CLINT EASTWOOD, INTO AFRICA

LONDON In the summer of 1950, John Huston went out to East Africa tofilm "The African Queen," and in the summer of 1989, Clint Eastwoodfollowed in his footsteps to make a movie about the making of thatmovie. From all accounts, and there are many, Huston loved Africa somuch that he could barely be bothered to make a movie there. He wastoo busy scouting locations, drinking whiskey, playing poker andtrying to shoot an elephant.

For Peter Viertel, a screenwriter who Huston brought along toAfrica, the untold story of the making of "The African Queen" was asgood as the one they were filming. Viertel was the second writer onthe picture, after the legendary James Agee suffered a …