichols directed the film "The Day of the Dolphin" starring George C. Scott, based on the French novel "Un animal doué de raison" (lit. "A Sentient Animal") by Robert Merle and adapted by Buck Henry. The film was not successful financially and received mixed reviews from critics. Nichols next directed "The Fortune" (1975), starring Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson and Stockard Channing. Again, the film was a financial failure and received mostly negative reviews. It was Nichols' last feature narrative film for eight years.