FAQ - Is it true that many cast and crew members from The Conqueror died of cancer from nuclear test radiation?

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Classic Movies FAQ

Q. Is it true that many cast and crew members from The Conqueror died of cancer from nuclear test radiation?

A. According to many experts, the set of The Conqueror (1956) was contaminated by nuclear fallout because it was filmed near a nuclear testing site. Once location shooting was completed, dirt from the location was transported back to Hollywood in order to match non-location shooting. Many cast and crew members - more than can be expected in a sample of the general public - developed forms of cancer over the next two decades. Those who eventually died from cancer or cancer-related problems included John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Pedro Armendáriz, Agnes Moorehead, Thomas Gomez, and the director, Dick Powell. Feeling guilty about this, producer Howard Hughes, who financed the shipping of 60 tons of radioactive dirt to Hollywood for retakes, later paid approximately $12 million to collect all the existing prints of the film. He wouldn't even allow it to be shown on TV for 17 years, until 1974, when Paramount secured the rights and reissued it.

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