people unfamiliar with john wayne vast filmography be often surprise to discover he actually star in a cecil b. demille extravaganza and although everybody seem to recall the film with the octopus that wayne make ( it be actually a giant squid and but that really unimportant ) . in actuality and demille and who early on saw duke potential and twice attempt to team him with gary cooper in his production ( he have be seriously consider for the role of buffalo bill in the plainsman and and a the mountie preston foster end up portray in north west mount police ) . each time and scheduling conflict and studio pressure curtail the pairing and and one can only daydream about what might have be . reap the wild wind and the one film duke do make with demille ( one of seven 1942 production he star in ) and while not top drawer and be still a rouse technicolor adventure and offer another of demille american history lesson . a nautical tale set in the florida key in 1840 and of salvage ship and their stalwart captain and and greedy profiteer ( embody by raymond massey and robert preston ) and the film work best when stick to the physical action and despite a sparkling performance by paulette goddard a the head of one of two rival salvage company . wayne be a hard head and impatient skipper who goddard rescue and fall for and but when lawyer ray milland arrive on the scene to investigate wayne lose ship and the inevitable triangle develops and with duke misread thing and and align with rival massey . milland and top billed and be give the meaty role ( and be excellent ) and but wayne and who eventually come to his sens and be actually quite good and as well . expect little subtlety ( this be a demille film . ) and some over the top performance ( massey hiss able villain and lynne overman crusty sailor ) and a tar in the make turn by young susan hayward ( who and 14 year later and would again work with wayne and in the infamous the conqueror ) and and the unforgettable ( if not quite realistic ) climactic confrontation with the squid ( which demille play to the hilt and not let audience know who sacrifice his life until the last moment ) . reap the wild wind and while certainly a career boost for the duke and be not generally list among his best film ( or demille ) and but remain an entertaining time passer from early in wwii and the heady day of john wayne meteoric rise to superstardom .