The Ill-Fated Film That Brought Tragedy to John Wayne and His Colleagues
John Wayne, a legendary figure in Hollywood, is known for his remarkable career and memorable performances alongside leading ladies like Katharine Hepburn and Maureen O'Hara.
However, it was director Raoul Walsh's decision to cast a young John Wayne in his 1930 film The Big Trail that set the stage for the actor's rise to stardom.
Throughout his career, Wayne collaborated frequently with renowned director John Ford, creating iconic western films such as Stagecoach (1939), The Long Voyage Home (1940), and The Searchers (1956).
Yet, there is one film from Wayne's repertoire that is believed to have played a role in his untimely demise in 1979 – The Conqueror.
The Conqueror, released in 1956, remains infamous for its highly questionable casting choice.
John Wayne, an American icon and future Oscar winner, portrayed the Mongol Emperor Genghis Khan – a role that seemed ill-suited for him.
Susan Hayward co-starred as Bortai, the captive princess and love interest, under the direction of d–k Powell.
However, the poor casting decision was not the only misstep associated with this film.
Surprisingly, the production team chose St. George, Utah, as the filming location, which would later prove to have devastating consequences.
At the time, St. George appeared to be an ordinary small town, aside from its proximity to an atomic bomb testing site in Nevada, located approximately a hundred miles away.
Assured by the federal government that it was safe to film in the area, the cast and crew flocked to the town, occupying every available hotel room and even employing locals as extras.
Unfortunately, they were unaware that Snow Canyon, one of the principal filming locations, had become contaminated by radioactive fallout from eleven atomic bomb tests conducted the previous year.
To make matters worse, Howard Hughes, the film's producer, had dirt from the area transported to Los Angeles for reshoots, further exposing the crew to radiation.
This decision would have dire consequences in the years to come.
As time passed, members of the cast and crew began falling victim to cancer, leading them to question the connection to The Conqueror's set.
d–k Powell died in 1963 from lymphoma, Susan Hayward succumbed to brain cancer in 1975, and John Wayne passed away in 1979 from stomach cancer (although he attributed it to his smoking habit).
Pedro Armendáriz tragically took his own life after being diagnosed with terminal kidney cancer, while Lee Van Cleef lost his battle with throat cancer.
Shockingly, out of the 220 individuals involved in the film, 91 developed cancer, and 46 succumbed to lung cancer, throat cancer, and other forms of the disease.
The statistics were staggering.
Dr. Robert C. Pendleton, director of radiological health at the University of Utah, referred to the situation as an epidemic, highlighting the possible link between radiation exposure on the film set and the high prevalence of cancer among the cast and crew.
He asserted that even in a court of law, the tie-in to their exposure during The Conqueror's production would likely hold up.
The impact extended beyond those directly involved in the film.
Family members who visited the set also experienced cancer scares.
Michael and Patrick Wayne, John Wayne's sons, both underwent procedures to remove skin cancer and a benign bre-st tumor, respectively.
Similarly, Susan Hayward's son had a benign tumor removed from his mouth, possibly influenced by his smoking habits.
In his later years, Howard Hughes expressed deep remorse for subjecting so many individuals to the toxic environment in Utah.
Reportedly, he spent $12 million acquiring every copy of The Conqueror and watched it repeatedly in his final days before passing away in 1976.
Despite the tragedy surrounding The Conqueror, John Wayne's career remained largely unaffected.
He went on to star in acclaimed films like Rio Bravo, El Dorado, and The Shootist.
Notably, he won his only Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Rooster Cogburn in True Grit, after receiving his first nomination for Sands of Iwo Jima in 1949.
John Wayne passed away at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, leaving behind a legacy as one of Hollywood's most beloved actors.
While we may never know for certain if The Conqueror played a role in his untimely death, there is no denying that it stands as one of the biggest missteps in the history of the film industry.
This article was originally published on September 18, 2020.
