Reap the Wild Wind


2h 3m 1942
Reap the Wild Wind

Brief Synopsis

Two sailors vie for the affections of a southern temptress while fighting off pirates.

Film Details

Genre
Adventure
Drama
Romance
Release Date
Jan 1942
Premiere Information
World premiere in Los Angeles: 18 Mar 1942; New York opening: 26 Mar 1942
Production Company
Paramount Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
Paramount Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel Reap the Wild Wind by Thelma Strabel (New York, 1941).

Technical Specs

Duration
2h 3m
Sound
Mono
Color
Color (Technicolor)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
11,094ft (13 reels)

Synopsis

In 1840, ships are the international link to commerce for the United States, but their cargo is being jeopardized by the "salvage profiteers" who loiter in the Florida Keys waiting for hurricanes to dash the ships against the rocks. During one such storm, Mathias Widgeon, first mate of the Jubilee , which is owned by the Devereaux Company, knocks out Captain Jack Stuart and purposely crashes the three-master. Loxi Claiborne, a tomboy who runs an honest salvage business, takes her boat out to the site of the wreck with her pal, Captain Phillip Philpott, but King Cutler and his brother Dan, renowned cutthroats who contracted Widgeon to wreck the ship, get there first. Loxi stays on hand and rescues the unconscious Jack, taking him to her home to convalesce. They soon fall in love, and Loxi is inspired by Jack's dream of commanding the Southern Cross , the Devereaux company's first steamship. Jack believes that Devereaux lawyer Stephen Tolliver will prevent him from a promotion because of this latest wreck, and when Loxi travels to Charleston, South Carolina, to visit with her aunt Henrietta, she meets Stephen. Loxi flirts with the lawyer in hopes of swaying his opinion. Stephen, who has always intended to defend Jack to his employer, genuinely falls in love with Loxi, although he is unaware of her ulterior motives. Stephen insists that Commodore Devereaux send him to discover the Jubilee 's real saboteurs. Devereaux agrees to make Jack first mate of The Pelican , an old rustbucket, on the condition that Jack be sent ashore in Florida upon its arrival there until Stephen can prove his innocence. Loxi is the last to learn that Stephen has gotten her aunt's permission to marry her and publicly rejects him. Stephen, who has no intention of losing her, interrupts her hasty wedding to Jack aboard the Pelican , throws her overboard and knocks Jack out. After the Pelican sets sail, Stephen and Loxi take a different ship to Florida. Later, however, Loxi and Jack come to Stephen's aid when King Cutler sells Stephen to a whaler as a common sailor and sends his thugs, led by The Lamb, to shanghai him. Instead, after a struggle, Stephen sells the thugs to the whaler. In Stephen's jacket, Loxi finds Devereaux's orders giving Jack the captaincy of the Southern Cross , and she and Jack wrongly assume that Stephen planned to withhold this news from Jack. Jack then confronts King, who informs him that Devereaux has died and Stephen is now head of the shipping company. King convinces Jack that Stephen will never allow him to command the Southern Cross , and an angry Jack makes a deal with Cutler to wreck the steamship for his salvage operation. Stephen suspects the scheme when he sees that prices for the Southern Cross 's cargo are unusually low, and he and Captain Phil commandeer Loxi's ship to sail to Havana and stop the steamship. Loxi refuses to believe that Jack would sell out and sabotages her own ship so they do not reach Havana. Instead, they drift in a deep fog until they near the reef where Cutler's ship is lurking, and are on hand to witness the purposeful sinking of the Southern Cross . At the court trial, King steers suspicion toward Stephen, and it is revealed that Loxi's cousin Drusilla, who had been having a secret love affair with Dan, may have stowed aboard the steamship and died when the ship sank. The court is reconvened at the site of the wreck, and Jack and Stephen go underwater in diving suits to the shipwreck. They find Drusilla's corpse, but instead of killing Stephen as ordered by King, Jack rescues him from the grips of a deadly giant octopus. Stephen is unable to save Jack's life, however, and when he is pulled up, he displays Drusilla's shawl. Dan confronts his brother, who shoots him, and Captain Phil kills King. Their deaths free Stephen, and he and Loxi return to Charleston together.

