You don’t get this very often, I’ll tell you. Today is Cheetah’s birthday, April 9, 1931. Not just any Cheetah, but the chimpanzee of Tarzan fame.
I cannot tell you how happy that monkey made me as a child. He appeared in the Tarzan films with Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O’Sullivan. I’m not sure how many movies they made, but this Cheetah was in the loop from 1932 to 1934.
Of course, I realize I called him a monkey. And that is not right. Chimpanzees are not monkeys, and they have many differences between the two of them. But there is always an easy way to tell if a primate is a monkey or an ape. It is the tail. Chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and gibbons do not have tails, and that makes them apes. Monkeys, well, are more fun in a barrel. Tails and all.
Anyway, my sister and I used to “play” Tarzan. She always got to be Tarzan, and I had to pick a lesser character, like Hercules. We’d either use a stuffed animal for Cheetah or on occasion, our cat Fritz would be available for a guest appearance. Fritz never cared for the working conditions and rarely stayed around very long.
But most of all, I loved to watch those movies. I was enamored with Tarzan’s abilities, especially when it came to communicating with animals, Cheetah being his go-to guy. I wanted something like this in my life. I wanted a chimp.
Here’s the thing about Cheetah. After his acting career, he went to live with Johnny Weissmuller for a number of years. The two were pals until 1960. And that is when Cheetah moved to a sanctuary in Florida, the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor.
He lived out all his years there, dying in 2011, at the age of 80, they say. Kidney failure. According to the sanctuary, Cheetah had some hobbies. He enjoyed finger painting and watching football on TV, among other things.
But, like any of us, Cheetah was a bit of a hypocrite. They say he also loved listening to Christian music. Yet. Said the sanctuary worker, Ron Priest, “When he didn’t like somebody or something that was going on, he would pick up some poop and throw it at them. He could get you at 30 feet with bars in between.” Doesn’t seem very Christian to me.
And so it goes, Cheetah fans. As with any Hollywood star, there is always controversy of some sort swirling in the air. For one, Cheetah lived to be 80 years old, which is quite lengthy for a chimpanzee. They typically live 35 to. 40 years.
Another thing was that The Florida “Cheetah” was not the only chimpanzee who has been described as Tarzan’s companion. There have been claims by others, like the furry dude known as “Cheeta” who lived in California. The story was eventually shot down. Research proved it wasn’t true.
Although, it is entirely possible that several different animals were used while filming the Tarzan movies. But I’d know that little chimp anywhere.
I can look at this story and see, once again, another example of all the joys that life has a way of lending us. It could be anything. A chimpanzee in a movie. A Curious George in a book. Or a perfectly ripe banana for a snack.
Life is full of these moments if we pay attention.
I hope your day is filled with them, those magic moments. This day. Every day.
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Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.
— Karl Barth
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Let your joy be in your journey – not in some distant goal.
— Tim Cook
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If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.
— Eleonora Duse
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LIttle joys in Tarzan secrets
