Studios & Censorship

[Cartman]

What was the first animation studio to censor their work (or get it censored) for TV distribution?

[J. J. Hunsecker]

What was the first animation studio to censor their work (or get it censored) for TV distribution?Disney censored their cartoons even before television distribution! In The Three Little Pigs the scene of the Big Bad Wolf disguised as a Jewish peddler was re-animated sometime in the forties and changed to a Fuller Brush man working his way through college.

[J Lee]

...as did Warners, with the deleted ending to Avery's "The Heckling Hare," the reworked "Clean Pastures" and "Have You Got Any Castles?" and Clampett's reanimated "Hare Ribbin'"

As for the TV editing/removal from usage, the New York City market began cutting and yanking the classic Hollywood cartoons almost from the moment they want into syndication in the late 1950s, due to both the higher concentration of peoples who might be offended in some sort of way and their greater knowledge of how to get their complaints voiced in a major media market. In Warners' case, that means the "Censored 11" and any cartoons with Hitler and/or Japanese charactures were off the air on WNEW Ch. 5 by the early 1960s, and some of the cuts you see today, such as the removal of the minsteral ending to "Fresh Hare" were also in place, even though that ending survived intact on Ted Turner's WTBS and TNT through the end of the 1980s.

Other channels in the NYC market that owned other Hollywood cartoons, like Terrytoons, Lantz and the Paramount packages, did the same, though how much depended a lot on the station's political ideology (Ch. 5's management was more politically liberal than Ch. 11 in New York, for example, so there were fewer edits to the Popeye cartoons on WPIX).

Other stations around the country were also far less strict about their edits, and several of the "Censored 11" cartoons, like "Jungle Jitters" were also still being aired on local stations into thr 1980s. But as the broadcasts of those shorts migrated from local stations to national cable outlets, national standards became the norm, and the stricted national standards -- the ones in place in New York for over 30 years -- became what all U.S. viewers were subjected to.

[Thad Komorowski]

Walter Lantz had to butcher his cartoons for THE WOODY WOODPECKER SHOW... Check out Columbia House's collection to see how far they had to go...


-Thad

[Larry T]

....the reworked "Clean Pastures"
Huh? John, what happened to that one? I always thought we were seeing it as is.... :confused:

[J Lee]

Huh? John, what happened to that one? I always thought we were seeing it as is.... :confused:
According to Mike Barrier, the cartoon's release was held up for five months, due to problems with the Motion Picture Production Code censors. He said the cartoon finally was allowed to pass after changes were made to the soundtrack, though no mention is made of animation alterations.

(It also makes "Clean Pastures" unique in that it was nailed by censors on religious grounds in the 1930s -- when that was what was targeted the most -- and then snared again 30 years later, this time by censors on grounds of racial insensativity. If only Freleng could have worked a few rifle shots to the face into the cartoon, it could have hit the censorship trifecta. ;) )

[Frank]

...as did Warners, with the deleted ending to Avery's "The Heckling Hare," the reworked "Clean Pastures" and "Have You Got Any Castles?" and Clampett's reanimated "Hare Ribbin'"

As for the TV editing/removal from usage, the New York City market began cutting and yanking the classic Hollywood cartoons almost from the moment they want into syndication in the late 1950s, due to both the higher concentration of peoples who might be offended in some sort of way and their greater knowledge of how to get their complaints voiced in a major media market. In Warners' case, that means the "Censored 11" and any cartoons with Hitler and/or Japanese charactures were off the air on WNEW Ch. 5 by the early 1960s, and some of the cuts you see today, such as the removal of the minsteral ending to "Fresh Hare" were also in place, even though that ending survived intact on Ted Turner's WTBS and TNT through the end of the 1980s.

Other channels in the NYC market that owned other Hollywood cartoons, like Terrytoons, Lantz and the Paramount packages, did the same, though how much depended a lot on the station's political ideology (Ch. 5's management was more politically liberal than Ch. 11 in New York, for example, so there were fewer edits to the Popeye cartoons on WPIX).

Other stations around the country were also far less strict about their edits, and several of the "Censored 11" cartoons, like "Jungle Jitters" were also still being aired on local stations into thr 1980s. But as the broadcasts of those shorts migrated from local stations to national cable outlets, national standards became the norm, and the stricted national standards -- the ones in place in New York for over 30 years -- became what all U.S. viewers were subjected to.Did anyone complain about the ending to Fresh Hare?

