Me Cheeta (38 page)

Tarzan the Ape Man
(1932, MGM)

Tarzan and His Mate
(1932, MGM)

Tarzan Escapes
(1933, MGM)

Tarzan Finds a Son!
(1939, MGM)

Tarzan’s Secret Treasure
(1941, MGM)

Tarzan’s New York Adventure
(1942, MGM)

Tarzan Triumphs
(1943, RKO/Lesser)

Tarzan’s Desert Mystery
(1943, RKO/Lesser)

Tarzan and the Amazons
(1945, RKO/Lesser)

Tarzan and the Leopard Woman
(1946, RKO/Lesser)

Tarzan and the Huntress
(1947, RKO/Lesser)

Tarzan and the Mermaids
(1948, RKO/Lesser—did not appear due to previous commitments)

Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla
(1952, Jack Broder)

Doctor Dolittle
(1967, Twentieth Century-Fox)

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Academy Awards

animals never winners of, 169

Chaplin’s, 96, 189

Cheeta’s fantasy acceptance speech, 297–301

failure to recognize contribution of Cheeta, 297

Hattie McDaniel’s, 189

honorary, 96, 189–90

Juvenile Award, 189–90

means of rectifying snub to Cheeta, 299–301

Mickey Rooney’s, 189–90

Affairs of Cellini, The
, 140

American Film Institute, 216

American Sign Language (ASL), 274

Animal Planet, 123, 139

animals, endangered, 219–21, 270, 299

animals in films, 72, 86, 87, 97, 126, 163, 230, 238–39, 251, 253, 276.
See also
No Reel Apes

CGI instead of, 85, 98, 138–39

chimpanzees, 25–26
(see also
Cheeta; Stroheim)

deaths of, 133, 186, 199, 253, 298

dogs, 86, 117, 224, 243
(see also
Rin Tin Tin)

