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The African Queen Overview:

The African Queen (1951) was a Adventure - Drama Film directed by John Huston and produced by Sam Spiegel and John Woolf.

The film was based on the novel of the same name written by C.S. (Cecil Scott) Forester published in 1935.

SYNOPSIS

The boozing, smoking, cussing captain of a tramp steamer, Charlie Allnut (Bogart) saves prim and proper Rose Sayer (Hepburn) after her brother is killed by German soldiers at the beginning of WWI in Africa. Many quarrels later, the two set sail on the Ulonga-Bora in order to sabotage a German ship. Based on the 1935 book by novelist C.S. Forester, the wonderful combination of Hepburn and Bogie (who won an Oscar) makes this a thoroughly enjoyable blend of comedy and adventure. Later came the book (and Clint Eastwood film) White Hunter, Black Heart, which chronicled Peter Viertel's experiences observing Huston throughout the making of the picture.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

The African Queen was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1994.

Academy Awards 1951 --- Ceremony Number 24 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best ActorHumphrey BogartWon
Best ActressKatharine HepburnNominated
Best DirectorJohn HustonNominated
Best WritingJames Agee, John HustonNominated
See More Oscar Winners

The African Queen BlogHub Articles:

Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn take a journey on "The African Queen"

By Stephen Reginald on Aug 1, 2022 From Classic Movie Man

Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn take a journey on "The African Queen" The African Queen (1951) is a British-American adventure film directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogard, Katharine Hepburn, and Robert Morley. The film is based on the novel of the same name by C. S. Forester... Read full article

The African Queen (1951)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Dec 14, 2017 From 4 Star Films

And you call yourself a Christian! Do you hear me? Don’t ya? Don’t ya? Huh? What ya being so mean for, Miss? A man takes a drop too much once and a while, it’s only human nature. ~ Charlie Nature, Mr. Allnut, is what we are put in this world to rise above. ~ Rose Sometimes when gr... Read full article

The African Queen (1951)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Dec 14, 2017 From 4 Star Films

And you call yourself a Christian! Do you hear me? Don’t ya? Don’t ya? Huh? What ya being so mean for, Miss? A man takes a drop too much once and a while, it’s only human nature. ~ Charlie Nature, Mr. Allnut, is what we are put in this world to rise above. ~ Rose Sometimes when gr... Read full article

ClassicFlix (Teen Scene): The African Queen (1951)

By Virginie Pronovost on Jun 27, 2017 From The Wonderful World of Cinema

From March 2015 to April 2017, I was writing the monthly Teen Scene column for the website ClassicFlix. My objective was to promote classic films among teenagers and young adults. Due to the establishing of a new version of the website, it’s now more difficult to access to the old version and read... Read full article

The African Queen Rides Into Adventure with Bogart and Hepburn

By Cafe Guest Blogger on May 22, 2017 From Classic Film & TV Cafe

Guest blogger Chris Cummins from MovieFanFare pays tribute to a Bogey-Hepburn classic: Released on December 23, 1951, The African Queen (based on the C.S. Forester novel of the same name) is a cinematic masterpiece that is highlighted by unforgettable lead performances from Humphrey Bogart and Kath... Read full article

See More The African Queen Articles

The African Queen Quotes:

Charlie Allnut: Nobody in Africa, but yours truly, can get a good head of steam on the old African Queen.
Charlie Allnut: How'd you like it?
Rose Sayer: Like it?
Charlie Allnut: White water rapids!
Rose Sayer: I never dreamed...
Charlie Allnut: I don't blame you for being scared - not one bit. Nobody with good sense ain't scared of white water...
Rose Sayer: I never dreamed that any mere physical experience could be so stimulating!
Rose: [after Charlie checks the boat for damage after going down a rather rough set of rapids] Could you see anything, dear?
Charlie Allnut: Yeah. The shaft's twisted like a corkscrew and there's a blade gone off the prop.
Rose: We'll have to mend it, then.
Charlie Allnut: What a time we had Rosie, what a time we had.
Charlie Allnut: Never say die. That's my motto.
See More Quotes from The African Queen
The African Queen Facts
To show her disgust with the amount of alcohol that John Huston and Humphrey Bogart consumed during filming, Katharine Hepburn drank only water. As a result, she suffered a severe bout of dysentery.
John Huston's daughter Anjelica Huston was born in Ireland during filming.
Columbia originally bought the novel as a vehicle for Charles Laughton and his wife Elsa Lanchester. Instead, they made Vessel of Wrath, which was same story, but a box office failure. And at one point David Niven and Paul Henreid were each considered for the male lead.
C.S. Forester wrote two different final scenes for his book; one was published in England, the other in America. In the more widely published American version, Rose Sayer and Charlie Allnut are turned over to British officers, who then blow up the Louisa. In the British version, the African Queen hits the Louisa and destroys it, after which Rose and Charlie walk down the beach to inform the British Army that the way is now clear. In a modern interview, Peter Viertel said that since he and John Huston wanted Rose and Charlie to be together at the final scene, and invented a way for them to be married on the German ship to avoid censorship.
'The African Queen' sank and had to be raised twice during filming of the movie. Lauren Bacall quoted "The natives had been told to watch it and they did. They watched it sink."
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