Produced in 1951, “The African Queen” won Humphrey Bogart the only Oscar of his career. Based on the novel by C. S. Forester and the screenplay by James Agee, this story, which was directed by John Huston, takes place at the beginning of World War One. Charles Allnut (Humphrey Bogart) is using his steamer, The African Queen, to ferry supplies to needy villages in Easy Africa. When the Reverend Samuel Sayer (Robert Morley) dies, Charles agrees to transport his sister, Rose, back to civilization.
The steamer was the real thing. Originally known as the “L.S. Livingston”, the “Queen of Africa” was a working steamboat for more than forty years before it was used in the film. For all those who might be interested in viewing it, it is currently moored next to the Holiday Inn off US Highway 1, in Key Largo, Florida.
In 1947, the role of Rose was originally offered to Bette Davis who could not take it on because she was pregnant at the time. When she tried to make the film again in 1949, Katharine Hepburn had already been chosen to star.
In an interesting aside, Katherine Hepburn, in an attempt to show her disgust with the amount of alcohol that John Huston and Humphrey Bogart consumed during filming, drank only water during the entire shooting of the film. Unfortunately, her stand proved very painful as she suffered a bout of dysentery as a result!
One of the most memorable scenes in the film involves leeches. They were first modeled in Plasticine before moulds were made. The leeches Bogart pulls off himself were, in reality, made of rubber. Ugh!
Bogart loved the role he played but complained constantly of the intense African heat. Still, he won a Best Actor Oscar for his most memorable performance.
What are some of YOUR memories of this most remarkable film? Please share.