Smoke's no joke for Tom and Jerry

[Izzy]

Children's TV channel Boomerang is to edit scenes from Tom and Jerry cartoons where characters are shown smoking.
The move follows an investigation by media watchdog Ofcom into a viewer's complaint that the vintage animations were not appropriate for young viewers.

The watchdog recognised the "historic" cartoons were made at a time "when smoking was more generally accepted".

However, Boomerang will only edit those cartoons where smoking appears to be "condoned, acceptable or glamorised".

Two such cartoons include Texas Tom from 1950 and Tennis Chumps from 1949.

'Stylised manner'

In the former Tom is shown trying to impress a female cat by rolling a cigarette, lighting it and smoking it with one hand. In the latter, Tom's tennis opponent is seen smoking a large cigar.

"We note that in Tom and Jerry smoking usually appears in a stylised manner," said Ofcom.

However, it said that "the level of editorial justification required for the inclusion of smoking in such cartoons is necessarily high".

"Depictions of smoking may not be problematic given the context," it continued.

"But broadcasters need to make a judgement about the extent to which a particular scene may or may not genuinely influence children."


Channel 4 has avoided censure after Sir Elton John swore on a live edition of Paul O'Grady's teatime show.
On the programme broadcast 9 May this year, the British singer said he had changed his name from Reginald Dwight because it had made him sound "like a banker, or a w****r".

Ten viewers contacted Ofcom complaining that the language was inappropriate for the time of broadcast.

The media watchdog said the use of the word was "unfortunate" but that it accepted C4 had taken steps to avoid similar occurrences in future.

Strange the smoking bothers them and not the attempts by two individuals to murder each other....

What goes through these people's minds?

[Danny Top Hat]

I think it's a good idea to be honest.  Though showing cartoon characters smoking probably won't affect a kid's life choices one scratch (PUN), it's good to get away from the whole 'smoking is cool' ideology.  I dunno though, it doesn't bother me too much really.

Violence is funny, but lung cancer is not.

[MadmanDan]

I never liked Tom&Jerry, mostly because it contains a sadistic, ruthless type of violence...I never even noticed the smoking.

  This is similar to comunist censorship...comunists take out the parts that THEY think are bad for the party or the people, it's ridicoulous. I'm not saying that anything should be shown on TV, but he was rolling a fag, not snorting coke, damnit !

[Jim]

Who are these people that complain? Seriously now. I read it every week in the paper. 'Forty six people phoned up offcom to complain after...'

Seriously. Who are they?! Has anybody every met one? What goes through the mind of a complainer? I'm also pretty confident that the majority are serial complainers, and whenever you read about a number of complaints because of the use of the word Bollocks at breakfast time it is because of the same sadistic group.

And come on now, we don't need Tom and Jerry to tell us,

we all know that smoking is cool anyway!

[T_Roxie]

Next they'll censor out Slash smoking from the GnR dvds...

[RichardNixon]

That's fucking retarded.

[Danny Top Hat]

You're right.  Tom and Jerry are perfect as they are and don't need changing.  All this cencorship is ruining television and artistic value. [/conform]

[Where is Hassan Nasrallah ?]

  This is similar to comunist censorship...

what communism, a way of thinking your economy, has to do with the issue ? some people need to go read the definition of communism, facism, dictatorship, capitalism ....


smoking can be cool. although i hate it when people smoke in public places around me, i think they're are a lot of scenes that needs that cigarette.

when i picture a femme fatale ? la "L.A. Confidential" she MUST smoke and be sexy while she smokes.

anyway the decision wouldnt be retarded if tom&jerry wasnt THAT violent.

[Alina]

When I was smal, I watched Tom & Jerry and never even noticed it .
when I'm smoking I never imagine to my self Tom & Jerry smoking, and how cool they look like 

[MadmanDan]

? This is similar to comunist censorship...

what communism, a way of thinking your economy, has to do with the issue ? some people need to go read the definition of communism, facism, dictatorship, capitalism ....

Read my post again and stop being an arrogant twat that thinks he's smarter than he actually is. In countries like North Korea, Cuba or China, or years ago, on the Eastern side of the Iron Courtain, movies and TV programs are/were censored, also so no "bad infuences" touch the people.

   I've lived under comunism, my friend, so let me tell you you don't know shit.

[Where is Hassan Nasrallah ?]

? This is similar to comunist censorship...

what communism, a way of thinking your economy, has to do with the issue ? some people need to go read the definition of communism, facism, dictatorship, capitalism ....

Read my post again and stop being an arrogant twat that thinks he's smarter than he actually is. In countries like North Korea, Cuba or China, or years ago, on the Eastern side of the Iron Courtain, movies and TV programs are/were censored, also so no "bad infuences" touch the people.

   I've lived under comunism, my friend, so let me tell you you don't know shit.

 communism is an economic theory.

[Elrothiel]

Same as you Alina!

I don't smoke, yet I watched Tom and Jerry a lot when I was li'l... but I had already made my mind up at a young age not to smoke. I absolutely despised the smell of the smoke because both my parents smoked. Then my mom quit, and my dad quit smoking cigarettes and only smoked cigars, and now my rents have split, and my mom's with her BF, and he smokes cigars, and now she's taken up smoking them. She's also very inconsiderate. If its going in my face, and I say "can you please move your cigar?" she goes "oh shut up! I can smoke if I want!"

I've smoked a few cigarettes in my life, but its never become a habit. However I do just looove the way my voice sounds the morning after...

[Alina]

Same as you Alina!

I don't smoke, yet I watched Tom and Jerry a lot when I was li'l... but I had already made my mind up at a young age not to smoke. I absolutely despised the smell of the smoke because both my parents smoked. Then my mom quit, and my dad quit smoking cigarettes and only smoked cigars, and now my rents have split, and my mom's with her BF, and he smokes cigars, and now she's taken up smoking them. She's also very inconsiderate. If its going in my face, and I say "can you please move your cigar?" she goes "oh shut up! I can smoke if I want!"

I've smoked a few cigarettes in my life, but its never become a habit. However I do just looove the way my voice sounds the morning after...

I'm very lucky I not addicted to cigarettes. I smoke time after time with my friends that all . I also dont like the smell.

[Jamie]

I'm sorry but this is absolutely fuckin stupid "extreme violence is ok, but smoking is not", I mean I've always been a Tom and Jerry fan, even to this day, and of all the bad influences Tom and Jerry could have on children, smoking really does not come to mind as one of them. If children can watch Tom and Jerry without murdering their friends and smashing their heads in with hot irons, I think they can watch it without smoking.

[Alina]

poor Tom & Jerry they became victems of the media . 

[supaplex]

i can't fucking believe this! they're censoring tom & jerry??? who are the idiots that do this???
i've watched tom & jerry for years and i never thought about smoking. maybe they'll edit the episode with the lion and censor the gun in tom's hand!? where's the animal rights people now? are you fucking serious?

[2NaFish]

non stop violence and a racist image of a housekeeper - alright

animals smoking - bad.



Whilst stopping people smoking is undoubtedly a good thing its ridiculous to selectively prosecute against it. Either get rid of everything bad in kiddies shows or just leave it be.

[Drew]

Doesn't everyone smoke in the U.K. anyways?

[the dirt]

I was a big fan of T&J as a kid. I don't remember any excessive violence.

Similar violence to Wiley Cayote and the Roadrunner, something like that? 

It's been years since I've seen it.

[Elrothiel]

Not me Drew! I only very rarely smoke socially. Last time was a year and a half ago in Amsterdam!