The death-defying ‘Duke’: The movies that almost killed John Wayne, and the one that did
Thanks to his strict adherence to playing nigh-on invincible heroes who always emerged victorious at the end of the day, John Wayne was presented to the cinemagoing public as both an irresistible force and an immovable object, with ‘The Duke’ indestructible and impervious as he carved out his legend.
He didn’t die on-screen very often during his iconic career, he wouldn’t even consider shooting a man in the back on his final film because it was so against type, and he turned down a part in the comedy classic Blazing Saddles for the sole reason he was John Wayne, and believed viewers didn’t want to see him subverting his image.
‘The Duke’ was fiercely protective of both his persona and mythology, and even when he played characters who were intentionally ambiguous or unlikeable – with The Searchers by far the most prominent example – he was never going to sanction the idea of being cast as an out-and-out villain.
That adherence to white-hat heroism was a pivotal means of maintaining his place at the top of the industry ladder, but despite his reluctance towards being killed on film, several close calls almost robbed Wayne of his life when the cameras weren’t rolling. In fact, it’s widely believed that one of them actually did.
1964’s Circus World stars The Duke as a Wild West circus favourite struggling with a failing business and an unrequited love for Rita Hayworth, who loses almost everything when the ship carrying his entire act sinks. It doesn’t sound like a near-death experience, but Wayne was lucky to escape with his life.
As revealed by his estate, “Whilst filming a scene where the main tent catches fire, John Wayne was almost killed when the set collapsed.” He was supposed to be cued up by the assistant director so he knew when to stop acting and make a run for it, but miscommunication issues meant that “he escaped with just a few seconds to spare before the entire set would have fallen down on top of him.”
Four years later, on the set of the disaster drama Hellfighters, The Duke was resting up in his trailer ahead of shooting his scenes when a catering truck crashed right into it. Fortunately, he managed to emerge unscathed, but it would be safe to assume the catering company may have struggled to find work after almost wiping Wayne from existence.
The film that may have killed him was made a decade prior, though, with 1956’s The Conqueror quite possibly the deadliest film of all time. Shooting on location in Utah next to nuclear testing sites, 41% of the 220 crew members involved developed cancer, with 46 of them dying from the disease.
Wayne developed lung cancer in 1964, had his left lung and two ribs removed to combat the spread, and was ultimately declared cancer-free five years later. However, he died in June 1979 after being diagnosed with stomach cancer just months previously, with the aggressive nature of its return ultimately claiming his life.
Although he’d been a heavy smoker for decades, it can’t be overlooked that not only did so many people involved with The Conqueror end up either suffering from or dying of cancer, his initial battle with the illness began at around the same time many of his co-stars and colleagues on the production experienced similar symptoms.