[Bobby B]

Supposedly the original TV prints of Betty Boops were censored because of sexual content, though I think the butchered redrawn of "Is My Palm Red?" is the only remnant circulating today.

[J Lee]

Did anyone complain about the ending to Fresh Hare? I don't know if the edit was done in response to any protests or if WNEW cut it proactively, to avoid any possible headaches. They also originated (AFAIK) the edit to the "My oh my -- Tattletail Gray!" line by Jack Bunny/Rochester in Clampett's "Goofy Groceries" and when the post-48 cartoons went into syndication in 1964, immediately cut the Indian's reaction in the Manhattan Island gag from "Yankee Doodle Bugs."

Ch. 5 also stuck "Malibu Beach Party" and "Confederate Honey" deep in the closet, along with any cartoons featuring Hitler or Japanese WWII charactures, even though they were technically not part of the "Censored 11." But on the other hand, they never had any problem playing all of Chuck Jones' Inki cartoons, or Jones' "Porky's Ant" when they acquired the redrawn in the early 1970s, so their censoreship levels were overall lower than what Cartoon Network is doing today.

WNEW also had the NTA package during the 1960s, but I can't pin down whether or not they censored some of the pre-code Bettys for sexual content or if some of the ones featuring black recording artists, like Louis Armstrong, were banned due to racial imagry. Fortunately on that front, the Fleischers used racial charactures less than most other studios, and I do know that the black maid charactures in the Famous Studio Little Lulu and Little Audrey cartoons did make it past the censors in New York.

[Matthew Hunter]

I remember seeing Fresh Hare on TV as a kid...I'm pretty sure it was on TNT, and I distictly remember hearing the complete "Camptown Races" song with the blackfaced mounties. I don't think it ever aired uncut on CN though.

Who decided to censor the "censored 11", who picked the list, and why didn't any other cartoons (like the racist "Tokio Jokio") make the list? Was it only a list of cartoons with content offensive to African Americans?

-Matthew

[Do-Do]

Who decided to censor the "censored 11", who picked the list, and why didn't any other cartoons (like the racist "Tokio Jokio") make the list? Was it only a list of cartoons with content offensive to African Americans?

-Matthew
Because the Censored 11 were picked by AAP in 1968, who only owned the later Turner-controlled cartoons.

[Jave]

The new prints Turner is distributing of their MGM cartoons have some cartoons already edited in the package. Others is just CN that makes the edit.

[Thad Komorowski]

When Turner was syndicating the AAP Warner cartoons, and the MGM cartoons, they were giving networks full-titled, uncut prints. Buffalo's WB49 aired PLANE DAFFY, HERR MEETS HARE, DAFFY THE COMMANDO, TRIPLET TROUBLE, FRAIDY CAT, and THE LITTLE WISE QUACKER completely unedited, while Turner's own networks were still editing them (or not showing them at all).


-Thad

[Davesnothere]

Supposedly the original TV prints of Betty Boops were censored because of sexual content, though I think the butchered redrawn of "Is My Palm Red?" is the only remnant circulating today.I've got a black & white copy of "Is My Palm Red?" transferred to DVD from a .mpg file. It runs 6:40 with UM&M titles. I believe it's uncut (otherwise it would be much shorter!).

[Tom Stathes]

Being a 16mm collector, especially of Bray cartoons from the teens and twenties, I can tell you this:


When Bray decided to re-issue many of their silent cartoons, the left out many of the racial cartoons. This was in the late 40's. One example not on their 'available' list from the late forties is 'Farmer Alfalfa's Watermelon Patch'
and several more are left out.
FYI, Bray did this to sell to TV stations and collectors alike,
So you might consider this one of the first attempts for TV use

-Tom

[Howard Fein]

"Buffalo's WB49 aired PLANE DAFFY, HERR MEETS HARE, DAFFY THE COMMANDO, TRIPLET TROUBLE, FRAIDY CAT, and THE LITTLE WISE QUACKER completely unedited, while Turner's own networks were still editing them (or not showing them at all)."

