Uploaded April 2017 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Be Human is a 1936 Fleischer Studios animated short film starring Betty Boop and Grampy. It is now in the 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.
Be Human has been criticized for depicting the harsh punishment of the abusive farmer as being commendable.
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!
(Source: Wikipedia)
Be Human is a 1936 Fleischer Studios animated short film starring Betty Boop and Grampy. It is now in the 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.
Be Human has been criticized for depicting the harsh punishment of the abusive farmer as being commendable.
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!
(Source: Wikipedia)








![Betty Boop: The Old Man of the Mountain (1933)
The Old Man of the Mountain is a 1933 animated short in the Betty Boop series, produced by Fleischer Studios. Featuring special guests Cab Calloway and His Orchestra, the short was originally released to theaters on August 4, 1933 by Paramount Productions. Calloway voices all of the characters in the cartoon save for Betty herself (talking voice provided by Bonnie Poe and singing voice provided by Mae Questel). Calloway, along with his orchestra, also perform all of the music in the cartoon, including two songs Calloway co-wrote.
The short begins with a live-action introduction of Calloway and his orchestra, who perform a short chorus of Minnie the Moocher (Calloway-Gaskill-Mills) before performing a vamp of the title song, The Old Man of the Mountain (Young-Hill (Brown)).
As the cartoon proper begins, a lion on roller skates (made of rabbits) rushes from his guard post atop a mountain, racing into a nearby village shouting Look out! The Old Man of the Mountain! The lions warning sparks a mass exodus of the other animals who pack up their things and start to flee as the lion continues to warn Look out! The Old Man of the Mountain!
In time, Betty Boop emerges from a guest house in order to find out what is going on. She confronts a passing owl, who in song describes the Old Man of the Mountain, a predatory hermit who threatens the livelihood of the villagers, particularly the women. Despite the owls warnings, Betty is curious and declares, Im going up to see that old man of the mountain, and starts a trek up the mountainside. She passes several people fleeing from the Old Man, including a woman pushing a carriage with her triplets—who look suspiciously like the Old Man of the Mountain.
When Betty gets to the top of the mountain, the Old Man of the Mountain emerges from behind a rock. Over twice as tall as Betty, the Old Man backs the girl into his cave and, as Betty fights off his advances, begins to sing with her a duet of You Gotta Ho-De-Ho (To Get Along with Me) (Robinson-Hill (Brown)). Betty loosens up and joins in, and the two begin to flirt with each other. After his first verse, the Old Man looms menacingly over Betty.
Whatcha gonna do now? Betty asks, frightened.
Gonna do the best I can, the Old Man replies, launching into a jazzy dance routine. The Old Man and Betty continue to dance together, but when the song is over, the Old Man makes a lustful grab for Betty, who runs for her life back down the mountainside.
The Old Man gives chase, and grabs Betty just long enough to catch hold of her dress, which Betty jumps out of. As Betty finds refuge behind a large tree in her underwear, her dress comes to life and slaps the Old Man before running back to its owner. Betty climbs the tree to apparent safety, but as the Old Man comes over and attempts to coax her down with The Scat Song (Calloway-Perkins-Parish), he picks the tree up and bounces it on the ground, causing Betty to slide down.
Before he can have his way with her, however, the animals from the village rally to Bettys aid and surround the Old Man, tying his arms and legs together by a tree. They then proceed to beat him up, tickle and humiliate him, thus exacting revenge for all the times he had made their lives a misery, with Betty watching with glee.
Controversy
According to film historian Christopher Lehman, the sexually suggestive nature of this film caused some Americans at the time, especially Catholics, to complain to exhibitors who then pressured Paramount Studios (distributor of the Betty Boop series) to tone down the Betty Boop character, which subsequently pressured Fleischer Studios to do the same thing. This can be seen when an old man sees Betty and acts crazy, a fish starts to follow her before getting hit by his wife, and Bettys dress even is removed in one scene. According to Lehman, In dispensing with the African-American entertainers and their music after limiting the Betty Boop series sexual references, [Max] Fleischer thus acknowledged the widely assumed connection between raciness and blackness. After 1934, African-American jazz music would no longer appear in Betty Boop cartoons, and she metamorphosized into a more conservative, mature, domestic character who often played only a supporting role.
(Source: Wikipedia) Betty Boop: The Old Man of the Mountain (1933)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ibMNPmqoBoI/mqdefault.jpg)