elephants, 127, 158, 193, 208, 221

fate of, 127, 133, 164, 186, 208, 253, 275–76, 298

horses, xii, 17, 186, 199, 224, 266, 298

MGM and, 30–31, 104–5

MGM lion, 94

snakes, 42–43, 224

animals in research labs, 79–80, 83, 86, 92, 163, 279

in space research, 269–70

Aquacade, 177, 197, 200–201

Arcadia studio, 225, 227, 230

Archibald the Boa Constrictor, 224

Last Slither, The
, 224

Shirley and Archibald, Slithering Sleuths
, 224

Slithering Sleuths and the Grand Coulee Dam Mystery
, 224

Slithering Sleuths, Trouble in Heaven
, 224

Arlington, Martin, 100, 102, 103, 107, 110, 157

Arnst, Bobbe, 141–42, 165, 245

Ashley, Lady Sylvia, 128, 129, 130, 135

Asta (dog), 86

Astaire, Fred, 80, 187, 298

Astor, Mary, 108, 140, 178

Attenborough, Dickie, 3–10, 299

Atwill, Lionel, 128, 177, 198, 207

Autry, Gene, xii, 150

Axelrod, George, 18

Bacall, Lauren, xv, 85, 171, 297

Baer, Max, 151

sexual relationship with Lupe Vélez, 151

Balboa Boy Club, 150

Bankhead, Tallulah, 140

Barker, Lex, 192

Barrymore, John, xv, 107–8, 113, 115, 198

Barrymore, Lionel, 107–8, 140, 171

Barstow, California, 270, 275–76, 282

bears (various species), 219, 298

Bed of Roses
, 136

Beery, Wallace, 17, 106, 113, 114, 186

Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla
, 83, 263–64

Benchley, Robert, 80, 83, 150

Bennett, Constance, 33, 135–41, 150, 168, 286

Bergman, Ingrid, 242

Berlin, Irving, 136

Beverly Management Corporation, 239

Bickford, Charles, 127

B’nai B’rith Temple, Wilshire Blvd., 185

Bogart, Humphrey, xv, 63, 149, 150, 167, 168, 169, 170, 281, 286, 297

Bogart, Mayo Methot, 150, 167, 169, 170

Bond, Ward, 150, 167, 168, 172, 245

Bonzo, 39, 40–41, 44, 53, 57, 66, 71, 75, 76, 78, 79, 82

Borzage, Frank, 199, 230, 245

Bow, Clara, 115, 221

Boyer, Charles, 108

Brando, Marlon, 162

Brian, Mary, 118

Bringing Up Baby
, 86

Broder, Jack, 263

Bruce, Nigel, 17–18

Burns, George, 62

Burton, Richard, 4

Buscemi, Steve, 299

Cabot, Bruce, 151

sexual relationship with Lupe Vélez, 151

Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, 272–74, 293

Cagney, James, 85, 203–4, 281

Calhern, Louis, 18, 101

Californian Country Club, 132

Carroll, Earl, 123

Casting Couch, The
, 134

Castle Combe, Wiltshire, England, 3–10

Catalina Island, 150, 230, 271

Catholic League of Decency, 111, 119

Celeste, Olga, 86

CGI (Computer Generated Imagery), 85, 98, 138–39

Champion the Wonder Horse, xii, 17

Chaplin, Charlie, 63, 65, 96, 125, 151, 189, 205, 216, 263, 271

autobiography of, xiii

Cheeta and, 176–84

mansion of, 176

salons in Beverly Hills, 7–8, 176–82

sexual relationship with Lupe Vélez, 151

Charge ofthe Light Brigade, The
, 133, 186, 199, 298

Chasen’s, 33

Cheeta

adopted by Don Westfall, 277–80, 282

in the African wild, pre-capture, 11–27

age and longevity of, 173, 222, 280–82, 295, 296

bananas and, 33–34, 37–38, 76

at Barstow, California with Tony Genry, 270, 276–80

in
Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla
, 263–64

Beryl Weissmuller’s antipathy toward, 213–14, 217, 231–39

birth date, official, 46

biting by, 29, 51–52, 74, 101, 188, 203, 223–24, 225, 226, 233, 252

black mamba incident, 42–46, 79

caged in Gentry’s care, 264

caged in MGM menagerie, 140, 197, 199, 214

caged in Selig Park zoo, 224, 234, 253–56, 262, 265

capture of, 26–27

Charlie Chaplin and, 176–84

at C.H.E.E.T.A.(Casa de Cheeta), 280–86, 294–97
(see also
C.H.E.E.T.A.)

chimpanzees captured with, 30–31

chimpanzees working with, post-Tarzan career, 260–61, 262–63, 267, 270

cocaine and Constance Bennett, 138, 140, 168

compared to Chaplin, xiii

compared unreliability of, 3–302

at Constance Bennett’s home, 135–41

depression of, 254–56

diabetes of, 109, 281–82

in
Doctor Dolittle
, 3–10, 270, 276, 288

drinking alcohol, 18, 19, 33, 39, 62, 64, 109, 113, 114, 135, 167–69, 180, 210, 230, 233, 248, 250–51, 284

end of entertainment career, 276

exported to America, 30–36, 37–46

Fairbanks’Rolls-Royce and, 122–30

fame of, xii, 224

fan mail, 117–18, 209, 243

fantasy Oscar acceptance, 297–301

fear of water, 119, 122, 201, 251–52

during filming of
Doctor Dolittle
, 3–10

final Tarzan movie, 249–53

hospice visits, 63, 173, 222

as Jiggs, 52, 74, 81, 105

Johnny Weissmuller and, 29, 88, 99, 101, 105, 106–16, 122–30, 132, 135–41, 149, 152–53, 155–56, 166, 169–75, 191–94, 195–96, 205–6, 213, 225, 231–39, 245–50, 271–72, 287–93, 295, 296

