10 Behind the Scenes Photos of the Hit Western That Killed 1/3 of the Cast & Crew

John Wayne's blatantly racist casting as Genghis Khan is not the worst part of Richard Ewing Powell's 1956 historical drama.

By Daniel Bonfiglio

Published 1 month ago in Wtf

Believe it or not, John Wayne's blatantly racist casting as Genghis Khan is not the worst thing about Richard Ewing Powell's 1956 historical drama The Conqueror. Nor is it the film's regular spot on "worst movies of all time" lists.

No, the worst thing about The Conqueror is that it killed 1/3 of its cast and crew. Well, sort of.

Filmed in Utah, the movie often used the Escalante Desert near St. George for outdoor shots, which at that time sat less than 150 miles from an active nuclear testing site. 41% of the crew developed cancer by 1980, with many later dying.

While some attribute the deaths to the high rate of smoking at that time, radioactivity in the air definitely didn't help. Perhaps the movie deserved some Khan karma from the grave.

1
Wayne and Powell On Set
Despite critical reviews, the movie was a box office success.

2
Powell Looks at His Lead
Wayne strongly campaigned production to be cast in the role. Should they have listened?

3
Advice on Set
The movie's cast also narrowly avoided being hit with a flash flood.
4
A Geiger Counter
Wayne measures radioactivity with some crew.

5
Wayne in Costume.
A quote from writer Oscar Millard: "Wayne had been drunk for three days. Not that it made much difference... His performance drunk or sober was the way other actors tend to perform if drunk."
6
Wayne in the Kitchen
Wayne was posthumously awarded a "Golden Turkey" for worst casting decision of all time.
7
Wayne and Co-Star Susan Hayward
Wayne died of stomach cancer in 1979. Hayward died of brain cancer in 1975. Powell died of lymphoma in 1963. Another co-star, Pedro Armendáriz, took his own life after being diagnosed with terminal cancer in 1963.

8
The Director's Chair
Powell allegedly accepted direction of the movie for financial reasons.
9
Gordon Scott and John Wayne
Scott went on to play Tarzan.
10
The Conqueror
Forever a that will live on in infamy.