Cast

Ray Milland

Stephen Tolliver

John Wayne

Captain Jack Stuart

Paulette Goddard

Loxi Claiborne

Raymond Massey

King Cutler

Robert Preston

Dan Cutler

Lynne Overman

Captain Phillip Philpott

Susan Hayward

Drusilla Alston

Charles Bickford

Mate of the 'Tyfib'

Walter Hampden

Commodore Devereaux

Louise Beavers

Maum Maria

Martha O'driscoll

Ivy Devereaux

Elisabeth Risdon

Mrs. Claiborne

Hedda Hopper

Aunt Henrietta

Victor Kilian

[Mathias] Widgeon

Oscar Polk

Salt Meat

Janet Beecher

Mrs. Mottram

Ben Carter

Chinkapin

William Davis

The Lamb

Lane Chandler

Sam

Davison Clark

Judge Marvin

Lou Merrill

Captain of the 'Pelican'

Frank M. Thomas

Dr. Jepson

Keith Richards

Captain Carruthers

Victor Varconi

Lubbock

J. Farrell Macdonald

Port captain

Harry Woods

Mace

Raymond Hatton

Master Shipwright

Milburn Stone

Lieutenant Farragut

Dave Wengren

'Claiborne' lookout

Tony Paton

Cadge

Barbara Britton

Charleston lady

Julia Faye

Charleston lady

Ameda Lambert

Charleston lady

D'arcy Miller

Charleston beau

Bruce Warren

Charleston beau

Constantine Romanoff

Pete, sponge boat

Fred Graham

Jake, sponge boat

Jimmie Dundee

Galley growler

Kenneth Gibson

30-year-old clerk of Devereaux company

J. W. Johnston

Clerk of Devereaux company

Eugene Jackson

Dr. Jepson's black servant

Forrest Taylor

Devereaux treasurer

George Melford

Devereaux banker

John St. Polis

Devereaux foreign agent

Stanhope Wheatcroft

Secretary of Devereaux company

David Clyde

Old director

Sam Flint

Surgeon

Gohr Van Vleck

1st mate, Charleston packet

Oscar G. Hendrian

2d mate, Charleston packet

Nestor Paiva

Man with suspenders

Jack Clifford

Member of 'Pelican' crew

Ed Brady

Member of 'Pelican' crew

Jim Mason

Member of 'Pelican' crew

John Merton

Member of 'Pelican' crew

Don Zelaya

Bartender in coffee shop

James Flavin

Father of girl

William Haade

2d mate on 'Jubilee'

Will Stanton

Rat-faced man

Bob Homans

Captain in the coffee shop

Frank C. Shannon

Captain in the coffee shop

James Anderson

Call boy in coffee shop

Buddy Pepper

Call boy in coffee shop

Carmen Johnson

Girl with oilskins

Charles Hamilton

'Tyfib' bosun

Hassan Ezzat

Cuban, Charleston packet

Tom Chatterton

Parson

Frank Hagney

Cutler man in barrel room

Frank Lackteen

Cutler man in barrel room

Alan Bridge

Cutler man in barrel room

Al Ferguson

Cutler man in barrel room

Frank Richards

Cutler man in barrel room

Hayden Stevenson

Lawyer

Wheaton Chambers

Lawyer

Dick Alexander

Stoker boss

Ed Peil Sr.

