TV Channel Cuts Scenes of Smoking in Cartoons

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STEVE INSKEEP, host:

And now, here's an episode from the globalized business of a cartoon cat. The classic Cartoon Channel Boomerang has agreed to cut scenes from Tom and Jerry cartoons showing characters smoking. A British media watchdog complained about cartoons like this one.

(Soundbite of cartoon show, Tom and Jerry)

Unidentified Man #1: (In cartoon clip) (Singing) If you're ever down in Texas look me up. If you're ever down in Texas look up. Ha-ha! Where men are men and love it, and the girls are so glad of it. Man, if you're ever down in Texas look me up.

INSKEEP: In a cartoon called Texas Tom, the cat is seen rolling a cigarette, lighting it, and smoking it in a bid to impress a female cat.

RENEE MONTAGNE, host:

Turner Broadcasting, which runs Boomerang, has agreed to review its archive material and to edit scenes or references where smoking is glamorized or might encourage imitation. It plans to edit out smoking scenes from classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons like Scooby-Do, The Flintstones, and The Jetsons. Then will poor George do now to relax?

INSKEEP: When cartoon villains are shown chomping on cigars, the scenes can stay.

MONTAGNE: This is not the first time that Tom and Jerry have been censored. In 1965, when the cartoon first appeared on CBS Saturday morning television, a black housekeeper named Mammy Two Shoes was cut out and replaced with a thin white woman.

(Soundbite of cartoon show, Tom and Jerry)

(Soundbite of Tom screaming)

MONTAGNE: Scenes of extreme violence have also been removed.

(Soundbite of music, Tom and Jerry theme)

MONTAGNE: This is NPR News.

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