Be Human (film)
| Be Human | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Dave Fleischer |
| Produced by | Max Fleischer |
| Animation by | Lillian Friedman Myron Waldman |
| Color process | Black-and-white |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Running time | 7 mins |
Be Human is a 1936 Fleischer Studios animated short film starring Betty Boop and Grampy. It is now public domain.
Plot
Betty Boop is incensed at her farmer neighbor's cruelty to his animals. But the inventive Grampy knows how to teach him a lesson.
The abusive farmer has been compared to Billy Joe Gregg, who abused numerous cows and calves at the Conklin Dairy Farms in Ohio in 2010.[1]
Be Human has been criticized for depicting the harsh punishment of the abusive farmer as being commendable.[2]
Song
The cartoon features the song Be Human sung by Betty Boop accompanying herself on piano. Instrumental renditions of the song are also prominent throughout the cartoon. When the animal-abusing farmer winds up on Grampy's punishment treadmill, a phonograph recording of Grampy's voice is heard singing the song.
Lyrics
There's a very simple lesson,
But it's easy to forget;
And I promise, you'll regret it if you do.That if you're always kind and gentle
With your family pet,
He'll be just as kind and gentle
With you.Be human, animals can cry;
Be human, it's easy if you try.
Don't go around with a heart of stone,
Or you'll be sorry and all alone.Be human, have a tender word,
For every animal and bird!If we would all be human,
This world would be in rhyme;
So be human all the time!Share a tasty carrot with your parrot,
Serve your chimpanzee a piece of cheese;
Sip a sarsaparilla with your camel or gorilla,
With kind regards to all of them from me.Be human, animals can cry;
Be human, won't you even try?
Don't think you're wonderful just because
You weren't born with a tail and claws.Be human, have a tender word,
For every animal and bird!It's futile to be brutal,
That won't get you a dime;
So be human all the time!A true cat can't be human,
But you can!
See also
Notes
- ^ Hunt, Andrew (2010-08-26). "Betty Boop & Grampy: Two Pioneering Animal Rights Activists!". Retrieved 2011-06-28.
... Betty Boop and her partner in crime, Grampy, as a couple of Depression-era animal rights activists who relentlessly go after a mean goon of a farmer who's abusing his animals.
- ^ "Betty Boop Cartoons". 2005-06-15. Retrieved 2011-06-28.
... once the farmer had been made helpless himself, Grampy tortures him in turn, and Betty looks on with apparent approval. So, it's OK to torture people if you're on the side of the angels?
External links
- Downloadable cartoon at archive.org (public domain, MPEG4, 7.6MB)
- Be Human at IMDb
- Be Human on YouTube