Ryan Uytdewilligen - Killing John Wayne: The Making of the Conqueror

J ust as there was a vast team that brought The Conqueror to the screen in 1956, many helped bring Killing John Wayne to the page. Thank you to my cousin David Rosfeld, who was the first to turn me on to the unbelievable Conqueror legend. Thank you to my rock star agent, Brenna English-Loeb, who championed the story to be told and guided the book throughout its publication journey. Thank you to publisher Rick Rinehart of Globe Pequot/Rowman & Littlefield for saying yes and sharing the story with the world as well as the brilliant team of editors who made the manuscript what it is. Thank you to Natalie Luvera, curator of the National Atomic Testing Museum, and researcher Bruce Church for contending with phone calls and e-mails and pointing me in the right direction for nuclear information.

Thank you to the fascinating collection of information preserved by the Atomic Heritage Foundation. Thank you to the work and passion of authors who have come before me, particularly Richard B. Jewell, author of the mesmerizing RKO Story, and Scott Eyman, author of John Wayne: The Life and Legend. Without your work, I would be lost. Thank you to the John Wayne Cancer Foundation for your help and all the great work that you continue to do.

Thank you to Turner Classic Movies for fielding a plethora of pesky inquiries about dates and data. Thank you to my partner, Mariana, for taking the first read and putting up with obsessive conversations about John Wayne and enduring his most awful, terrible, shockingly bad but oh-so-fun-to-watch movie over and over again.

Im not sure who to thank for my obsession with Howard Hughes, but Im sure the credit should go to the man himself, living such a fascinating and indescribable life that occupies most of my attention span.

Thank you to all of the movie buffs and cinephiles who kept the story alive all these years and who have taken an interest in this book!

And to anyone who worked on The Conqueror, whether as an actor, an extra, a caterer, or an extra pair of hands, thank you and condolences to you and your family.

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