''Chew Chew Baby'' is a Paramount/Harveytoon animated short in the
Noveltoon
''Noveltoons'' is a series of cartoons produced by Paramount Pictures' Famous Studios from 1943 to the end of the studio during 1967. The series was known for bringing to life characters from Harvey Comics, such as Casper the Friendly Ghost, Wendy ...
series made by
Paramount Cartoon Studios for release on August 15, 1958.
It was directed by
Isadore Sparber
Isadore Sparber (March 7, 1906 - August 29, 1958) was an American storyboard artist
A storyboard artist (sometimes called a story artist or visualizer) creates storyboards for advertising agencies and film productions.
Work
A storyboard ar ...
from a story by Irving Spector.
Jackson Beck
Jackson Beck (July 23, 1912 – July 28, 2004) was an American actor best known as the announcer on radio's '' The Adventures of Superman''Dunning, John. (1998). ''On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio''. Oxford University Press. . Pp. 1 ...
and
Jack Mercer
Winfield B. Mercer (January 31, 1910 – December 7, 1984), professionally known as Jack Mercer, was a prolific American voice actor, animator and TV screenwriter. He is best known as the voice of cartoon characters Popeye the Sailor Man and ...
provide uncredited voices.
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, b ...
is the theme of this film, in which seven characters are attacked (six get swallowed) by a
pygmy
In anthropology, pygmy peoples are ethnic groups whose average height is unusually short. The term pygmyism is used to describe the phenotype of endemic short stature (as opposed to disproportionate dwarfism occurring in isolated cases in a pop ...
after he tracks a tourist to
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
.
This film shows a strong
Tex Avery
Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, animation director, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American a ...
influence, and copies Avery's
blood transfusion
Blood transfusion is the process of transferring blood products into a person's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used for various medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood. Early transfusions used whole blood, but mo ...
gag from ''
Crazy Mixed-Up Pup
Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or t ...
''.
Reception
''Motion Picture Exhibitor'' (October 1, 1958): "Featuring modernistic drawings, this concerns an American hunter in Africa who tangles with a small native who comes to America and turns out to be a purple people eater. The cannibal finds the loud-mouthed hunter. There is an accident. The hunter is given a blood transfusion from the cannibal, and this makes him a people eater, too. Fair."
References
External links
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1950s American animated films
1950s animated short films
1958 animated films
1958 short films
American animated short films
Films about cannibalism
Films about race and ethnicity
Films directed by Isadore Sparber
Paramount Pictures short films
1950s English-language films
Films set in Cincinnati
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