RIP Cheetah

Well, he outlived Tarzan and Jane, but got grumpy and was still throwing feces till the end...

http://mycenturylink.com/news/read.php?rip_id=%3CD9RTA4GG0%40news.ap.org%3E&ps=1018

Didn't know chimps lived that long.

I loved Cheetah, what a fun character in the Tarzan movies. This Cheetah appeared in the movies from 1932-1934. According to the website Tarzanmovieguide.com, "Tarzan the Ape Man" was released in 1932 and "Tarzan and his Mate" in 1934. Both movies starred Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan. Weissmuller was the first speaking Tarzan, according to the Internet Movie Database website.

when I was a kid, Saturday mornings always had a Tarzan movie on and I would watch it.

So, was this Cheetah an imposter?

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/12/death-of-cheetah-the-chimp-called-into-question/

The world reacted in sadness when it was announced that Cheetah, the chimpanzee who played Tarzan’s sidekick in the 1930s films, died on Christmas Eve of kidney failure at age 80.

Now, one week later, primate experts are questioning whether the chimp announced as dead by the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor, Fla., could actually be the original Cheetah that starred alongside American Olympic gold medal swimmer Johnny Weissmuller in the series of films about a man raised by apes in Africa.

First, experts say, 80 years is a long time for a chimpanzee to live.

According to the Associated Press, an 80-year-old chimpanzee would be perhaps the oldest chimp ever known, since most chimps in captivity live only to age 60, at the most.

Then, there are the long-running disputes over claims to “Tarzan” movie fame that Cheetah’s death has only reignited. Some accounts say a chimpanzee that died in 1938 and went by the name of Jiggs or Mr. Jiggs actually played Cheetah.

Another account of a chimp that played Cheetah was laid to rest by writer R.D. Rosen in a 2008 article in the Washington Post.

Rosen told the Associated Press in an email Wednesday that the chimp the Suncoast Sanctuary claims was Cheetah looks like a “business-boosting impostor.”

Ah who cares, a chimp died. if anyone is devastated by this news story they need to check their priorities. Shheesh.. how many posters saw a first run Tarzan flick? I dont think I did, I am pretty old.

Rosen told the Associated Press in an email Wednesday that the chimp the Suncoast Sanctuary claims was Cheetah looks like a “business-boosting impostor.”

I doubt I will go watch reruns

Hoot Owl wrote: Ah who cares, a chimp died. if anyone is devastated by this news story they need to check their priorities. Shheesh.. how many posters saw a first run Tarzan flick? I dont think I did, I am pretty old.

Rosen told the Associated Press in an email Wednesday that the chimp the Suncoast Sanctuary claims was Cheetah looks like a “business-boosting impostor.”

I doubt I will go watch reruns

Well, sorry if you didn't care for the topic.

But I'm still interested in what happened to our animal film icons like Cheetah, Toto, Rin Tin Tin, Lassie, Flipper, or even Mr Ed.

lol

I just downloaded all the original Tarzan novels, very inexpensive collection. Should be fun reading.