People that don’t regularly read this column may not realize that the famous movie star, Cheeta is dead. His best friend and caregiver hauled this 140-pound dead Chimp around on a cart so the other primates he lived with could say goodbye. Cheeta spent his last years at a roadside celebrity zoo near Tarpon Springs, Florida. Cheeta was later cremated, and his remains placed in an attractive burial box for his funeral. Over 60 people attended the old Tarzan movie chimps’ funeral. Cheeta was 80 years old.

Cheeta was a very important movie star at one time, especially in Stonewall. But some are skeptical of this being the “real” Cheeta. And many say Chimps just don’t live this long. And indeed, is this the same Cheeta that played with Johnny Weissmuller who is the best remembered of the Tarzan actors and who was fired because he got too fat. Also, Johnny didn’t like Cheeta. Cheeta didn’t like him either and bit him several times while filming took place.

Tarzan movies were often shown on the Friday-Saturday time slot over at Stonewall but this, too, was controversial. The question was this: Was it even proper to substitute a Tarzan movie in place of say “The Durango Kid?” It was kind of like a heresy some said. The kids? Well, it seems they were good Tarzan fans, too. After a Tarzan movie hit the Main at Stonewall it was very common to hear local kids personally rendering their version of the Tarzan Yodel. Arguments sometimes erupted in the grade school about just who could do the Yodel best thus school ground auditions and trials were not uncommon to help settle these claims.

My next-door neighbor, Charles Crabtree Jr., broke his arm after one of the Tarzan movies demonstrating his ability to swing from limb to limb in the giant trees in front of his house at the NE corner of Broadway and 8 ^th while demonstrating his yodel. It was spectacular — both the yell and the acrobatics and that doesn’t include his spectacular fall — and his hurried trip over to the Ada Hospital.

Yes, the somewhat beloved (liked?) Cheeta got a nice funeral, but he was a movie star. That’s good I suppose when you consider that PETA (Persons for Ethical Treatment of Animals) officially petitioned the highway commission of Illinois to erect a memorial to the hapless-dead cattle killed in a gory cattle truck wreck on the interstate. The highway commission said they could only do this if and after a next of kin request and so far they have not heard from any of their next of kin. Sadly, no memorial here. PETA hanging tough accused everyone concerned of being guilty of the barbaric concept of actually raising these helpless animals for the sole purpose of eating them.

But then that brings up the ago old question of “Can an animal go to heaven?” I know a woman who did eventually die but wanted her dear dog to be killed and buried with her. I asked her how did her dog feel about this? But she replied that it didn’t matter because she was having him put down anyway. But another nearby guy (who wasn’t asked anyway) said, “we all know that dogs go to heaven.” I just looked at him, so he said, “God made them too, didn’t he?” I chose not to argue with him partly because I didn’t actually know. Besides I felt sort of guilty. I had been pressed to kill my dog when he was caught (back when I was a kid) (red-pawed) sucking eggs. That was an unpardonable sin for a dog back in my days.

Perhaps only good dogs and cats go to heaven. I just don’t know but have a feeling some of my readers have an opinion about this and I’m about to hear from some of them.

Meanwhile I hope you go to church Sunday. Maybe the preacher will know about dogs and cats, and heaven.

Wayne Bullard, DPh

cwaynebullard@gmail.com