'Be Human' addresses animal cruelty with bluntness and humor

Be Human (1936)

Starring: Mae Questal (voice of Betty Boop) and Jack Mercer (voices of Grampy and Neighbor)

Directors: Dave Fleischer and Myron Waldman

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Outraged at the extreme abuse her neighbor heaps upon pets and farm animals alike, Betty (Questel) calls animal shelter operator and animal rights champion Professor Grampy, who knows exactly how to deal with such a human monster.

In 1935, the Motion Picture Production Code forced the Fleischer Studios to tone down the adult humor that once given their Betty Boop cartoons a sharp edge, and they subsequently became less popular with movie-goers. Naturally, steps were to reverse the downturn.  

As a character, Betty made made to leave her wild days behind and become a responsible career woman and/or a homemaker. As a commercial property, producer Max Fleischer tried to rekindle Betty's dwindling popularity by shifting her appeal to a younger audience. Despite everyone's best efforts, Betty's star continued to fade. I don't think there's a clearer sign of this than today's subject. As the instrumental version of Betty's long-time theme plays, viewers are shown a title card that reads "Grampy in Be Human" in large type and "A Betty Boop Cartoon" in a much smaller typeface that almost blends into a graphic element on the left side of the screen. Not only is Betty given less marquee space than a member of her supporting cast, but she is almost rendered invisible.

Once the cartoon really gets going, however, things are little different. Betty leads off singing a song that spells out the story's theme--be kind to animals. Her hateful neighbor then engages in a string of terrible acts of animal abuse, up to beating a chicken to death for not laying eggs on command. Betty is then the driving force in bringing Professor Grampy onto the scene... although it's all Grampy when it comes to making the animal abuser pay, all while harnessing the power of his punishment to make animals happy.

"Be Human" is squarely focused on a strong message opposing animal abuse, and it makes its points without subtlety. I suppose those who fear they may be "triggered" by cartoon scenes of animal abuse should give this film a pass, as should those who think animal abusers shouldn't just be rounded up and tossed in torture pits. Personally, I think the only ones who would take issue with this cartoon would be those who are prone to abuse helpless creatures... and there are apparently many people out there, since when the Betty Boop cartoons were syndicated to television in the mid-1950s, "Be Human" was pulled from rotation due to complaints that it encouraged vigilantism. 

Personally, I think any non-psychopath is going to get a kick out of Prof. Grampy's creative way of making Betty's nasty neighbor pay for his cruelty while generating a benefit for the animals housed at his sanctuary. Although Betty may have been in decline as a commercial property when "Be Human" was released, I think it ranks among the best in the series, and I highly recommend that you take a few minutes to check it out right now.