Bailiff

George Anderson

Bailiff

Guy Usher

Bailiff

Stanley Andrews

Bailiff

Emory Parnell

Bailiff

Lee Prather

Court clerk

Byron Foulger

Devereaux courier

Dick Elmore

'Claiborne' cabin boy

Cyril Mclaglen

Stevedore

Carl Mathews

Stevedore

William Cabanne

Guest at Ball

Louise Laplanche

Guest at Ball

Laurie Douglas

Guest at Ball

Colin Blair

Guest in ballroom

Stella Mary Burgess

Guest in ballroom

Jack Dixon

Guest in ballroom

Mary Sue Thomas

Guest in ballroom

Mary Joyce Walsh

Guest in ballroom

James Gillette

Ivy's waltzing partner

Mildred Shay

Girl in match sequence

Mildred Harris

Dancing lady

Leota Lorraine

Woman in ballroom

Helen Dickson

Woman in ballroom

Dorothy Sebastian

Woman in ballroom

Ynez Seabury

Woman in ballroom

Catherine Wallace

Woman in ballroom

Hope Landin

Dowager in ballroom

Claire Mcdowell

Ettie, ballroom sequence

Lora Lee

Southern belle

Mary Currier

Waltzing dowager in ballroom

Mel Ruick

Man in ballroom

Tom Conlon

Man in ballroom

Emmett King

Old gentleman in ballroom

Richard Neill

Old gentleman at tea

Jack Luden

Southern gentleman at tea

Lloyd Whitlock

Southern gentleman at tea

John Merkyl

Southern gentleman at tea

Monte Blue

Officer at tea

George H. Reed

Black servant at tea

Ottola Nesmith

Dowager at tea

Sarah Edwards

Dowager at tea

Gil Perkins

Leadsman, 'Southern Cross'

Ralph Dunn

'Jubilee' lookout

George Guhl

Man on street

Eric Alden

Slim, member of 'Falcon' crew

George Barton

Joe, member of 'Falcon' crew

Sven Hugo Borg

Blackie, member of 'Falcon' crew

Bob Ireland

Roger, member of 'Falcon' crew

Clarke J. Jennings

Editor, member of 'Falcon' crew

Wally O'connor

Hugh, member of 'Falcon' crew

Dale Van Sickel

Roy, member of 'Falcon' crew

Carl Zwolsman

Nate, member of 'Falcon' crew

Jerome Denuccio

George, member of 'Jubilee' crew

William D. Faralla

Cliff, member of 'Jubilee' crew

Jerry Franks Jr.

