The story behind one of Hollywood's forgotten films and why it may have killed dozens of stars

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In 1950, President Harry Truman designated 1,350-square-miles of desert landscape in southern Nevada as a site for nuclear weapons testing. The site was 65 miles north of Las Vegas and 144 miles west of St. George, Utah. Nuclear weapons tests had been conducted on the Marshall Islands previously but U.S. leaders wanted to continue testing on American soil because it was more cost-effective.

Eleven atomic bomb detonations took place on the Nevada Test Site between March and June 1953, which is known as Operation Upshot-Knothole. Most of these detonations resulted in very little damage, but a warhead known as Harry, was “designed to do far more damage while giving off less harmful side effects,” Author Ryan Uytdewilligen says in a new book detailing what happened.

But that’s not how things played out.

“When the bomb was detonated, a yield of 32 kilotonnes was produced — almost double what scientists were anticipating. For reference, the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, (Japan) was only 13 kilotonnes, not even half of Harry,” Uytdewilligen writes.

In a conversation with EastIdahoNews.com, Uytdewilligen says the detonation occurred during a wind storm, which blew a lot of radioactive debris towards St. George. It made a lot of people sick at the time and even killed some sheep.

“They were briefly concerned and they were told not to worry and that was that. They didn’t raise much of a stink trying to fight for their rights or question their safety until much later,” says Uytdewilligen.

About a year later, St. George was selected as the shooting location for a Hollywood movie called “The Conqueror,” based on the life of Mongolian Emperor Genghis Khan. The filmmakers were enamored with the area’s red soil because it resembled the Gobi Desert where Khan lived.

Despite widespread news of the fallout, production moved forward with little concern from the cast and crew. Locals were excited at the prospect of having movie stars in their hometown, which was likely a distraction from the worries of the day.

“When they shipped everyone out there and established the sets, the crew started hearing from the locals about the nuclear tests and witnessing what happened,” says Uytdewilligen. “Suspicions were raised at that point and it was John Wayne (the star of the film) who said it would be unAmerican to step away from it now.”

Wayne famously had a Geiger counter on set, which indicated radiation levels were off the charts. He wrote it off, saying “it must be broken,” and moved on.

“The Conqueror” was released in Feb. 1956 and in the ensuing years, many of the people involved died of cancer. Uytdewilligen says it’s difficult to say whether their exposure to radiation during the film’s production was directly responsible because much of the crew, including John Wayne, were heavy smokers. Regardless of the cause, Uytdewilligen says contamination definitely played a role.

More than 60,000 people in the St. George area are reported to have been impacted by the fallout. A federal program set to expire in July provides compensation for victims and their families.

WATCH THE INTERVIEW IN THE VIDEO ABOVE.

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