Classic Cinema: The African Queen (1952) - By Jason S. Lockard

Articles & Profiles: Classic Cinema: The African Queen (1952) - By Jason S. Lockard
Posted on Thursday, July 02, 2009 @ 05:52:41 Mountain Daylight Time by Duane

My Name is Jason Lockard and I love Classic Cinema. I’m convinced that is why I wanted to become a filmmaker! This month I’m looking back at a film that has it all! Comedy, drama, romance, action/adventure. It’s truly got something for everyone!

He starred in one of the most quotable films of all time coining the phrases, “If you don‘t get on that plane you‘ll regret it maybe not today maybe not tomorrow but soon and for the rest of your life!” “Here‘s looking at you kid!” “We'll always have Paris." "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.” That's right you guessed it the cinema classic Casablanca. She starred in some of the most memorable films ever produced including, Bringing up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, Guess who’s coming to dinner and On Golden Pond. That’s right respectively Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn.

These two great thespians were brought together to bring us one of the greatest films of all time “The African Queen” a film adapted from the C.S. Foster novel of the same name. It’s hard to think of anybody but Bogart and Hepburn in the lead roles but they weren’t the first ones thought of for the roles of Charlie Allnut and Rose Sayers. Originally both John Mills and David Niven were thought of for the gin swilling River Captain and Bette Davis for the Spinster Missionary! What a different film that would have been! When Bogart was cast his entire part had to be rewritten. The original screenplay depicted his character in thick Cockney dialect but Bogart was incapable of the accent. Bogart and Hepburn have an extremely unique chemistry on the big screen. Directed by John Huston [son of the classic actor Walter Huston and Rhea Gore a Sports Reporter and father of actress Anjelica Huston] he wanted this film to look authentic so he decided the exteriors should be shot on the Ruiki River in the Belgian Congo!

The African Queen centers around the story of the unlikely love that blossoms out of revenge between Charlie Allnut, a gin swilling river boat captain and Rose Sayer, a prim and proper Christian missionary. The story begins with the two missionaries Rose and her brother Rev. Samuel Sayer [Robert Morley] as they serve the local native population with their gospel ministry and hold proper English style Sunday Services in their church where the natives attend and attempt to participate as best as they can. But on this particular Sunday, when they natives hear The African Queen‘s [a riverboat that serves the communities delivering the mail, ect.] arrival they become a bit distracted. Then when Captain Allnut stands outside of the tent where the service is taking place and throws down a cigar a bunch of native begin fighting over the cigar cause a huge ruckus the natives sitting in the service leave to see what was going on. Despite the interruption to their Sunday Services, Rose and Rev. Samuel invite Charlie for lunch. This is where one of the funnier scenes in the film takes place as they three are having tea and bread Captain Allnut’s stomach begins to rumble he excuses himself and the two proper missionaries ignore the noise, or try to! No matter how much bread he eats his stomach continues to rumble to which Captain Allnut says, “Will you listen to this stomach of mine, the way it sounds you‘d think I had a hyena in there…. What do you suppose makes a man‘s stomach act like this?!” “Try a rock cake Mr. Allnut.” replies Rose. To no avail his stomach continues to roll than he exclaims, “There ain‘t nothing I can do about it!” Finally when Allnut is leaving he let’s the two missionaries know he won’t be delivering the mail for a while because of the German invasion and the beginning of World War I.

Not long after Charlie leaves the mission, the German army arrives. They burn down the mission and capture the native men, Reverend Samuel is struck by one of the invading Germans soldiers and is left badly injured. With his mission destroyed and his will to live gone, the Reverend passes away, leaving his sister on her own. Sometime later, Charlie returns to learn of the missionary's fate and takes Rose on the river to safety. As they begin their journey, Rose hatches a plan to exact revenge on the Germans that killed her brother, but getting revenge would not come without challenges including attacks from the Germans, rapids, broken shaft, prop and blade and leeches. Bogart resisted Huston's insistence on using real leeches in a key scene where Bogart has to drag the boat through a shallow marsh, until reasonable fakes were employed. I don’t want to reveal to much if you’ve never seen it! Does Rose Sayer get the revenge she so desires or do they die trying! You’ll have to watch for yourself to find out!

Scenes in which Bogart and Hepburn are in the water and the exhilarating rapid scenes were all shot in studio tanks in England (at Isleworth Studios, Middlesex) because of health concerns. Almost all of the other scenes were filmed in central Africa, causing considerable hardship for the cast and crew, but the result was a critical and commercial success.

Lauren Bacall [who was married to Bogart] went to Africa with Bogart for the filming soon found the glamour gone as she would make herself useful as a cook, nurse, and clothes washer, for which Bogart praised her, “I don’t know what we’d have done without her. She Luxed my undies in darkest Africa”. It’s no big secret that Bogart and Huston liked to drink and behind the scenes, to show her disgust with the amount of alcohol that they consumed during filming on location in the Congo, Katharine Hepburn drank only water. As a result, she suffered a severe bout of dysentery. Just about everyone in the cast came down with dysentery except Bogart and John Huston, who subsisted on canned food and alcohol. Bogart explained: "All I ate was baked beans, canned asparagus and Scotch whisky. Whenever a fly bit Huston or me, it dropped dead."

Even though production censors objected to several aspects of the original script, including the two characters cohabiting without benefit of marriage. The African Queen was a huge success and has become a part of our history as the boat used in the picture, is now on public display behind the glass bottom boat on an ocean access canal adjoining the Key Largo Holiday Inn in Key Largo, Florida. Also Walt Disney used this film as the basis for the Disneyland's "Jungle Cruise" attraction. And Clint Eastwood starred and directed White Hunter, Black Heart a film loosely based on the film's production.

Bogart is a film Icon being parodied in everything from Bugs Bunny Cartoons to Friday the 13th movies!

In 1997, the United States Postal Service featured Bogart in its "Legends of Hollywood" series. There is even a term "bogarting" refers to taking an unfairly long time with a cigarette and or drink. ("Don't bogart that joint!"). It derives from Bogart's style of cigarette smoking, with which he left his cigarette dangling from his mouth rather than withdrawing it between puffs.

The African Queen was recognized by the Academy with the following nominations Katharine Hepburn for Best Actress in a Leading Role, also Best Adapted Screenplay James Agee & John Huston and Best Director John Huston. Bogart however won his only Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role. During Bogart’s Oscar acceptance speech, he said “It's a long way from the Belgian Congo to the stage of this theatre. It's nicer to be here. Thank you very much…No one does it alone. As in tennis, you need a good opponent or partner to bring out the best in you. John and Katie helped me to be where I am now”. Despite the thrilling win and the recognition, Bogart later commented, “The way to survive an Oscar is never to try to win another one...too many stars…win it and then figure they have to top themselves...they become afraid to take chances. The result: A lot of dull performances in dull pictures”.

The film has also been recognized several times by American Film Institute. It scored #17 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies… #14 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Passions…. #48 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers…. #65 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)! Hepburn and Bogart were voted #1 AFI’s 100 Years…100 Stars for their categories! The African Queen was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

The African Queen is probably one of the most widely available films in the world, on sale in the electronics department of virtually every major retail chain, a commonplace at every rental counter, it was played frequently on television for years. It is hard to imagine any one in the United States, who has not seen the film, but if you haven’t don’t dare miss this gem of a film it is truly a classic! Until next month this is Jason saying you want a good film? Go to your video store and check out a classic!

Moral Rating: Slight Violence and Disturbing Images
Audience: Teens and Adults [Some scenes may not be suitable for children]
Genre: Action/Adventure
Length: 104 min.
Year of Release: 1952
Our Rating: A-