Reap the Wild Wind (1942)

Clipper ships taking the shortest route between the Mississippi and the Atlantic often end up on the shoals of Key West in the 1840s. Salvaging the ships' cargos has become a lucrative ... See full summary »

Director:

Cecil B. DeMille

Writers:

Thelma Strabel (story), Alan Le May (screenplay),

Stars:

Ray Milland, John Wayne, Paulette Goddard

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ray Milland	...	Stephen Tolliver
John Wayne	...	Capt. Jack Stuart
Paulette Goddard	...	Loxi Claiborne
Raymond Massey	...	King Cutler
Robert Preston	...	Dan Cutler
Lynne Overman	...	Capt. Phillip Philpott
Susan Hayward	...	Cousin Drusilla Alston
Charles Bickford	...	Bully Brown
Walter Hampden	...	Cmmdre. Devereaux
Louise Beavers	...	Maum Maria
Martha O'Driscoll	...	Ivy Devereaux
Elisabeth Risdon	...	Mrs. Claiborne
Hedda Hopper	...	Aunt Henrietta Beresford
Victor Kilian	...	Mathias Widgeon
Oscar Polk	...	Salt Meat

Storyline

Clipper ships taking the shortest route between the Mississippi and the Atlantic often end up on the shoals of Key West in the 1840s. Salvaging the ships' cargos has become a lucrative business for two companies -- one headed by a feisty young woman. Then she falls in love with the captain of a wrecked ship while he recuperates at her home. She travels to Charleston and is charming to the man most likely to be head of the captain's company, thinking she will be able to get the captain the position he wants on the company's first steam ship.

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Plot Keywords:

ship | 1840s | florida keys | florida | lawyer | 

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Taglines:

Cecil B. DeMille's Greatest Cecil B. DeMille's Greatest (original poster)

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 June 1942 (UK)

Also Known As:

Cecil B. DeMille's Reap the Wild Wind

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the last film in which Hedda Hopper appeared as a character other than herself.

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Goofs

Hinge lines can be seen in the arms of the octopus on two occasions (1:50.30 and 1:52.06).

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Quotes

Loxi: Where is Captain Jack?
Capt. Phillip Philpott: He's on a diving job. He'll be back this afternoon
[chuckle]
Capt. Phillip Philpott: if his hat didn't leak!

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Connections

Featured in Target Tokyo (1945)

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Soundtracks

"Bye and Bye"
(1942) (uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Troy Sanders
Sung by black chorus

User Reviews

Entertaining sea drama with Paulette at her feistiest as a Southern belle...

In 'Reap the Wild Wind' we have a chance to see Paulette Goddard, front-runner for the Scarlett O'Hara role until Vivien Leigh showed up, sporting a Southern accent and enjoying herself as a feisty Southern belle heroine. Unfortunately, her part is nowhere as complex as the role she almost got in the Selznick epic.

It's a lusty period adventure about two battling ship salvagers who vie for a strong-willed Georgian girl. The outstanding special effects steal the film, as do the lavish sets and costumes of a bygone era. Susan Hayward is featured in a smaller role as Paulette's unfortunate cousin. Both are heavily burdened by Southern accents and roles that are paper-thin giving them little more to do than flounce around in frilly costumes and bonnets while the men--Ray Milland, John Wayne and Robert Preston--carry the main weight of the action-filled romance.

A stunning climax involves an underwater battle with a giant squid. Understandably, it won an Oscar for Best Special Effects. Beautifully photographed in technicolor, it's given the lavish Cecil B. DeMille treatment and makes an entertaining if foolish epic that shows its pulp romance origins.