Odds and Ends

Tom & Jerry forced to butt out

USA Today (August 22, 2006) reported that a British television station had agreed to cut smoking scenes from 50 year old Tom and Jerry cartoons. Boomerang, a children’s channel owned by Turner Broadcasting, “has pledged to view their entire library of classic cartoons and remove all references that could be seen as glamorizing smoking.” said Cecilia Persson, vice president of programming, acquisitions and presentation Turner Broadcasting UK.

According to a British media regulator, Turner took action because one viewer had complained about two cartoons. In one, "Texas Tom" tries to impress a female cat by rolling and smoking a cigarette with one hand. In another, a character is seen smoking a cigar. Another victory for the forces for good in the community.

In a similar vein, Lucky Luke, a European cowboy cartoon favourite, was forced to quit some years ago by his artist/creator. Lucky Luke is no longer seen rounding up the bad guys with a cigarette dangling from his lower lip. Now, the only smoke you see is from his gun, which is still blazing.