The best docs are the ones that surprise you and take a huge left turn in the middle. And that is exactly what this fantastic documentary offers.
The last movie Howard Hughes made in 1951 was a complete fiasco – it was about Genghis Kahn and the Mongol Conquerors, but get this: It starred John Wayne in the title role with an almost entirely white cast! I swear I could not make this up. The movie was hugely expensive and a giant flop that probably turned Hughes into a crazy recluse.
But here is the left turn – the US government started doing nuclear bomb tests in the Nevada desert at the same time – like dozens of them! And all that nuclear fallout drifted east, mostly seriously affecting the residents of St. George, Utah. And that’s precisely where they shot THE CONQUEROR. Not only that but when filming returned to Los Angeles, the production actually carted in tons of super-radioactive sand from St. George onto the set to re-create the Mongolian desert! Again, I could not make this up. So, hundreds of St. George residents who were told that the tests were perfectly safe all developed horrible cases of cancer, and so did nearly everyone involved in the movie – including the director and John Wayne, who both died from it.
The documentary balances the sadness of all the radiation victims with the ridiculous premise of the movie, all while reminding us that not one American died during the Cold War from a Russian nuclear bomb, but hundreds of thousands of Americans died from American nuclear bombs.
THE CONQUEROR (HOLLYWOOD FALLOUT) is now available on Prime Video.
