Trivia / Reap the Wild Wind

• Billing Displacement: Loxi is undoubtedly the lead, yet Paulette Goddard was billed third on the poster. In a 1954 re-release, John Wayne was bumped up to first billing (due to his increased fame). Ray Milland was previously top billed and pushed down to third. Second billing went to Susan Hayward who had become a star since 1942 but played the very small role of Drusilla.
• Creator Backlash: John Wayne was a little annoyed at his part and once complained that he was only there to make Ray Milland look like a "real man".
• Fake American: Ray Milland was Welsh.
• Follow the Leader: Parts of the film definitely feel like Gone with the Wind in Florida.
• Hostility on the Set: John Wayne did not get along with Cecil B. DeMille, as he was annoyed at being passed over for the role of Wild Bill Hicock in The Plainsman.
• Playing Against Type: John Wayne plays someone with a darker side than usual. He wrecks the very ship he wanted to captain and nearly lets his romantic rival drown.
• What Could Have Been: Errol Flynn was who Cecil B. DeMille really wanted to play Steve. Warner Bros. refused to loan him out, and Ray Milland ended up cast.

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