at Lombard party, 106–16

love for, 3–302

at Marion Davies’party, 17–19

Maureen O’Sullivan and, 29, 98, 101, 106, 107, 108, 110, 115–16, 118

MGM and, 17, 64, 81, 85

Mickey Rooney and, 46, 64

movie career begins, 71–88

movie reviews and accolades, 47, 113, 178, 211–12, 216, 227, 243

in New York City, 47–69

number of Weissmuller-Cheeta movies, 97

offspring, 198, 224, 242, 254, 260, 282

paintings by, xv, 241, 249, 259–60, 279, 280, 284, 294

post-Tarzan career, Tony Gentry and, 256, 262–74, 297

at sailing party, 166–73

Cheeta (
cont.
)

sees snow, 255–56

sexual maturity and activity, 176–84, 198
(see also
Del Río, Delores)

smoking, 3–4, 6, 39, 62–63, 64, 107, 108, 135, 156, 167, 179, 183, 198, 224, 233, 240–42, 249, 253, 265, 278, 281, 284, 296

as a survivor, 25, 83, 127, 144, 188, 209, 236

taken out of cage by celebrities, 140, 177, 198–200, 222, 230

in Tarzan movies, 29, 47–48, 91–93, 94–105, 109–13, 148, 156–66, 170, 178, 187–95, 201, 206–12, 214–17, 225–30, 243–44, 245–53, 276, 292, 294, 297, 301–2

“Tarzo the Jungle Kings” show, 264–69

training of, 34–36, 37–40, 51, 64, 74–76, 79, 103, 162–63, 216, 249–53

tricks and mannerisms, 6, 64, 96, 100–101, 130, 148, 162, 169, 180, 216–17, 226, 261, 280

C.H.E.E.T.A.(Casa de Cheeta), 62, 94, 168, 240–42, 259–60, 265, 280–86, 294–97

Cheetarium, 285

Chevalier, Maurice, 106

chimpanzees in captivity, 9.
See also
C.H.E.E.T.A.(Casa de Cheeta)

