Boomerang ordered to digitally airbrush classic Toons!

[ichabod]

source <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk">The Mirror</a>

"THAT'S ALL SMOKES!"
TELLY WATCHDOGS EDIT SMOKING OUT OF TOM AND JERRY CARTOONS
By Emily Nash
HE'S had 10-ton weights on his head and been blown up countless times in Tom and Jerry...but watchdogs are now more worried about the cartoon cat's SMOKING.

Complaints included a scene where Tom tried to impress a female cat by lighting a roll-up.

Now media regulators Ofcom have asked a TV company to edit out scenes that glamorize smoking.

Surprisingly, the move had the anti-smoking group Ash puffing and blowing - accusing Ofcom of rewriting history.

Tom and Jerry cartoons were broadcast for decades on BBC but when they were aired on children's satellite channel Boomerang viewers started complaining.

Now Turner Broadcasting, which owns the station, has agreed to edit out some smoking scenes.

Ofcom said: "These are historic cartoons, most of them having been produced in the 40s, 50s or 60s, at a time when smoking was more generally accepted. We note that in Tom and Jerry, smoking usually appears in a stylised manner and is frequently not condoned.

"However, while we appreciate the historic integrity of the animation, the level of editorial justification required for the inclusion of smoking in such cartoons is necessarily high."

But Ash spokeswoman Amanda Sandford said: "We can't re-write history in the same way that we can't edit smoking from the old Hollywood classics that have everyone smoking. It's part of our history for better or worse.

"If the smoking is not essential to the plot, it's inappropriate to have that in programmes targeted at children. But if it's part of the storyline, we would be opposed to any editing just for the sake of taking smoking out. Tom and Jerry stretches credulity anyway - it is a cartoon cat and mouse doing these things at the end of the day."

Turner Broadcasting has removed smoking scenes from three of its 162 Tom and Jerry episodes.

And it is planning to trawl through more than 1,700 cartoon episodes, including Scooby Doo and The Flintstones, and clean up any smoking scenes.

The process involves the frame-by-frame "painting out" of smoking-related images - a huge job with 25 frames per second.

The company said: "Turner recognises that it is not suitable for cartoons aimed at children to portray smoking in a cool context."

[JamesDFarrow]

I though only the people that own the copyright of the material can edit it.

How can a television station edit someone elses stuff. I thought they had to request "censured/edited/whatevered" copies from the owners. Unless Turner owns the material that is.

James

[Lars Vermundsberget]

Unless Turner owns the material that is.

I guess that might just be it in this case.

[Mr. Toad]

I aint got a problem with it. We dont need to tell generation after generation of kids that smoking is cool. It's not.

[Lars Vermundsberget]

I don't have much problem with whatever they cut for TV - but I hope they'd be uncut if I ever want to buy them on DVD.

[PatrickvD]

First of all, how many kids today still watch Boomerang? It has all the classics stuff so naturally, kids aren't watching. They have absolutely no attention spawn.

I can understand the network is under pressure to cut it out and it won't be a huge deal if they do so. But this usually goes beyond television. dvd's will be censored as well, eventhough 99% of the classic shorts on dvd are purchased by adults, the movie fans.

But how many kids, seriously, today... still watch the classic stuff? kids watch crap on Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network. Kids laugh at stuff that's in Barnyard (male cows) Will a teenager ever justify smoking by saying "hey Tom and Jerry did it." or "I wanna be just like Goofy back in the 40's!"

right. Instead of just explaining things to our kids about smoking.. or even stuff like drugs and sex, we keep editing and censoring dvd's, movies and television. If they wanna do it, they're gonna do it anyway. Parents are a childs #1 influence in life. Tv will become influence #1, only if we allow it.

But logic continues to escape the human race.

I don't have much problem with whatever they cut for TV - but I hope they'd be uncut if I ever want to buy them on DVD.

don't count on it. Wether it's the network cuts or just other cuts, there's a pretty big chance edited versions will be released on dvd.

[2099net]

I wonder if they could airbrush out Scooby-Dum in Scooby Doo?

Ok cheap jabs aside, this isn't really right. I mean, where do you draw the line?

Tom and Jerry mess around with matches, mice traps, yank dogs about cruelly on leashes, rummage through dirty trash cans for food...

Change one thing, and the rest will topple like dominoes...

[TheSequelOfDisney]

Why should the ciggy's be edited out? I agree with that one lady, you can't rewrite history, and these cartoons, with ciggy's, are part of our history. I think it's wrong.

[Lazario]

I aint got a problem with it. We dont need to tell generation after generation of kids that smoking is cool. It's not.

