Vintage original 10.5 x 13.25 in. US double-weight photograph mounted to a 16 x 20 in. piece of presentation cardstock from the 1950's historical biopic war drama, THE CONQUEROR, released in 1956 by RKO Radio Pictures and directed by Dick Powell. Mongol chief Temujin (John Wayne) battles against Tartar armies and for the love of the Tartar princess Bortai (Susan Hayward) and he later becomes the emperor Genghis Khan. The cast includes Agnes Moorehead, Thomas Gomez, John Hoyt, William Conrad, and Lee Van Cleef. This photograph was taken by the renowned Hollywood photographer Alex Kahle, and depicts an exterior portrait of renowned Mexican actor Pedro Armendáriz in costume as "Jumuga" as he squints in the bright sunshine (tragically, Mr. Armendáriz shot himself after learning he had terminal cancer that was caused by his participation in this film as discussed below). Measuring approximately 10.5 x 13. 25 in. and printed on double-weight stock, this photograph was mounted onto a piece of 16 x 20 in. ivory cardstock for presentation purposes and is signed by Alex Kahle in pencil just beneath the photograph. The photograph itself is in fine- condition with severn vertical scratches varying from 1 in. to 5 in. in length that start on the left side of Mr. Armendáriz's hair and into the right background area above his shoulder. The oversized piece of presentation cardstock exhibits light signs of wear around the edges with some small stains in the right border, discoloration along the bottom edge of the left border; and a 1 in. diagonal chip on the bottom right corner. As this is a presentation photograph, and is also hand-signed by the photographer himself, this piece is unique and was not meant for mass distribution, as were the posters, lobby cards, 8x10 photos, and other studio-issued publicity material. It will be shipped flat and protected between multiple pieces of sturdy rigid cardboard to prevent damage while in transit. The Conqueror is sometimes called "An RKO Radioactive Picture". It was filmed near an active nuclear test site in Utah, where eleven tests had reportedly been carried out in the year before the production landed there. Not surprisingly, the set was contaminated by nuclear fallout, but producer Howard Hughes and the local population had been reassured by the Atomic Energy Commission that the area was completely safe. Photographs exist of John Wayne holding a Geiger counter that reportedly made so much noise that he simply thought it was broken. After location shooting, Hughes had tons of contaminated soil transported back to Hollywood in order to match interior shooting done there. Over the next thirty years, 91 of the 220 cast and crew members had developed a form of cancer. Forty-six had died, including John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Pedro Armendáriz (who shot himself soon after learning he had terminal cancer), Agnes Moorehead, John Hoyt and director Dick Powell. Lee Van Cleef had throat cancer, but died of a heart attack. The count did not include several hundred local Native Americans who played extras, or relatives of the cast and crew who visited the set, including John Wayne's son, Michael. A "People" magazine article quoted the reaction of a scientist from the Pentagon's Defense Nuclear Agency to the news, "Please, God, don't let us have killed John Wayne". As of June 2011, the article is available in its archive online.