--- title: Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn Filming 'The African Queen,' 1951 description: Rare photos of Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart on location in Africa during filming of John Huston's classic romance-adventure. canonical: https://time.com/3877190/humphrey-bogart-katharine-hepburn-filming-the-african-queen-1951/ author: Ben Cosgrove article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2013-05-28T10:26:58.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:03:52.248Z og:title: Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn Filming 'The African Queen,' 1951 og:description: Rare photos of Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart on location in Africa during filming of John Huston's classic romance-adventure. og:url: https://time.com/3877190/humphrey-bogart-katharine-hepburn-filming-the-african-queen-1951/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8990d55345c27cfb/698845a4cd1bba430e6fa33e/ugc1391011.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Bogart, Hepburn, African Queen, 1951 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn Filming 'The African Queen,' 1951 twitter:description: Rare photos of Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart on location in Africa during filming of John Huston's classic romance-adventure. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8990d55345c27cfb/698845a4cd1bba430e6fa33e/ugc1391011.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # LIFE With Hepburn and Bogart: Rare Photos From the Filming of 'The African Queen' > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove May 28, 2013 10:26 AM UTC  Not published in LIFE. Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn on location in Africa for the filming of The African Queen, 1951. Not published in LIFE. Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn on location in Africa for the filming of The African Queen, 1951. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove May 28, 2013 10:26 AM UTC In 1951, two of the world’s most beloved — and highest paid — movie stars, Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, followed director John Huston to a most un-Hollywood location: the sweltering jungle around the Ruki River, in the Belgian Congo (today known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo). There, they spent seven weeks filming a WWI-era romantic-comedy-adventure film about a hard-drinking riverboat captain, Charlie Allnut (Bogart), and his burgeoning love affair with a prim Christian missionary, Rose Sayer (Hepburn). Photographer Eliot Elisofon was there, too, capturing the stars and crew between takes on the arduous shoot. Here, on the 10th anniversary of Hepburn’s June 29, 2003, death at the age of 96, LIFE.com pays tribute to the four-time Best Actress Oscar winner with a series of photos — many of which never ran in LIFE magazine — offering a glimpse inside the making of _The African Queen_. [ **\[MORE: See the LIFE feature, “In Praise of Sitting in the Dark With Strangers.”\]**](http://life.time.com/culture/life-at-the-movies-in-praise-of-sitting-in-the-dark-with-strangers/#1) The shoot was often a grueling experience for the crew, particularly Hepburn, who suffered from dysentery caused by contaminated water. (She refused to let it affect her work and never missed a day of filming, despite the punishing schedule of what LIFE magazine called “dawn-to-dusk labor.”) For his part, Bogart — like his character, Captain Allnut — liked to drink, and he tossed ’em back throughout the production. (Hepburn later affectionately referred to Bogie and hard-partying director John Huston as “two drunks.”) Unlike Hepburn and much of the crew, both Bogart and Huston remained healthy throughout the shoot — probably because they drank far more booze than water. In the end, the movie proved to be one of Bogart’s and Huston’s most enduring and fruitful collaborations — which is saying something, considering they worked together on other undisputed classics like _Key Largo_, _The Maltese Falcon_ and _The Treasure of the Sierra Madre_. Hepburn received a Best Actress Oscar nomination — her fifth — while Bogart’s utterly engaging performance as the cynical drunkard with a heart of gold earned him the only Academy Award of his storied career. [**\[MORE: See the gallery, “Marilyn Monroe in ’49: Early Photos of a Superstar in Training.”\]**](http://life.time.com/culture/marilyn-monroe-rare-early-photos-of-a-hollywood-icon-in-1949/#1) [ **\[MORE: See the gallery, “Alfred Hitchcock ‘Directs’ a LIFE Picture Story, 1942.”\]**](http://life.time.com/culture/alfred-hitchcock-directs-a-photo-essay-in-life-magazine-july-1942/#1) _Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter_ [_@lizabethronk_](https://twitter.com/LizabethRonk)_._  Not published in LIFE. Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn on location in Africa for the filming of The African Queen, 1951. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Katharine Hepburn on location in Africa for the filming of The African Queen, 1951. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Humphrey Bogart's wife Lauren Bacall kept him company during production; here, the couple enjoys a smoke with an unidentified woman, 1951. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn on location in Africa for the filming of The African Queen, 1951. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Director John Huston and Humphrey Bogart during filming of The African Queen, 1951. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn on location in Africa for the filming of The African Queen, 1951. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. "Off to work goes Hepburn, leaving the private bungalow which she decorated charmingly with native spears and flowers." Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Director John Huston examines one of his rifles during filming of The African Queen, 1951. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Katharine Hepburn gives her hair its nightly wash on the set of The African Queen, with the help of Sonduco, a production employee. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. A deeply amused Humphrey Bogart on location in Africa for the filming of The African Queen. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Katharine Hepburn allows LIFE's Eliot Elisofon inside her private bungalow during filming of The African Queen. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Humphrey Bogart's beard gets a touch-up during filming of The African Queen. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. "Katharine Hepburn adjusts her costume before a full-length mirror which was soon broken. Other vexations: mildew on skirts, ants in her petticoats." Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Humphrey Bogart and director John Huston joined on the set by Lauren Bacall and crew members during filming of The African Queen. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Swimming in the river during filming of The African Queen. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  A view of the rig necessary to allow filming of Charlie Allnut's boat on the river in The African Queen. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn on location in Africa for the filming of The African Queen. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Chief cameraman Jack Cardiff and producer Sam Spiegel discuss technical specifications during filming of The African Queen. Spiegel went on to produce 1962's Lawrence of Arabia, which won the Oscar for Best Picture. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn in Africa during filming of The African Queen. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image  Not published in LIFE. Katharine Hepburn on location in Africa for the filming of The African Queen, 1951. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  A man beats a hollow log with sticks -- the daily 6 a.m. wake-up call for the cast and crew of The African Queen. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Katharine Hepburn enjoys a moment away from the filming of The African Queen. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. A local resident tends to the wardrobe for Katharine Hepburn on location for The African Queen. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Lauren Bacall makes sandwiches while surrounded by her husband and the crew during a lunch break on location for The African Queen. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn rehearse a scene while crew members watch, on location for The African Queen. Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. "At siesta time after lunch everybody took it easy. Director Huston (right) fished doggedly with technician Kevin McClory, never caught a thing." Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. "Bogart snoozes in a hammock under makeshift shelter on an equipment raft. He never had to study lines, learned them after two or three readings." Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Katharine Hepburn, her face concealed by her massive hat, puts up her feet. "After siesta," LIFE reported, "everybody worked in broiling sun until 6:30." Eliot Elisofon—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Katharine Hepburn on location in Africa for the filming of The African Queen, 1951. 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