Pedro, member of 'Jubilee' crew

Ethan Laidlaw

Tony, member of 'Jubilee' crew

King Mojave

Art, member of 'Jubilee' crew

Houghton Ralph

Buck, member of 'Jubilee' crew

Ray Spiker

Stan, member of 'Jubilee' crew

Harry Warren

Boston, member of 'Jubilee' crew

George Bruggeman

Gus, member of 'Claiborne' crew

Jack Chapin

Clem, pump man of 'Claiborne' crew

Stubby Kruger

Pat, member of 'Claiborne' crew

Larry Lawson

Frank, member of 'Claiborne' crew

George Magrill

Mike, member of 'Claiborne' crew

Jack Sterling

Lars, member of 'Claiborne' crew

Fred Zendar

Spike, member of 'Claiborne' crew

Frank Ferguson

Snaith

Cap Anderson

Juryman

Sam Appel

Juryman

Max Davidson

Juryman

Harry Dean

Juryman

Christian J. Frank

Juryman

Billy Elmer

Juryman

Tony Martelli

Juryman

Robert Milasch

Juryman

John Power

Juryman

A. D. Sewall

Juryman

Leo Sulky

Juryman

Crew

Chico Alonso

2d unit Assistant Director

Roland Anderson

Art Director

Max Asher

2d unit makeup

Clair Bahnke

Screenplay clerk

Anne Bauchens

Editing

Charles Bennett

Screenwriter

Fritz Brosch

2d unit Technicolor Camera mechanic

Russ Brown

Props

Frank Caffey

Unit Manager

Art Camp

2d unit 2d Assistant Director

Joe Caplan

Mens' Wardrobe

Vic Chatten

Stunt diver

Carl Coleman

2d unit props

Herb Coleman

2d unit Screenplay clerk

Sam Comer

Supervisor set dresser

John Cope

Sound Recording

Roy Davidson

Technical Advisor

Kenneth Deland

2d unit Assistant Director

Cecil B. Demille

Producer

Joe Deyoung

Sketch artist

R. Doney

Wardrobe Designer

Biddle Dorcy

Stunt diver

Ray Downey

Sketch artist

Hans Dreier

Art Director

Andy Durkus

2d unit grip

Harvey Dwight

Assistant unit Manager

Farciot Edouart

Special Photography Effects

Capt. Fred F. Ellis

Marine adv

Dwight Franklin

Wardrobe Designer

William Fritzsche

2d unit Techicolor Director

Jack Haring

2d unit grip

Lorne Holmes

2d unit nursery

Gordon Jennings

Special Photography Effects

Lois Jessen

Wardrobe Designer

Clem Jones

2d unit Assistant Director

Howard Joslin

2d unit Assistant Director

Natalie Kalmus

Technicolor color Director

Coley Kessinger

2d unit grip

N. Lacey

Loc Manager

Levaughn Larson

2d unit womens' Wardrobe

Jesse Lasky Jr.

Screenwriter

Al Latta

2d unit Camera car driver

Sam Ledner

Dance Director

Alan Lemay

Screenwriter

Jack Lethman

2d unit grip

Harry Lindgren

Sound Recording

Phyllis Loughton

Dial Supervisor

Phyllis Loughton

Dial Supervisor

Roger Mace

2d unit Technicolor tech

Jeanie Macpherson

Contract Writer

Edwin Maxwell

Dial Supervisor

Edwin Maxwell

Dial Supervisor

Louis Mesenkop

Special Sound Effects

Curtis Mick

2d unit, unit Manager

Victor Milner

Director of Photography

James V. Murray

2d unit Assistant Camera

Edward Overstreet

2d unit S.E.D. glassman

W. L. Pereira

Special Photography Effects

William H. Pine

Associate Producer

Houghton Ralph

Stunt diver

William Rand

2d unit 2d Camera

Alice Ribald

2d unit hairdresser

G. E. Richardson

2d unit stills

Arthur Rosson

2nd Unit Director

Leonora Sabine

Hair Supervisor

Edward Salven

Assistant Director

Troy Sanders

Composer

George Sawley

Set Decoration

Edna Shotwell

Womens' Wardrobe

William V. Skall

Director of Photography

Paul Stader

Stunt diver

Thelma Strabel

Trt

Natalie Visart

Costumes

Wally Westmore

Makeup Supervisor

Pat Williams

2d unit mens' Wardrobe

Jack Wilson

2d unit painter

Harold Worthington

2d unit 2d props

Dewey Wrigley

Underwater Photographer

Victor Young

Music Score

Victor Young

Composer

Film Details

Genre
Adventure
Drama
Romance
Release Date
Jan 1942
Premiere Information
World premiere in Los Angeles: 18 Mar 1942; New York opening: 26 Mar 1942
Production Company
Paramount Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
Paramount Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel Reap the Wild Wind by Thelma Strabel (New York, 1941).

Technical Specs

Duration
2h 3m
Sound
Mono
Color
Color (Technicolor)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
11,094ft (13 reels)

Award Wins

Best Special Effects

1943

Award Nominations

Best Art Direction

1943

Best Cinematography

1942

Articles

Reap the Wild Wind


Rival sea captains, a hurricane, and a giant red squid are just a few of the attractions on display in Reap the Wild Wind (1942), a typically lavish Cecil B. DeMille production which established Ray Milland as a popular leading man (he would win the Oscar three years later for his performance as the alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend, 1945) and won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects. The story, which is set in the Florida Keys, pits Loxi Claiborne (Paulette Goddard), the owner of a ship salvage operation, against the dishonest Cutler brothers (Raymond Massey, Robert Preston) who are suspected of causing schooners to wreck just so they can salvage them. Joining forces with Loxi temporarily are Captain Jack Stuart (John Wayne) and Stephen Tolliver (Ray Milland), a Charleston lawyer investigating a recent ship salvage. As expected, Stuart and Tolliver soon become rivals for Loxi's affections and their conflict sets the stage for a tragic turn of events.

