In September 1914 in the German East African village of Kungdu, British Reverend Samuel Sayer and his spinster sister Rose lead prayers at the makeshift First Methodist Church. The natives struggle to follow the English psalm, but race outside when they hear Canadian Charlie Allnut's ancient launch the African Queen chug into the village, laden with mail and goods. Though conscious of his lower social standing, Charlie lunches with the Sayers, who delicately ignore his rumbling stomach. Before leaving, he informs them about the encroaching war in Europe, and although the Sayers are frightened, they refuse to desert the village. Only hours later, however, German troops invade Kungdu, imprison the natives and burn down the huts. By the time the smoke clears, Samuel has begun to lose his mind from shock and grief. He soon collapses, unintentionally wounding Rose by raving that their attraction to missionary work grew out of a lack of more attractive social options. When Charlie returns to the destroyed village the next day, he finds Samuel dead, and helps Rose bury him. She then accepts Charlie's offer to hide from the Germans on his boat...
› The African Queen was filmed on location in the Belgian Congo in Africa - shooting a film on location in such a remote area was extremely rare in 1951. Movies with exotic locations were usually shot on soundstages with the stars performing in front of painted backdrops or rear-projection screens that depicted the locale. Director John Huston persuaded his friend Humphrey Bogart to make the trip to Africa; the two had worked together before on such classic movies as The Maltese Falcon (1941), Key Largo (1948) and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948).
The original novel by C.S. Forester had been considered by many Hollywood studios since its publication in 1935. Huston hired noted film critic James Agee to collaborate with him on the screenplay. Agee was too sick to travel to Africa, and Huston started production without a formally written ending for his movie.
Actress Katharine Hepburn was having trouble with her part as the spinster Rose. Huston suggested to her that she model the character on former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who was known for smiling through adversity. Hepburn later said that the suggestion was the best piece of direction she had ever received in her movie career.
The African Queen was both a box office and critical success, and honored with four Academy Award nominations for Best Actor, Actress, Director and Screenplay. It also provided a major career boost for the director and his two stars - in fact, Humphrey Bogart won his only Academy Award as Best Actor for his role as Charlie Allnut.
› The African Queen is set in German East Africa during World War I. A German colony was first established in the region in the 1880s, primarily for trade; the area they eventually claimed was three times the size of Germany itself. Crops such as coffee, rubber, and cotton were cultivated, and the Germans built miles of railroads to transport the goods.
› A colonial force for German East Africa was established in 1891. By the outbreak of World War I the Schutztruppe, as the force was called, was 14,000 men strong and was divided into 14 companies. Roughly 2,500 of these men were armed troops, including 200 German officers and 1,700 German soldiers. In 1914 Lieutenant Colonel Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck assumed command of the forces. As accurately depicted in The African Queen, the first fighting occurred with British troops on Lake Tanganyika. Other companies were added during the course of the war, and the East African forces were the last to surrender following the armistice in November 1918. Although it was considered merely a footnote to the greater War, the East African Campaign took its toll – it is estimated that 2,000 Germans died, 10,000 British soldiers were killed or died from disease, and many thousands of native Africans died and their villages destroyed.
› There are no fun facts about leeches, only disgusting facts:
› Although all species of leeches feed on blood, only 10% of leeches can bite. Most leeches feed on already open wounds or decomposing bodies. They can attach themselves to reptiles, fish, amphibians, and waterfowl as well as mammals (such as humans).
› The recommended way of removing a leech is to use your fingernail to break the seal of the oral sucker at the "mouth" of the leech, and then repeat at the seal at the other end. It is not advisable to cause the leech harm to make it release (such as applying salt, or heat, or soap, or alcohol), because the leech might vomit its stomach contents into the wound and cause an infection.
HEAVEN KNOWS, MR. ALLISON (1957)
A nun (Deborah Kerr) and a Marine (Robert Mitchum) are drawn to one another as they hide from enemy forces on a Japanese-held Pacific island in John Huston's WWII drama.
KING SOLOMON’S MINES (1950)
Adventurer Allan Quatermain (Stewart Granger) leads Deborah Kerr on a search for a fabled diamond mine deep in the African wilderness.
THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING (1975)
Sean Connery and Michael Caine play British soldiers in 1800s India who attempt to dupe a remote village of their gold in the Rudyard Kipling tale directed by John Huston.
OLLY, OLLY, OXEN FREE (1978)
Katharine Hepburn stars as an eccentric junkyard owner who helps two youngsters repair their late grandfather's magnificent hot-air balloon.
SAHARA (1943)
Humphrey Bogart stars as a world-weary commander of a huge American tank named Lulu Belle during World War II in the Sahara desert.
ROMANCING THE STONE (1984)
Kathleen Turner plays a repressed romance novelist who is forced to team up with soldier-of-fortune Michael Douglas to rescue her kidnapped sister in this adventure-comedy.
The African Queen - (Original Trailer)
African Queen, The -- (Movie Clip) Clean Habits
African Queen, The -- (Movie Clip) Skinny Old Maid!
African Queen, The -- (Movie Clip) Her Hour of Need
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› There are no fun facts about leeches, only disgusting facts: 
