Smoking scenes to be cut from classic cartoons

[kainedamo]

Smoking scenes to be cut from classic cartoons, or - The invasion of the PC police!!

http://www.itv.com/news/entertainment_1e3354335f965d82b247b6c6fda1825f.html

Smoking scenes in vintage cartoon episodes of Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo are being reworked after a viewer complained they were not suitable for children.

Cartoon editors are painstakingly working through more than 1,500 episodes of the cartoons painting out images of characaters smoking frame by frame.

Turner Broadcasting, which owns the rights to the cartoons, claims the move is a voluntary step.

But it comes after a viewer of the Boomerang Channel complained to media watchdog Ofcom, saying footage of Tom and Jerry smoking was not suitable for children.

In Texas Tom, Tom is shown trying to impress a girl by rolling and lighting a cigarette with one hand. Tennis Chumops shows Tom playing tennis and smoking a cigar.

Ofcom's report said that Turner has proposed to edit any scenes or references "where smoking appeared to be condoned, acceptable, glamorised or where it might encourage imitation".

But smoking scenes may not be edited from the screen in every instance.

"Turner believed... that editing out all references to smoking, where such references neither glamorised nor condoned, might adversely affect the value of the animation," Ofcom said.

"Turner recognises that it is not suitable for cartoons aimed at children to portray smoking in a cool context and has additionally pledged to review the entire Hanna Barbera catalogue to remove scenes that appear to glamorise or encourage smoking."



GAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!! I hate people!! So, so much!

C'mon! These cartoons are classics. They've been around for years. I'm watching the news now, and even anti-smoking campaigners think this censorship is excessive. It's fantasy!! For god's sake, how long have these cartoons been around?? They just showed one of the clips in question, the cat (Tom and Jerry, which is the cat?) was rolling a cigerrette with one hand to impress a girl, wearing a cowboy outfit, and he blew smoke that spelt out "howdy". That's funny!!

Man, there are no words to express how angry this makes me. It's the censorship. Censorship on this level is just plain wrong. It reminds me of 1984. It reminds me of how there were talks of banning the word n*gger (that word really shouldn't be censored, by the way, it all depends on context) from books in schools.

 

[black_dust]

Tom and Jerry give up smoking
12.59, Tue Aug 22 2006

Smoking scenes in vintage cartoon episodes of Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo are being reworked after a viewer complained they were not suitable for children.

Cartoon editors are painstakingly working through more than 1,500 episodes of the cartoons painting out images of characaters smoking frame by frame.

Turner Broadcasting, which owns the rights to the cartoons, claims the move is a voluntary step.

But it comes after a viewer of the Boomerang Channel complained to media watchdog Ofcom, saying footage of Tom and Jerry smoking was not suitable for children.

In Texas Tom, Tom is shown trying to impress a girl by rolling and lighting a cigarette with one hand. Tennis Chumops shows Tom playing tennis and smoking a cigar.

Ofcom's report said that Turner has proposed to edit any scenes or references "where smoking appeared to be condoned, acceptable, glamorised or where it might encourage imitation".

But smoking scenes may not be edited from the screen in every instance.

"Turner believed... that editing out all references to smoking, where such references neither glamorised nor condoned, might adversely affect the value of the animation," Ofcom said.

"Turner recognises that it is not suitable for cartoons aimed at children to portray smoking in a cool context and has additionally pledged to review the entire Hanna Barbera catalogue to remove scenes that appear to glamorise or encourage smoking."

I think this is a bad idea, if they are going to edit out every single cigarette how are they going to explain the sence where tom puffs out "Howdy" after a smoke he lights with his gun? Plus i watched Tom and Jerry all the time as a kid and i dont smoke.....
So they can hit each other with frying pans but they can light up!

What are your thoughts?

 

[Morg]

Tom the cat, Jerry the mouse

 

[black_dust]

Dam you!!! dam you!!! stop watching itv

 

[kainedamo]

Haha, sorry man!

So anyway. yeah this is ridiculous. If I'm to understand this right, they're doing this because of ONE complaint?? ONE?? Don't they care about the preservation of these classic cartoons? So, they say the kids imitate...

They don't imitate the stabbing, the hitting of the head with frying pans, the bombs... why would they copy the smoking? There is NO logical reason for this.

 

[black_dust]

Haha, sorry man!

So anyway. yeah this is ridiculous. If I'm to understand this right, they're doing this because of ONE complaint?? ONE?? Don't they care about the preservation of these classic cartoons? So, they say the kids imitate...

They don't imitate the stabbing, the hitting of the head with frying pans, the bombs... why would they copy the smoking? There is NO logical reason for this.

No probs asked it to get merged or closed now anyway.

Totaly agree reminds me of the episode on the simsons where maggie hits homer in the head with a mallet.

I used to watch them all the time and ive never smoked, you see people get hurt and do stupid stuff all the time on cartoons and i dont see kids imitating it, i think its crazy half of the jokes will be come pointless if they edit them

 

[kainedamo]

There are so many jokes that involve smoking...

Are they editing the original film? What I mean is... are the original cartoons going to be intact, or edited and chopped up forever?

I bet the person that complained is female. Such a typical female thing to do. Just one phonecall to Ofcom... insane.

