Of all the happy birthdays we’ve offered up here with the Movie Morlocks, none is more deserved or amazing than this one.  Cheeta (aka Cheetah) the Chimpanzee is 75 years old today!  He’s the oldest living chimp by a long shot – he’s lived over a quarter century longer than the typical chimpanzee, and he’s still going strong.

Now livin’ the life in Palm Springs, the retired simian movie star is cared for by his current guardian Dan Westfall, who has worked with chimpanees most of his professional show business career, and is obviously Cheeta’s biggest fan.  Cheeta, whose given name was Jiggs, was brought back as a tiny baby from Africa in 1932, Though the exact date of his birth is unknown, Dan and Cheeta – along with legions of his fans — celebrate it on April 9th, the birthday of Westfall’s late uncle, Cheeta’s original trainer who died several years ago. 

Our Cheeta first appeared in Tarzan and his Mate in 1934, while still a young chimp, and didn’t actually portray Tarzan’s best buddy until he was a bit older.  Truth to tell, the Cheetah role was shared by a number of gifted chimpanzees, each one specializing in different behaviors needed in the script.  In addition to a dozen or more Tarzan films, Cheeta made a number of appearances in other movies, his last role that of Chee-Chee in the 1967 Rex Harrison musical extravaganza Doctor Doolittle.  Not that Cheeta’s been taking his retirement from show biz lying down, though – he’s an accomplished modern artist, and you can purchase his paintings on his website.

In addition to his artistic endeavors, Cheeta is the poster boy for the C.H.E.E.T.A. Primate Sanctuary aka “Casa de Cheeta”, where Cheeta lives with Dan Westfall and a slew of other show business veterans.  It’s just like the Motion Picture Country Home, except for primates, and esteemed animal scientist Jane Goodall has given it her thumbs up, too.  What a great cause and highly deserving of support!  Most exciting for those of you in the Palm Springs area, or if you can get there, this coming Saturday, April 14th, the Desert Art Center in Palm Springs (550 N. Palm Canyon Drive), will be hosting Cheeta’s official 75th birthday celebration from 10am – 4pm. 

Happy Birthday to Cheeta, a Grand Old Chimpanzee!  We love you!