Smokin’ Tom & Jerry scandal
p2pnet.net OT News:- British media regulator Ofcom heard from a TV viewer who’d been upset by two Tom & Jerry shows, but not because the two cartoon characters were, as usual, trying to kill each other in front of children.
“In the first, Texas Tom, the hapless cat tries to impress a feline female by rolling a cigarette, lighting it and smoking it with one hand,” says Reuters. “In the second, Tennis Chumps, Tom’s opponent in a match smokes a large cigar.”
Oh.
Turner subsequently reviewed its Tom and Jerry library, “to assess any smoking scenes and the context in which they appear,” says The Times Online, going on:
“Cecilia Persson, a vice-president of Turner Broadcasting, said yesterday that it had ‘a responsibility to create a safe place for kids to watch TV’.
“The channel had edited out two scenes where smoking could be deemed to be glamorised, and would review its library of cartoons to remove any other glamorising references to smoking. Turner has told OfCom, however, that removing all scenes of smoking in cartoons ‘might adversely affect the value of the animation’.”
What’ll happen when OfCom meets Popeye – and all the others?
In Mel Gibson’s Lethal Weapon, Gibson, as Martin Riggs, “moves to the fridge to get a beer, grabs a smoke and pisses in his toilet while smoking his cigarette and drinking his brew,” says Joblow’s Movie Reviews, adding:
“Yeah, baby….now there’s a REAL MAN!!!”
Also See:
Reuters – British TV regulators tell Tom and Jerry to butt out, August 22, 2006
The Times Online – Cartoon duo play cat and mouse with PC police, August 22, 2006
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August 22nd, 2006 at 4:59 pm
“glamorised”? It’s just a gag. People need to get a life and stop bitchin’ about little things. I’ve watched Tom & Jerry since I was five and I’ve never smoked. I’ve never even harmed a cat or a mouse.
August 22nd, 2006 at 5:11 pm
Who removes school peers? They’re the #1 reason your children (those who will smoke) will be smoking in a few more years, not Tom & Jerry, not Popeye.
August 22nd, 2006 at 8:08 pm
Another great example of how our country is going so f’in politically correct
August 25th, 2006 at 6:39 am
When is this political correctness run wild going to stop? It’s okay if Tom gets smacked in the face with a shovel or other garden implement in one episode after another or fileted by a motorized lawnmower running amok, but rolling a cigarette in an episode that parodied western of the day is ‘bad’ for children? Just as parents can explain that it’s inappropriate to whack your little sister with a shovel or run her over with the lawnmower, they can explain their view of tobacco use. In fact, it might be the opening necessary for having one of those ‘difficult’ discussions with your kid.
Let is also be said that the ‘original’ Tom and Jerry cartoons done by Hanna-Barbera (thru 1958) whilst at MGM were NOT intended exclusively as children’s entertainment. They were shown in movie theatres to adult audiences as part of the ‘package’ of a 20 minute short, a 7 minute cartoon, and the feature film.
Well, the first two are gone, replaced with urgent appeals to go waste your money on over-priced, fattening, undernourishing junk at the concession stand, and industry propoganda against sharing content.
Gee, we’ve come a long way in 50 years……..
–TurboGeek