Was "The Conqueror" filmed on a nuclear test site?

Der Film „The Conqueror“ von 1956 mit John Wayne als Dschingis Khan (ja, John Wayne als Dschingis Khan) und der kastanienbraunen Susan Hayward als seiner mongolischen Geliebten gilt allgemein als einer der schlechtesten Filme, die je gedreht wurden. Aber das Schrecklichste an dem Film ist nicht sein bizarres Casting, seine gestelzten Dialoge oder sein hölzernes Schauspiel. Es ist die Tatsache, dass es in Windrichtung eines Atomtestgeländes gedreht wurde und Mitglieder der Besetzung und der Crew später in alarmierender Zahl an Krebs erkrankten.

The nuclear testing in question took place at the Nevada National Security Site from 1951 to 1963. "Operation Upshot-Knothole" in 1953 involved the detonation of 11 atomic bombs , almost all of which were larger than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Two of them, code-named "Simon" and "Harry," caused massive radiation fallout. The fallout from the Nevada National Security Site tended to drift directly over St. George, Utah, 137 miles (220 km) away. Because of the prevailing winds, much of it would concentrate in the Snow Canyon area. The following year, "The Conqueror" filmed in Snow Canyon for 13 weeks.

There is evidence that the film's producer, Howard Hughes , and its director, Bill Powell, knew about the radiation dangers. Hughes reportedly received reassurances from the Atomic Energy Commission that the area was safe. John Wayne supposedly brought a Geiger counter to the set. Temperatures on set often rose to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 Celsius) and so much dirt and dust were kicked up during filming (some of it purposefully, with fans) that the actors had to be hosed down at the end of the day. To top things off, Hughes then trucked 60 tons of the radioactive dirt back to Los Angeles for use in reshoots.

A few years later, cast and crew started developing cancer at seemingly unusual rates. Powell, Wayne, Hayward and costar Agnes Moorhead all died of cancer within 25 years of the movie's release. Another actor, Pedro Armendáriz, committed suicide when he learned his cancer was terminal. By 1980, 90 members of the 220-person crew had developed cancer and 46 of them had died. At the time, the director of radiological health at the University of Utah said this case was about three times the usual rate [source: Jackovich]. Although data from 2014 says that rate isn't too far off the mark – 43 percent of men will develop cancer and 23 percent will die from it – we don't know how many more people associated with the film have developed cancer or succumbed to it since 1980 [source: Amerikanische Krebsgesellschaft ]. Es gibt auch keine Statistiken über die Hunderte von Statisten der amerikanischen Ureinwohner, die an dem Film gearbeitet haben.

Howard Hughes blieb vom Krebs verschont, sprach sich aber später, vielleicht aus Schuldgefühlen, gegen Atomkraft aus. 1957 gab er 12 Millionen Dollar aus, um alle existierenden Drucke von „The Conqueror“ zu kaufen, und verhinderte, dass er 17 Jahre lang wieder gesehen wurde.

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