After the completion of North West Mounted Police (1940), DeMille focused on his new project, The Queen of Queens, a story about the Virgin Mary, but was unable to resolve numerous script problems. Instead, he decided to make a movie about shipwrecks and deep-sea diving based on a serial by Thelma Strabel that had appeared in the Saturday Evening Post. Remaining true to the original setting, DeMille filmed some sequences on location in Key West, Florida, not far from the area where he shot his first version of The Buccaneer in 1938. He also planned on using a live octopus for the sequence where Ray Milland is attacked underwater. But he ended up settling for a huge mechanical squid, which was operated by a twenty-four button electrical keyboard with a complex system of hydraulic pistons used to activate the thirty-foot tentacles of the squid. While filming the sequence, DeMille communicated by a loudspeaker to direct the technicians in the movement of the creature while at the same time barking orders to Milland and John Wayne underwater through telephone wires in their helmets (Wayne would later battle another underwater sea creature in Wake of the Red Witch, 1948).

Other scenes in Reap the Wild Wind which posed problems were the shipwreck and shots of the vividly colored underwater kelp. For the former, DeMille wanted to simultaneously capture the shipwreck, the churning sea, and the stormy sky in the same shot. This was accomplished by shooting the segments separately and then projecting them on three different projectors with fused quartz lenses onto a background where the movements were synchronized. For the kelp, DeMille used yards and yards of iridescent silk that would weave about in the ocean depths. Unfortunately, the color of silk changes in sea water so DeMille's production team, headed by cinematographer Victor Milner, had to use fresh silk every day, then dry it out, and have it dyed back to its original shade for reuse. Needless to say, the sequence took a month to photograph but due to such painstaking detail, Milner's cinematography received an Oscar nomination that year.

The casting of Reap the Wild Wind is equally interesting and features DeMille's penchant for mixing big name stars like John Wayne with up-and-coming performers like Susan Hayward and established character actors like Charles Bickford and Louise Beavers. For one ballroom sequence, DeMille even cast some of his former silent film associates as extras like Maurice Costello, Elmo Lincoln, Monte Blue, and director George Melford.

In the biography, Cecil B. DeMille, author Charles Higham wrote that "John Wayne was extremely ill-at-ease about acting in a DeMille picture; he did not relish being shouted at on the set. He had applied for the role of Wild Bill Hickok in The Plainsman and had been turned down (DeMille's only remark had been, "You were in The Big Trail weren't you? A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then.") When he was offered the role played by Preston Foster in North West Mounted Police he had told DeMille's emissary: "Just tell Mr. DeMille too much water has flowed under the bridge for me to want that role." DeMille was provoked, and when Reap the Wild Wind came along, firmly offered him the part. "The only reason you called me here is to make Ray Milland look like a man," Wayne said. "That's right," DeMille replied. After some wrangling, Wayne accepted the role, and they became good friends."

Producer: Cecil B. DeMille, Buddy G. DeSylva (executive), William H. Pine (associate)
Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Screenplay: Charles Bennett, Jesse Lasky Jr., Alan Le May, Jeanie Macpherson (uncredited), Thelma Strabel (story)
Art Direction: Roland Anderson, Hans Dreier
Cinematography: Victor Milner, William V. Skall
Costume Design: Natalie Visart
Film Editing: Anne Bauchens
Original Music: Victor Young
Cast: Ray Milland (Stephen Tolliver), John Wayne (Captain Jack Stuart), Paulette Goddard (Loxi Claiborne), Raymond Massey (King Cutler), Robert Preston (Dan Cutler), Charles Bickford (Bully Brown), Louise Beavers (Maum Maria).
C-123m.

