Turner to axe smoking scenes from cartoons

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

From http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14452732/

LONDON - Turner Broadcasting is scouring more than 1,500 classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons, including old favorites Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo, to edit out scenes that glamorize smoking.

The review was triggered by a complaint to British media regulator Ofcom by one viewer who took offence to two episodes of Tom and Jerry shown on the Boomerang channel, part of Turner Broadcasting which itself belongs to Time Warner Inc.

“We are going through the entire catalogue,” Yinka Akindele, spokeswoman for Turner in Europe, said on Monday

“This is a voluntary step we’ve taken in light of the changing times,” she said, adding the painstaking review had been prompted by the Ofcom complaint.

The regulator’s latest news bulletin stated that a viewer, who was not identified, had complained about two smoking scenes on Tom and Jerry, saying they “were not appropriate in a cartoon aimed at children.”

In the first, “Texas Tom”, the hapless cat Tom tries to impress a feline female by rolling a cigarette, lighting it and smoking it with one hand. In the second, “Tennis Chumps”, Tom’s opponent in a match smokes a large cigar.

“The licensee has ... proposed editing any scenes or references in the series where smoking appeared to be condoned, acceptable, glamorized or where it might encourage imitation,” Ofcom said, adding that “Texas Tom” was one such example.

Akindele said cartoons would only be modified “where smoking could be deemed to be cool or glamorized”, and that scenes where a villain was featured with a cigarette or cigar would not necessarily be cut.

“These are historic cartoons, they were made well over 50 years ago in a different time and different place,” she added. “Our audience is children and we don’t want to be irresponsible.”

Turner Broadcasting could not immediately be reached for comment.

Ofcom said it recognized smoking was more generally accepted when cartoons were produced in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, but argued that the threshold for including such scenes when the audience was predominately young should be high.

About 56 percent of Boomerang’s audience is aged four to 14 years old.

Early reaction to the review on Web logs broadly attacked Turner’s decision.

“Have to dig out all those photos and films of (Winston) Churchill and airbrush out the cigars,” said a message posted on the “Organ Grinder” forum on the Guardian newspaper’s Web site.

The review was not the first time a famous cartoon character was forced to give up smoking.

Belgian cartoonist Maurice de Bevere replaced his most popular creation Lucky Luke’s ubiquitous cigarette with a blade of grass, winning him an award from the World Health Organization in 1988.

One complaint. They did this after ONE complaint. It's the Jynx thing all over again!

 

[Rayne]

Tell me this doesn't affect the US... come on, these are classics and called classics for a reason. Impressionable or not, these cartoons were good becuase they got away with such debauchery. I really dislike some modern cartoons due to the fact they're too subtle or afraid to take it to an extreme.

I'm glad that Turner at least recognizes that these smoking scenes were 'of a different time' and doesn't want to edit the cartoons to death, but it's the principle. These are ageless classics and I hope they plan to preserve the orignals like all good artwork where the artist preforms for a time and age he intends to entertain.

 

[Girafarig_Magcargo]

This is a little silly to go back into cartoons and edit them. What's next, going into classic novels and removing references to smoking, sex, and violence?

 

[Geodude]

Do kids still even watch Tom & Jerry?

 

[Otter Mii-kun]

intolerant bigots

One complaint. They did this after ONE complaint. It's the Jynx thing all over again!

I am so damm sick of this politically over-correct globalist society which pushes "tolerance" yet is intolerant of protraying anything out of the ordinary. Even entire shorts from the theatrical era have been banned because of racial stereotyping (the Censored 11).

What's next, going into classic novels and removing references to smoking, sex, and violence?

That's going to be tommorrow's thing to do. You watch! (so will finding the negatives and master prints to all the cartoons made before 1970 or so and burning them or other means of destruction, especially if they're nitrate or some other antiquated material like that)

“were not appropriate in a cartoon aimed at children.”

