Goofs for
The African Queen (1951) More at IMDb Pro »

• Continuity: When arguing about who is going to steer the torpedoes, a cigar suddenly appears in Charlie's mouth.
  
  
• Boom mic visible: On first evening on African Queen, while Rose is drinking her tea, the shadow of the boom mike appears over the port edge of the boat several times.
  
  
• Continuity: When Charlie wakes up in the rain, his blanket is completely soaked but after Rosie lets him in out of the rain, his blanket is dry.
  
  

• Factual errors: At the end, Charlie and Rose are married by the captain of a ship that rescued them. However, while this is an entertaining plot device and provides a splendidly happy ending, they wouldn't actually be legally married. The captain of a ship has no particular power to perform weddings, as was established in a 1898 case, Norman v Norman. Regulations in the US, British and Soviet navies, as well as those of other nations, specifically prohibit a commanding officer from performing marriage ceremonies. The belief that the captain has such authority is probably based on the almost total power he exercises while at sea.
  
  
• Continuity: The knot on Charlie's neckerchief during the argument with Rose when he calls her a psalm-singing, skinny old maid.
  
  
• Continuity: When Rev. Samuel and Rose kneel to pray, his coat is unbuttoned. When they go out to attend the African man who screams, his coat is completely buttoned.
  
  
• Continuity: When Allnut sets up the torpedoes in the African Queen, the holes are a little behind the prow. The turned boat which supposedly explodes the German ship has the torpedoes ahead.
  
  
• Audio/visual unsynchronized: In the final scene where Bogart and Hepburn are swimming in the lake, their voices reverberate as they talk to each other, revealing that they are indoors, not outside.
  
  
• Continuity: When Rosie tries (and fails) to climb aboard the boat, we can see by means of her shoulder blade and leg that she is naked; yet when Charlie helps her into the boat, she suddenly has on women's underwear.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: Obvious double for Robert Morley as he tends the garden after the Germans leave.
  
  
• Continuity: In the scene where they were setting the torpedo, Bogart's cigar is shown to be a stub, and in the next scene it is longer.
  
  
• Continuity: In some close-up shots of the African Queen, her name is painted in white letters. All other shots show the name of the boat in black lettering.
  
  
• Continuity: Allnut is considerably cleaner shaven in the water after the Louisa is sunk then he is while being interrogated on board.
  
  

• Continuity: SPOILER: When the Germans arrive at the village, Rev. Sayer confronts a German soldier and is struck in the face with a rifle butt -- he falls to the ground, where we see the left side his face near his mouth swollen, bruised, and bloodied. The Germans then burn the village. A short time later- the village is still smoldering -- Rev. Sayer is working outside and Rose talks to him and brings him inside. His face is now unblemished, showing no sign of swelling or bruising.
  
  

Related Links