by Jeff Stafford

Reap The Wild Wind

Reap the Wild Wind

Rival sea captains, a hurricane, and a giant red squid are just a few of the attractions on display in Reap the Wild Wind (1942), a typically lavish Cecil B. DeMille production which established Ray Milland as a popular leading man (he would win the Oscar three years later for his performance as the alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend, 1945) and won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects. The story, which is set in the Florida Keys, pits Loxi Claiborne (Paulette Goddard), the owner of a ship salvage operation, against the dishonest Cutler brothers (Raymond Massey, Robert Preston) who are suspected of causing schooners to wreck just so they can salvage them. Joining forces with Loxi temporarily are Captain Jack Stuart (John Wayne) and Stephen Tolliver (Ray Milland), a Charleston lawyer investigating a recent ship salvage. As expected, Stuart and Tolliver soon become rivals for Loxi's affections and their conflict sets the stage for a tragic turn of events. After the completion of North West Mounted Police (1940), DeMille focused on his new project, The Queen of Queens, a story about the Virgin Mary, but was unable to resolve numerous script problems. Instead, he decided to make a movie about shipwrecks and deep-sea diving based on a serial by Thelma Strabel that had appeared in the Saturday Evening Post. Remaining true to the original setting, DeMille filmed some sequences on location in Key West, Florida, not far from the area where he shot his first version of The Buccaneer in 1938. He also planned on using a live octopus for the sequence where Ray Milland is attacked underwater. But he ended up settling for a huge mechanical squid, which was operated by a twenty-four button electrical keyboard with a complex system of hydraulic pistons used to activate the thirty-foot tentacles of the squid. While filming the sequence, DeMille communicated by a loudspeaker to direct the technicians in the movement of the creature while at the same time barking orders to Milland and John Wayne underwater through telephone wires in their helmets (Wayne would later battle another underwater sea creature in Wake of the Red Witch, 1948). Other scenes in Reap the Wild Wind which posed problems were the shipwreck and shots of the vividly colored underwater kelp. For the former, DeMille wanted to simultaneously capture the shipwreck, the churning sea, and the stormy sky in the same shot. This was accomplished by shooting the segments separately and then projecting them on three different projectors with fused quartz lenses onto a background where the movements were synchronized. For the kelp, DeMille used yards and yards of iridescent silk that would weave about in the ocean depths. Unfortunately, the color of silk changes in sea water so DeMille's production team, headed by cinematographer Victor Milner, had to use fresh silk every day, then dry it out, and have it dyed back to its original shade for reuse. Needless to say, the sequence took a month to photograph but due to such painstaking detail, Milner's cinematography received an Oscar nomination that year. The casting of Reap the Wild Wind is equally interesting and features DeMille's penchant for mixing big name stars like John Wayne with up-and-coming performers like Susan Hayward and established character actors like Charles Bickford and Louise Beavers. For one ballroom sequence, DeMille even cast some of his former silent film associates as extras like Maurice Costello, Elmo Lincoln, Monte Blue, and director George Melford. In the biography, Cecil B. DeMille, author Charles Higham wrote that "John Wayne was extremely ill-at-ease about acting in a DeMille picture; he did not relish being shouted at on the set. He had applied for the role of Wild Bill Hickok in The Plainsman and had been turned down (DeMille's only remark had been, "You were in The Big Trail weren't you? A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then.") When he was offered the role played by Preston Foster in North West Mounted Police he had told DeMille's emissary: "Just tell Mr. DeMille too much water has flowed under the bridge for me to want that role." DeMille was provoked, and when Reap the Wild Wind came along, firmly offered him the part. "The only reason you called me here is to make Ray Milland look like a man," Wayne said. "That's right," DeMille replied. After some wrangling, Wayne accepted the role, and they became good friends." Producer: Cecil B. DeMille, Buddy G. DeSylva (executive), William H. Pine (associate) Director: Cecil B. DeMille Screenplay: Charles Bennett, Jesse Lasky Jr., Alan Le May, Jeanie Macpherson (uncredited), Thelma Strabel (story) Art Direction: Roland Anderson, Hans Dreier Cinematography: Victor Milner, William V. Skall Costume Design: Natalie Visart Film Editing: Anne Bauchens Original Music: Victor Young Cast: Ray Milland (Stephen Tolliver), John Wayne (Captain Jack Stuart), Paulette Goddard (Loxi Claiborne), Raymond Massey (King Cutler), Robert Preston (Dan Cutler), Charles Bickford (Bully Brown), Louise Beavers (Maum Maria). C-123m. by Jeff Stafford

Quotes

Where is Captain Jack?
- Loxi
He's on a diving job. He'll be back this afternoon
- Captain Phil
if his hat didn't leak!
- Captain Phil

Trivia

For the 1954 theatrical re-release, 'John Wayne' was given top billing in the posters because of his increased star status, and 'Susan Hayward' , who had since 1942 become a major star instead of a supporting player, was misleadingly billed second. Formerly top-billed Ray Milland got third billing in the new posters, while leading lady Paulette Goddard was demoted to fourth billing.

