John Wayne’s Historic Film Disaster: How a Movie 70 Years Ago Wrecked His Health

Unless it was John Ford, the most powerful and influential figure on any film set where John Wayne stepped was “The Duke” himself.

Though he had many successful collaborations throughout his career, Wayne was always seen as the unchallenged master. He was the biggest star of the cast, the major commercial draw of the production, and one of the most famous actors on the planet, which almost automatically meant he got what he wanted.

This was a daunting prospect for any newcomer. That’s why he rarely partnered with filmmakers who had not yet proven themselves. When he gave a chance to a novice, Dick Powell, who only had one feature film to his credit, the man known as “The Duke” quickly found out that the director was completely overwhelmed. The final product was not only one of the worst films he had ever made, but also one of the most criticized of all time.

A Tense Production

The legacy of the 1956 film “The Conqueror” is rather unpleasant. Besides its status as a critical pariah and commercial disaster—a film that does not stand the test of time, especially when you see John Wayne, far from being Mongolian, playing Genghis Khan—it is sometimes considered one of the most controversial film shoots in the history of cinema.

Convinced that nothing could go wrong by filming on former nuclear test sites, nearly 100 crew members, including actors and technicians, developed cancers of various kinds and about 50 of them died. Even before these consequences were known, Wayne was already aware that he was fighting a losing battle to save what he considered a foredoomed failure.

An Overwhelmed Director and an Inappropriate Script

At the time, however, none of this foreshadowed such long-term health problems. Wayne’s frustrations were primarily focused on the filming and what he perceived as a lack of leadership within the production.

Dick Powell, better known as an actor, had only directed one noir thriller, “Cry Danger” (1953), before this. John Wayne, a top-tier star used to asserting his dominance, had nothing personal against Powell, but he seriously doubted his experience and filmmaking skills.

“He was such a nice guy that, when I saw he was completely overwhelmed, I tried to help without being too direct, which I admit I tend to do,” Wayne confessed to British author, film historian, and actor Michael Munn (via FarOut Magazine). “I tend to barge in unannounced: ‘Wait a minute! You’re placing the camera there?’ That’s my way.”

The fact that the role was originally written for Marlon Brando, and that after his withdrawal and replacement by a completely different actor, the script was not rewritten, did not help matters. This meant that Wayne struggled to “understand this damn dialogue,” which only added to his distress.

“So we had a not-so-talented director, but who was a great guy, and a script written for Brando but delivered by Duke Wayne,” he exclaimed, frustrated. “And it was a real disaster.”

It is rare to find such straightforward remarks from John Wayne about one of his own films. Even when discussing less successful projects, he generally remained diplomatic, which makes this judgment on “The Conqueror” all the more striking.

A Deadly Shoot?

The shooting of “The Conqueror” is often described as “deadly” due to a long-debated but widely reported fact: a significant part of the crew was exposed to radioactive fallout.

The film was shot in 1954 in Utah, close to areas used for atmospheric nuclear tests conducted in Nevada in the early 1950s. At the time, the risks associated with radioactive fallout were still poorly understood and precautions were almost nonexistent. In the years that followed, an unusual number of people who worked on the film developed cancers. It is estimated that about a hundred cases were recorded, including several dozen deaths.

Although no formal scientific link has ever been established with certainty between the shooting and these illnesses, the coincidence has fueled a lasting dark reputation around the film. This suspicion, reinforced by the severity of the numbers presented and the context of the nuclear tests of the time, has contributed to making “The Conqueror” one of the most controversial and infamous film shoots in the history of cinema.

A Failure Turned Legendary

A harsh judgment on his own work, but not unfounded: “The Conqueror” was not only a critical failure, but it also entered history for much darker reasons.

Decades later, it remains infamously known for reasons that far exceed its status as a “bad film.” Yet, John Wayne’s memories indicate that the warning signs were visible from the start. Long before the film was associated with tragedy, its biggest star already considered it one of the most misguided productions of his career.

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