May I just say this once-Vintage cartoons such as T&J, (and their clone H&K), Tommy Tortoise/Moe Hare, Buzzy, Betty Boop, Popeye, and Mickey were not to be targeted towards children-especially back when they were originally produced (even after the MPPDA Hays Production Code went into effect in the early 1930s)

Bottom line: This is why I absolutely loathe big-media conglomerates/monopolies, especially Time Warner and Disney!

 

[Vagabond Aeon]

this BETTER not affect any collections that may come out in the future.

fuck censorship in the fucking ass. seriously.

 

[koneko-chan]

This better not effect my anime... *grumbles*

 

[Otter Mii-kun]

what was wrong with the 50s?

I wonder how many people were complaing about this back in 1957:

...or 1954:

...or 1941:

...or 1935!:

 

[GrnMarvl14]

Knew it would happen. I knew it. Smoking has become a bigger evil than racism, alcohol, and inappropriate gun use combined. I think terrorism is the only thing beating it. But even TERRORISM is still allowed in movies.

 

[Otter Mii-kun]

adding on

But even TERRORISM is still allowed in movies.

So are extreme sexual themes and excess profanity.

 

[Habunake]

But wait, Tom is glamorized smoking? He doesn't impress the girl in that cartoon!

This is dumb though, why must overprotective parent cause everyone else trouble!

 

[Otter Mii-kun]

why can't I get it through your heads!?!?!

This is dumb though, why must overprotective parent cause everyone else trouble!

Just like I've said a quadzillion times... politically correct "tolerance". This shite will never end.

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

This better not effect my anime... *grumbles*

It already has. That's why the cig on One Piece was changed to a lollypop, reasons like this.

 

[Argy]

In the case of the company, it may not have wanted to edit the scenes, but fear of lawsuits scared them into submitting.

 

[FabuVinny]

Do kids still even watch Tom & Jerry?

It airs on Boomerang with a lot of old cartoons. I had a lot of Tom and Jerry videos ten years ago.

Knew it would happen. I knew it. Smoking has become a bigger evil than racism, alcohol, and inappropriate gun use combined. I think terrorism is the only thing beating it. But even TERRORISM is still allowed in movies.

While still an issue, terrorism isn't seen in quite the same way over here.

But wait, Tom is glamorized smoking? He doesn't impress the girl in that cartoon!

I don't recall her reaction but that was his obvious intention.

The funny thing is that the black maid who got redubbed has her original voice over here and is the focus of Turner's current commercial for Tom and Jerry.

 

[Nekusagi]

...Bloody MORONS.

Is NOTHING sacred in America anymore? Seriously, this is really, really stupid. The crazy woman complaining even said herself these are historic cartoons.

This is just dumb. Really, really DUMB.

 

[FabuVinny]

Just to make it clear to those who are missing this point:

LONDON - Turner Broadcasting is scouring more than 1,500 classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons, including old favorites Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo, to edit out scenes that glamorize smoking.

The review was triggered by a complaint to British media regulator Ofcom by one viewer who took offence to two episodes of Tom and Jerry shown on the Boomerang channel, part of Turner Broadcasting which itself belongs to Time Warner Inc.

“We are going through the entire catalogue,” Yinka Akindele, spokeswoman for Turner in Europe, said on Monday.

 

[Nekusagi]

Why, in this day and age, are we becoming MORE puritanical? I just hope the footage isn't permanently destroyed... This is freaking destruction of art, does anyone realize that?

They can't get away with this, though. Public outcry is going to be too great. At least, I hope not.

 

[FabuVinny]

Though an American outcry did recently get a Norwegian PSP advert pulled...

 

[Barb]

The reason why offense wasn't taken at the other cartoon screenshots posted is that in the 1930s and 1940s, smoking was glamorous. Hollywood stars lit up routinely, and ads for cigarettes were everywhere. The long-term effects of smoking, however, have only recently begun to be popularized.