Notes

Thelma Strabel's novel was serialized in The Saturday Evening Post from 27 April to June 1, 1940. The foreword in Strabel's novel, as published in 1942, was written by director/producer Cecil B. DeMille. Hollywood Reporter news items provide the following information about the production: Among the actors considered for lead roles in this film were John Barrymore, James Stewart, Rex Harrison, William Boyd, Claudette Colbert, Tallulah Bankhead and Katharine Hepburn. Susan Hayward tested for the role of "Loxi" and was originally cast as "Ivy Devereaux," before being cast as "Drusilla." Cecil B. DeMille's son Richard was scheduled to make his screen debut in this film, but his appearance in the final film has not been confirmed. Actor Morris Ankrum was replaced by Charles Bickford in the role of "Mate of the Tyfib," and Hedda Hopper replaced Spring Byington as "Aunt Henrietta." Reap the Wild Wind marked the last time that Hopper appeared onscreen as a character other than herself.
       According to modern sources, Maurice Costello and Elmo Lincoln appear in the film. News items further report that Frank Loesser was signed to write the picture's theme song and Sigmund Krumgold was to write the music score, but neither was credited on the film. Hollywood Reporter reported that artist Dan Sayre Groesback was set to design scenes for the picture, as he reportedly had for other DeMille films, and that English poet laureate John Masefield was to work on the film, but their contributions to this film have not been verified.
       Files in the Paramount Collection at the AMPAS Library provide the following additional information about the film: Expenses on this film rose far over the original budget, and concerned production executives urged all department heads "to make cuts wherever possible." Particularly difficult and expensive to shoot was the scene with the giant octopus. Information in the files and an article in New York Herald Tribune indicates that underwater sequences were filmed at the Pacific Marine Museum in Malibu, CA, although modern sources suggest that the scene with the giant octopus was filmed in a tank at the Paramount studios. According to an article in New York Herald Tribune, preparation for the underwater scenes took two months, and an additional two months was spent in shooting the underwater Southern Cross scenes. DeMille also used the "Little Old New York" set at the Twentieth Century-Fox lot, the water tank at the United Artists studio, which had to be enlarged to shoot the ship sequences, and the "Old Hawks' Tank" and "The Water Way" at the Columbia Ranch in Burbank, CA. The film went $250,000 over budget. According to an article in New York Herald Tribune, fish and lobster were culled from the Pacific Ocean in Malibu with the permission of the California Fish and Game Commission, and were used to stock the tanks. Other scenes were shot on location in Charleston, SC, and in Miami, Key West and New Iberia, FL.
       On March 18, 1942, Paramount held the world premiere of Reap the Wild Wind in conjunction with a celebration of its thirtieth year in business and Cecil B. DeMille's thirtieth year in films at the newly renovated El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles, CA. The theatre, renamed the Paramount Hollywood Theatre, was remodeled by noted Los Angeles architect W. L. Pereira, who is credited with special photographic effects in this film, and Hal Pereira, and was described in a contemporary Hollywood Reporter article as "the last word in theatre architecture." In 1991, Disney and Pacific Theaters restored the El Capitan to its original 1926 design. The premiere drew a crowd of approximately 3,000 persons and proceeds of the evening were donated to the Navy Relief Fund, according to Hollywood Reporter. This film was hailed by reviewers for its technical achievements and won an Academy Award in the category of Special Effects (Farciot Edouart, Gordon Jennings, William L. Pereira and Louis Mesenkop). It was nominated for Academy Awards in the following categories: Cinematography (Color), Victor Milner and William V. Skall; and Art Direction/Interior Decoration (Color), Hans Dreier and Roland Anderson, George Sawley. Ray Milland and Paulette Goddard reprised their roles in a Lux Radio Theatre broadcast on March 8, 1943.

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States 1942

Released in United States on Video March 16, 1989

Re-released in United States on Video March 28, 1995

Formerly distributed by MCA Home Video.

Released in United States 1942

Released in United States on Video March 16, 1989

Re-released in United States on Video March 28, 1995