Smoking scenes to be removed from old school cartoons

[Arrrhalomynn]

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.
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“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.

Jesus Christ, what a sick world are we living in today. Tom and Jerry is ART and you can't butcher that for some pc bullshit.

[TraderJake]

That's really sad and a true pity that this country/world has become so PC that we have to do such a horrid action to classic cartoons.

[tholly]

whoever complained should be shot, maimed, or killed.....or all of the above

[Arrrhalomynn]

All the maiming in Tom & Jerry cartoons that'll still be present could be used as a guide to that.

[Tynstar]

WTF I hate all this PC BS!!!!!!!

[atari_wizard]

It's no longer classic when it's been altered. I don't see why we have to ruin great toons of the past.

[ganonbanned]

i <3 tom and jerry there god.

[Kevincal]

Well, you'd be surprised how stupidly/easily manipulated people/kids can be from such simple things....Getting addicting to smoking at a young age is bad news...I would know...  But ya I guess it is kinda rediculous...I could see banning smoking from all channels on tv though, or has that already happend?

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

[img width=175 height=194]http://www.voccoquan.com/SteveR/images/cat%20smoking.JPG[/img]

I'm not a smoker myself but I see no reason as to why anti smoking laws can be enforced These governments are getting out of hand.

I, once again, think it's time for a revolution.

But this is a private company, so they can do whatever the hell they want.

[Zimbacca]

Wow that article is one of the worst things I have ever read.

[bum-man]

It amazing how far things have come.  I remember seeing a clip of a cigarette commercial (from way back when they allowed them) that starred the Flintstones.  It was Fred and Barney sneaking a smoke so Wilma and Betty didn't catch them.  So not only did they have some references in the shows, they used to promote the stuff.  I don't want to promote smoking but I grew up on those cartoons and never smoked a day in my life so I am proof that it's possible to resist in spite of cartoon references.

Hey isn't Turner the ones that decided that coloring old Black and White movies was a good idea?

[Zimbacca]

I think I've seen that clip before.

[atari_wizard]

I remember seeing a clip of a cigarette commercial (from way back when they allowed them) that starred the Flintstones.  It was Fred and Barney sneaking a smoke so Wilma and Betty didn't catch them.

I wonder if this clip is on the net somewhere. I'd love to watch it. =)

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

That damn embedding is annoying as hell.

[AndyC]

The political correctness in our country is ridiculous, people try to portray the image of being correct to such a degree that they begin to oppress themsleves.

Smoking advertising in this country has been gone for many years now from all forms of media, be it Tv, radio, newspapers or billboards. Sponsorhip from tobacco companies is now also illegal. They are also clamping down on the advertising of alcohol and I would imagine this too won't be too long before it is stamped from the main streams eye.   

In this country we have too many liberals who bow to these minority's and just piss off everyone else who just wants to enjoy life and what we have. I cannot stand this PC bullshit, and whilst you feel this may paramount in the States too, at least your country always gives off a sense of partiotism. In our country people are now being fined for flying the St Georges Cross and the Union Flag as immigrants to our country may find it offensive.