People should have went over to this woman's house and told her why it would be so stupid to censor the smoking scenes.

 

[black_dust]

There are so many jokes that involve smoking...

Are they editing the original film? What I mean is... are the original cartoons going to be intact, or edited and chopped up forever?

I bet the person that complained is female. Such a typical female thing to do. Just one phonecall to Ofcom... insane.

People should have went over to this woman's house and told her why it would be so stupid to censor the smoking scenes.

They are painting over them i think so they will have to view every cartoon and the ones with smoking will be paited out so you will see toms with his fingers up puffing nothing

 

[Cyclops]

Of course the complainer was a woman. Because a guy wouldn't be upset over that. A guy would know that hey, Tom's the one who always gets the **** beaten out of him in every single one of these cartoons. He always loses. So really, he's not supposed to be the positive role model here. Then again, neither is Jerry.

Pissy moms need to calm the **** down already.

 

[SLVRSR4]

But he looks so cool smoking! What is so bad about smoking that it has to be edited? Just give it a Mature rating before the show!

 

[November Rain]

who cares either way????



if they wish to waste their times covering their backs, let it be....

it's not like this type of thing hasn't already been done in the past with the portrayal of black primitive people with being extremely dark with bright red lips.

 

[Fenrir]

Isn't it high time these parents start teaching a thing or two to their kids instead of continously whining about things that could probably, potentially and/or subconciously affect their children?

 

[kainedamo]

who cares either way????



if they wish to waste their times covering their backs, let it be....

it's not like this type of thing hasn't already been done in the past with the portrayal of black primitive people with being extremely dark with bright red lips.

I don't think that type of thing should be edited either. Covering up history is not a good thing... ever... in ANY case.

I remember watching a Tom and Jerry cartoon where this stereotype black woman was chasing Tom around the kitchen table with a broom. And this woman was just pure stereotype, shouting "THOMAS!! OH, THOMAS!!". It was hilarious.

 

[Armand Z Trip]

Isn't it high time these parents start teaching a thing or two to their kids instead of continously whining about things that could probably, potentially and/or subconciously affect their children?

Absolutely.


Leave the smoking in vintage cartoons; along with with the drinking, sexism and ultra violence we all know and love.

 

[RogueLDN]

There are so many jokes that involve smoking...

Are they editing the original film? What I mean is... are the original cartoons going to be intact, or edited and chopped up forever?

I bet the person that complained is female. Such a typical female thing to do. Just one phonecall to Ofcom... insane.

People should have went over to this woman's house and told her why it would be so stupid to censor the smoking scenes.

That is extremly sexist, and statistics say that more school girls smoke then boys actually. Stupid smokers, ban ALL SMOKERS EVERYWHERE ****IGN POLLUTERs.....ahem.

Ireland has the right idea, big smoking ban, do it

 

[Enzyme]

a viewer

As in one viewer? That's moronic.

These cartoons are part of everybody's childhood, I saw those episodes and grew up to despise smoking.

 

[kainedamo]

I don't have anything against banning smoking in public places. But to go through thousands of cartoons that have been with us for decades to edit out smoking scenes... it smacks so much of 1984. It's not necassery and it ruins a piece of history.

 

[Ultimate_Superman]

I think its messed up that they are messing with timeless classic cartoons the way they are.

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

give it time and the "animal crulety" will be edited

 

[RogueLDN]

come on, history? You cant call them historical works really can you.

 

[Avalanche]

I love it. Our characters won't kill themselves through smoking, but we'll still show them using bombs, guns, and all other manner of far worse evils.

That said, smoking is a pathetic habit.

 

[kainedamo]

come on, history? You cant call them historical works really can you.

From wiki...

Tom and Jerry were an animated cat (Tom) and mouse (Jerry) team who formed the basis of a massively successful series of theatrical short animated films created, written and directed by animators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera (later of Hanna-Barbera fame). The series was produced by Hollywood studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from 1940 until 1958, when the studio's animation unit was closed down. MGM, in 1960, outsourced the production of Tom and Jerry to Rembrandt Films (led by Gene Deitch) in Eastern Europe. In 1963, production of Tom and Jerry shorts returned to Hollywood with Chuck Jones' Sib-Tower 12 Productions; this series lasted until 1967. Tom and Jerry later resurfaced in TV cartoons produced by Hanna-Barbera (1975 - 1977; 1990 - 1993) and Filmation Studios (1980 - 1982). The original MGM shorts helmed by Hanna and Barbera shorts are notable for having won seven Academy Awards, tying it with Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies as the most-awarded theatrical animated series.

Yep, these cartoons are part of history. Why would you say they're not?

 

[RogueLDN]

becasue they arent important, they are jsut cartoons, are you willing to put them in a history book a longside the holocaust or the famine?

 

[kainedamo]

becasue they arent important, they are jsut cartoons, are you willing to put them in a history book a longside the holocaust or the famine?

They are "just cartoons" in the same way as 12 Angry Men is "just a film".

Just because it's fictional doesn't mean it doesn't have a piece of history in our culture.

Culture is important.

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

come on, history? You cant call them historical works really can you.

why not, there about as iconic as any of literatures character, hell i'd say more so

ask anyone on the street to name the major cast of romeo and juilet, and they ask him/her to name the major cast of loony toons, guess which one they'll know