I totally agree - but it's not the cartoon that's telling anyone anything. It really was done for the benefit of the characters. In fact, it was usually Tom. But Tom was always portrayed as a "Square," so he was never meant to be thought of as cool. Therefore, his smoking is glamorized only in his mind. I haven't seen one single episode where Tom bested Jerry. I'm not saying the show knew how progressive it was by showing only the uncool characters smoking, but that is the case. Cartoons are pure entertainment - no message. Not all cartoons, but who's questioning that? We know what cartoons are serious and which ones are not. Tom and Jerry is hardly going to make any kids light up. At least... not if we have Nickelodeon and The Disney Channel to help teach kids today that smoking, drugs, alcohol, and other self-destructive behaviors aren't cool. I hope for the sake of all those clueless families out there, that today's TV is trying to be somewhat positive. All I know is - in my generation, we had dorky stuff like Saved by the Bell that taught us drugs and drinking wasn't cool.

I think while these anti-smoking people have their heart in the right place, it is just plain wrong to change these cartoons. For any reason.

[TM2-Megatron]

Of course, parents are completely fine with the deranged acts of violence involving axes, knives, and numerous other deadly weapons... especially when they're used against someone else... but a character shan't dare do harm to himself by lighting up. Give me a break. I'm all for taking the next 10 or so years to gradually phase out and then ban the actual use of cigarettes, but this is ridiculous.

I grew up watching this cartoon and others with similar content, and I've never smoked a single cigarette (or anything else) in my life; nor have I become a deranged psycho ready to murder someone with an array of goofy weapons.

I don't have much problem with whatever they cut for TV - but I hope they'd be uncut if I ever want to buy them on DVD.

don't count on it. Wether it's the network cuts or just other cuts, there's a pretty big chance edited versions will be released on dvd.

What makes you think that? Looney Tunes have escaped censorship on the Golden Collections (granted, WB has yet to tackle any of the "big offenders" but many of the shorts released on those sets haven't been aired in that form for quite a while), the Disney Treasures are unedited... why would Hanna Barbara break the trend and release edited content (especially edits that weren't even done by them, if it's the network doing it) on DVD?

[Lazario]

Of course, parents are completely fine with the deranged acts of violence involving axes, knives, and numerous other deadly weapons... especially when they're used against someone else... but a character shan't dare do harm to himself by lighting up. Give me a break. I'm all for taking the next 10 or so years to gradually phase out and then ban the actual use of cigarettes, but this is ridiculous. I grew up watching this cartoon and others with similar content, and I've never smoked a single cigarette (or anything else) in my life; nor have I become a deranged psycho ready to murder someone with an array of goofy weapons.

Precisely

[anger is pointless]

were talking about this on the home theature forum too

heres the link

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/sho ... p?t=240619

i cant believe theyre trying to rewrite history this makes me sick

[CurleysMartini]

Someone needs to asks the censors "what were you watching as a kid?" and wait for them to answer Tom and Jerry. So then they could could go, "Well, are you smoking?", and when they say no say "Well why is it that you weren't affected by it but today's children will be?"
And I rest my case.

[PixarFan2006]

I am so sick of people who want to edit stuff such as smoking from old cartoons when there are worse things like the weapons used. kids who watch the cartoons might think that if the characters can get hit by a mallet and survive, so can they. Just so you know i am against editing it out. Censorship IMO is kind of getting out of hand. I remember when Family Guy played repeats on FOX a couple years back, they muted out some words that can easily be said on those networks.

[PixarFan2006]

I also think that Boomerang should instead take off new crap such as Pokemon ( ) and Duck Dodgers. they are not really old and therefore dont belong on that network

[musicradio77]

I remember when WPIX-TV ran the Tom & Jerry cartoons during the weekday afternoon lineup for 25 years, the smoking was originally intact before Turner owns the T&J library. Boomerang is not doing a good job for editing the T&J cartoons with the smoking gags. There was also a Buzzy the Crow cartoon called "Not If's, And's or Butt's", they had lots of smoking gags in it.

[ichabod]

An update of this thread as Nightline have touched upon this decision:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNSxHirjVPo

The clip also features censored scenes from Fantasia and the Three Little Pigs.

[Elladorine]

Well, as Jerry Beck says in the povided clip, as long as the uncensored versions are somehow accessable to the fans I'm not gonna complain too loudly.

But then I think about Disney's Pecos Bill and other catoons that haven't been seen uncut in years.

[PixarFan2006]

Is this happening only in the UK?

[blackcauldron85]

(I guess bumping this old thread is okay for my question?)

Does anyone here subscribe to the Boomerang streaming service? If so, does anyone know if it asks "Are you still watching" after a few shows/hours? Or is there an opt-out option for that setting?

(I'm thinking of subscribing, but I usually fall asleep to having the Roku TV on a channel, and a) I like having something to re-fall asleep to if I wake up in the middle of the night, and b) One of my dogs can't really see in the dark so it's a less intense light nightlight (rather than my nightstand light right in my face!) for him...