care of, 238

chimpanzee-related entertainment, 210–11, 263–70

masturbation, 55, 76, 104, 140, 182, 183, 271, 275, 288

paintings by, 294

pant-hoot behavior, 40, 56, 64, 77, 116, 130, 198, 203

in research labs, 79–80, 83, 86, 92, 163, 279

roadside zoos, 275–76

stress behaviors, 73, 83, 104, 140

training of, 74–76, 79, 103, 162–63

using American Sign Language (ASL), 274

at work for Tony Gentry, 260, 263–64

chimpanzees in the wild, 11–17, 19–27, 222

alpha males, 13, 16, 24, 30

characteristics of, 14

mating, 19–20

pant-hoot behavior, 13, 15, 23

Christian’s Hut, 230, 271

Citizen Kane
, 63

Clift, Montgomery, 97

Clinton, Hillary, 240

Clooney, George, 298

Clyde the orangutan, 253

Cocoanut Grove, 230

Cocteau, Jean, 80

Cohn, Harry, 93, 117

Colbert, Claudette, 109, 110, 113

Colgate Comedy Hour
, 263

Colgate Variety Hour
, 263

Colman, Ronald, 18, 19, 29, 125, 140

Columbo, Russ, 151

sexual relationship with Lupe Vélez, 151

Combe, Lady, 3, 4, 5, 9

Conway, Jack, 92, 96, 97, 101, 102, 103, 107, 111, 112, 140, 156, 251

Cooper, Gary, 36, 63, 106, 144, 151

sexual relationship with Lupe Vélez, 151

Cooper, Jackie, 113

Cotten, Joseph, 63, 133–34, 173–74

Crabbe, Buster, 200

Crawford, Joan, 17, 93, 106, 125, 134–35, 162, 196, 197, 203, 226, 232, 233

Crosby, Bing, 245

Culver City Studios, 92, 98, 100, 101, 102, 214

Davies, Marion, 17

Davis, Bette, 63, 97

Davis, Mildred, 66

de Acosta, Mercedes, 108, 113–15

de Havilland, Olivia, 133

del Pablo, Juanita, 157

del Río, Delores, 92, 107, 233, 267, 286, 298, 299

the “trapdoor”incident, Cheeta’s refusal to discuss, 92

Dempsey, Jack, 151, 152, 153

sexual relationship with Lupe Vélez, 151

De Niro, Robert, 261–62

Desert Regional Medical Center Hospice, 63, 173, 222

DiCaprio, Leonardo, 297

Dickens, Charles, 84

Dietrich, Marlene, vii, 93, 107, 111, 113, 114–15, 116, 124, 137, 139–40, 223, 225, 226, 233, 286, 298

bitten by Cheeta, 223

disdain for Weissmuller, Johnny, 110

general awfulness of, 140

ludicrous automobile of, 125

omnisexual voraciousness of, 115

DiMarco, Gabe, 37, 39, 40, 44, 45, 46, 48–49, 50, 53, 79

Discovery Channel, 9, 19, 21, 36, 46, 139, 153

Doctor Dolittle
, 3–10, 270, 276, 288

dolphin, 298

“Don”.
See
Westfall, Don

Don the Beachcomber’s, 230

Douglas, Kirk, 84, 189

Douglas, Melvyn, 18, 101

Douglas, Patricia, 224–25

Dressler, Marie, 102, 140

Driscoll, Bobby, 163

DuMart, Edna, 150

Dunne, Irene, 222

Durante, Jimmy, 123, 151

sexual relationship with Lupe Vélez, 151

Durbin, Deanna, 43, 133–34

dwarfs, 123, 128

East of Java
, 127

Ed Sullivan
, 263

Einstein, Albert, 178–79

Eisenstein, Sergei, 177

Emma, the elephant, 127, 158, 193, 208, 221

Entertainment Weekly
, 62

Entwhistle, Peg, 163

Every Which Way But Loose
, 253

Fairbanks, Douglas, 93, 106, 122, 127–30, 131, 133, 135, 136, 139, 151

sexual relationship with Lupe Vélez, 151

Fairbanks, Douglas, Jr., 150, 151

Farrow, John, 156, 159, 187, 272

Farrow, Mia, 28, 161

Faulkner, William, 135

Ferrer, Mel, 298

Fields, W.C., 17, 244

fish, 220–21, 299

Fitzgerald, Barry, 121, 209

Fitzgerald, F. Scott, 18, 140

Fleming, Victor, 151

sexual relationship with Lupe Vélez, 151

Florey, Robert, 250, 251, 252

Flynn, Errol, xvi, 123, 133, 149–50, 167, 169, 171, 186, 198–200

cruelty to animals, 171, 199

cruelty to women, 198–99

decline into alcoholism, 200

sexual relationship with Lupe Vélez, 151

Fonda, Henry, 108, 150

Fonda, Jane, xiii, 299

Fox Hills Country Club, 249

Francis, Kay, 93, 209–10

Frederick (chimp), 11, 26, 30, 31, 39, 40–41, 50, 71, 75, 79, 80, 83, 87–88, 95, 98, 103

Funky Jungle Disco!
, 283

Gable, Clark, 93, 115, 127, 135, 150, 221

Garbo, Greta, xv, 109, 164, 259

Garden of Allah, 80, 83

Gardner, Ava, 85, 93

Garland, Judy, 135

Gately, Mr.(animal trainer), 74–75, 78, 81–83, 86–87, 95, 98, 99, 101, 103, 104, 105, 140, 156, 159, 162–63, 198, 210, 212, 216, 249, 252, 253

Gaucho, The
, 146

Gentry, Tony, 26, 37, 38, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 48–49, 50–53, 54, 58, 65, 76, 81, 160, 256, 260, 262–80, 284, 297