''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 Famous Studios (renamed Paramount Cartoon Studios in 1956) was the first animation division of the film studio Paramount Pictures from 1942 to 1967. Famous was founded as a successor company to Fleischer Studios, after Paramount seized control ...

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, writer, director and producer of animated films. He is best known for his work with Fleischer Studios and its successor, Famous Studios. When credited, his wo ...

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 F ...

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 lin ...

. This film shows a strong

Tex Avery Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American animation. His mo ...

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 m ...

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 to ...

''.

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

* * 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 {{short-animation-film-stub