It has all the hallmarks of a great adventure story: Rose, the straight-laced sister of s missionary in Africa enlists the help of a too-dashing-for-his-own-good boat captain to deliver her back to civilization. Set this conflict against the backdrop of World War I, and it’s not hard to see the film’s appeal. Hollywood was not entirely sold, however: something about the African location and the age of the characters seemed to them to be against the interest of the general audience. Several studios passed on the film, until producer Sam Spiegel and director John Huston were finally able to secure financing to make one of the most memorable classic Hollywood pictures.

On this day, February 20, 1951, following a brief run in Los Angeles to qualify for the Academy Awards, The African Queen premiered in New York City. It proved an enormous success: both Katharine Hepburn, who played Rose, and Humphrey Bogart, who played the captain, were nominated for Oscars as was Huston. Although an expensive undertaking, as it was filmed in the Congo in Africa, the film easily made up for the production costs.

The production’s $1.3 million price tag was mainly the result of delays due to the difficulties of making a movie in the wilds of Africa. Shooting got off to an inauspicious start when co-director James Agee suffered a heart attack that kept him from joining the crew on site. Then the malarial mosquitoes, giant flies and biting ants continually afflicted both actors and the production group. Finally, the ship they were filming proved to be as rickety as it was in the story: at one point it sank completely under the water, delaying shooting for an entire day as it was raised and patched up.