Customer Reviews
Me Very Impressed! - By: Plom de Nume, 11 Nov 2008 
This is that rarity, a work of genius that's also accessiblein all the right ways: hilarious, touching, cutting, thought-provoking & beautifully written, breathtakingly so at times. But fear not: the romance is constantly sauced with the simian hero's outrageous, turd-slinging wise-cracks & put-downs. Cheeta speaksin a lovely blend of street wisdom & naïve poetry that makes you want to listen to him for much longer than the book lasts. And his racy, piquant subject matter is utterly intriguing!
The brilliance here liesin several layers, beginning with the very idea of a celebrity chimp telling his talein a mind-boggling combination of natural history (Cheeta's self-awareness leads to many "you'll know this from National Geographic" type references) & "urban jungle" adventure. Addin the period glamour of Hollywood & Manhattan, amongst others, for further seduction. Then there's the constant insider scandal & sly digs at various cinematic egos: if you're looking for scurrilous iconoclasm, just seek out Rooney & Chaplin wherever they appear. The same subtlety informs the dissection of "swimming star" Esther Williams, donein part by having the chapter on her "removed on legal advice" but with frequent sarcastic sneers elsewhere & some nudging cluesin the index - yes, even the index is worth reading! And watch out for the deflations of some more contemporary posturers towards the end, during Cheeta's "Oscar acceptance" sequence - scalpel-sharp stuff.
The heart of the book, though, is the enduring friendship with cinema's greatest Tarzan, Johnny Weissmuller, here portrayed with an ultimate poignancy that is genuinely heart-wrenching. Their earlier exploits constitute a most original "romance," the bond between a bright animal & a child-like man (initially idolised but increasingly worn down & out by his fellow humans, especially his wives) very affectingly realised. It's particularly touching during their separations, when time, especially for Cheeta, becomes a blank despair completely opposite to the "dreams" (films) the pair create when they're together; the ape's innocence of the man's oblivion during these periods is truly poignant.
The sleazy "reunion" eventually orchestrated by a trashy magazine is all the more distressingin this regard. Whilst the lowest aspects of it go thankfully over the innocent heads of the pair, the once-godlike Weissmuller's decrepitude & Cheeta's desperation for his company & urge to "rescue" the human from exploitation tug our heart-stringsin several directions & raise all sorts of thoughts about captivity, dependence & consciousness. The whole thing can be read,in fact, as a love story between man & chimp, with this book the latter's celebration of, & love-letter to, a human he sees as the best of his species & whom he worshipfully considers to be his son (ape-rescued & reared), father (jungle-king, protector) & brother ("keeper" & friend) - a moving & thought-provoking trinity.
It must be said, though, that the imaginative empathy of the "ghost writer" goes beyond anthropomorphism & achieves plausibility without liberties, emotion without sentiment: descriptions of the jungle life "of infanticide & cannibalism" from which his beloved humans rescue Cheeta are lyrical, realistic, violent, sad & laugh-out-loud comical. And when he reaches America it gets even better! The early escape (orchestrated by the macaques) from a Manhattan animal dealer (Cheeta thinks of it as "rehab") into the exotic setting of Depression-ridden New York leads to one of the funniest sequences I've read for ages - & Kong makes an "appearance" you won't forget!
This is such an original premise that you might fear for its actual fulfilment: how could anyone sustain this level of invention! But the execution is so wonderful that Cheeta becomes, & remains, completely engaging, whilst his adventures & reminiscences more than fulfil the promise of the book's concept - indeed, they transcend it. The mischievous suggestion that Cheeta has "accidentally" typed all this out (in the manner of those infinite Shakespearian monkeys & with appropriate Shakespeare references around the text) is typical of the sly wit at work here.
Our hero is, of course, affectionate & scathingin turns on human nature; & he tells us,in the most entertaining way, what is to be respected & despisedin our behaviour, along with what we can learn from our primate cousins. Loving, forgiving & always fascinating, Cheeta's unique story gives us many deep insights into our own lives - & has us frequently weeping with laughter as he does it. This is not to diminish the beautifully-imagined primate psychology; indeed, I'm amazed at how well such profound ideas as Cheeta's non-concept of death, his oblique knowledge of animal cruelty & his ultimately, well, existential take on it all sit alongside the barbs & ironies.
If you love films, animals, movie stars, gossip, satire, scandal and, above all, inspired writing, you will take this marvellous book & its innocent, wise, witty, perceptive & irreverent author straight to your heart. And this is right at the top of my gift list for the humans I care about: I can't imagine a better compliment to anyone's intelligence, sense of humour & literary taste. Absolutely fantastic!
Scurrilous gossip and a glimpse of a long gone Hollywood - By: Mr. Shaun Kelly, 31 Oct 2008 An autobiography by an acting chimp, does on the surface, seem like a ridiculous concept. Have no fear though; this is not what it seems!
It is a beautifully crafted, funny, cathartic, sleazy & gossipy look at 30's Hollywoodin the form of a memoir. Me Cheeta has been fantastically ghost written by an author of some considerable talent, blessed with biting wit & an endless catalogue of sleaze on Cheeta's co stars of the day
This book is part tell all, part shocking indictment of the treatment of animalsin the name of entertainment & part love poem to Johnny Weissmuller - Cheeta's co starin the Tarzan pics. Cheeta leaves no stone unturned & the frankly litigious slander doled out is worth the price of this book alone. Chaplin, Bogey, Mikey Rooney, Rex Harrison & many more are given the Cheeta treatment, making for some of the funniest linesin the book.
Cheeta's voice to me, had a touch of Stewie from Family Guy, a little of Ignatius P. Reilly from a Confederacy of Dunces & a touch of David Niven. His rakish asides & backbiting make it infinitely more entertaining than any contemporary Autobiography you'll read this year, or maybe ever.
