David R. reviewed The Making of the "African Queen": Or, How I Went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind on
Helpful Score: 2
Entertaining look at a golden era of movies with insights into some of the central figures of the time. Style of writing is much like how she talked and Katharine paints a picture of challenges of the out back with humor and understatement.
Elizabeth E. (TylerTxRose) reviewed The Making of the "African Queen": Or, How I Went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind on + 84 more book reviews
I love the subtitle of this book, " How I went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall, & Huston and almost lost my mind, " the dry humor so typically Katie! It is more of a diary, but has maps & pictures that help take you along on her journey... a fascinating 1st hand look at a film being made on location, in hardly the best of circumstances. Written some 30-odd years after the fact, these reminiscences are totally charming & as full of humor as Katie herself. Her discription of selecting her wardrobe from Vintage clothing in a private London museum is too funny, especially for anyone who has done costumes for the stage or films. (Note: real clothes are not the same as costumes!)There was the camp site: bamboo & palm huts, with cots for beds, showers with dirt floors & of course outhouses; no 1st class hotel here or room service! And finally there were the leeches; yes, real leeches, not for the squimish.
Kevin R. (kcrouth) -
"The Making of The African Queen" is a really nice and personal recollection by Katherine Hepburn of her experience of making the film. Having just read the novel on which the film is based, i really appreciated some of the behind the scenes insights and tales. Also, it was nice to see some of the personal impressions of Huston and Bogart, and Lauren Bacall. This book is a nice bonus chapter to this classic film, for which Bogart won his Oscar.
John O. (buzzby) -
My partner really liked it, he said it was just like sitting down and talking with Katharine Hepburn. Of course, I don't recall him ever telling me he sat down and talked to Katherine Hepburn, so I don't know how he could compare.