Interesting. I went to college in NW New York State where we could pick up the Rochester and Buffalo TV stations. This was circa 1978-81. Rochester's ABC affiliate carried in a weekday 9 AM slot the same syndicated MGM package that hometown NYC's future WB affiliate WPIX started airing in fall 1977. This was all the :tomcat: :jerry: shorts, the Lundy-directed Barney Bears, post-48 Avery :droopy: and one-shots; and Cinemascope :droopy:.

After watching the package on WPIX for a year, I was amazed to see that upstate you could see such shorts as LUCKY DUCKY, DROOPY'S GOOD DEED, DAREDEVIL DROOPY, GARDEN GOPHER, THE TRUCE HURTS, YANKEE DOODLE MOUSE and SAFETY SECOND complete with blackface gags left in. Not only that, but the :tomcat: :jerry: shorts with :twoshoes: in a prominent speaking role (MOUSE CLEANING, A MOUSE IN THE HOUSE, OLD ROCKING CHAIR TOM, POLKA DOT PUSS, NIT WITTY KITTY) were left out of WPIX's rotation altogether!

Funny, but Rochester and Buffalo both have large minority populations, though not on the scale of NYC. Obviously, NYC-area station managers and censors are a lot more sensitive to racial gags.

J. Lee and others have stated that fellow NYC then-indie/now Fox affiliate WNEW started editing syndicated WB shorts for racial gags in the sixties. Does anyone know if that applied to SOUTHERN FRIED RABBIT:bugs1: and THE MOUSE THAT JACK BUILT? The Rochester and Buffalo affiliates that carried the syndicated post-48s and colorized BWs showed both cartoons intact.

Funny that Turner was pretty lenient when it first acquired cartoons. Around 1987-89, NYC's WOR (future UPN affiliate) aired strictly WB pre-48s. I TAW A PUTTY TAT:sylvester :tweety:, THE SHEEPISH WOLF and FROM HAND TO MOUSE aired complete- unfortunately, FRESH HARE:bugs1: got cut off at the end.:mad: WWII shorts that CN won't show any more outside of TOON HEADS (HERR MEETS HARE:bugs1: , PLANE DAFFY, DAFFY THE COMMANDO:daffy:, FIFTH COLUMN MOUSE) also made the cut. I didn't get cable until 1993, but various posts on this board have mentioned that all the shorts in this paragraph used to air regularly and uncut on TBS and TNT during the eighties.

From what I hear, Nick always showed the Indian-themed shorts under its jurisdiction, such as HORSE HARE, YANKEE DOODLE BUGS:bugs1: , THE OILY AMERICAN and PILGRIM PORKY.

For that matter, Indian-themed SLIGHTLY DAFFY:daffy: , HIAWATHA'S RABBIT HUNT and A FEATHER IN HIS HARE :bugs1: were shown pretty steadily on CN until 1997 when the Time Warner buyout of Turner enabled it to pick up the post-48s.

[Cartman]

From what I hear, Nick always showed the Indian-themed shorts under its jurisdiction, such as HORSE HARE, YANKEE DOODLE BUGS:bugs1: , THE OILY AMERICAN and PILGRIM PORKY.

I remember Nick playing OILY AMERICAN quite frequently.

[JDWeil]

I don't know if the edit was done in response to any protests or if WNEW cut it proactively, to avoid any possible headaches. They also originated (AFAIK) the edit to the "My oh my -- Tattletail Gray!" line by Jack Bunny/Rochester in Clampett's "Goofy Groceries" and when the post-48 cartoons went into syndication in 1964, immediately cut the Indian's reaction in the Manhattan Island gag from "Yankee Doodle Bugs."

Ch. 5 also stuck "Malibu Beach Party" and "Confederate Honey" deep in the closet, along with any cartoons featuring Hitler or Japanese WWII charactures, even though they were technically not part of the "Censored 11." But on the other hand, they never had any problem playing all of Chuck Jones' Inki cartoons, or Jones' "Porky's Ant" when they acquired the redrawn in the early 1970s, so their censoreship levels were overall lower than what Cartoon Network is doing today.

WNEW also had the NTA package during the 1960s, but I can't pin down whether or not they censored some of the pre-code Bettys for sexual content or if some of the ones featuring black recording artists, like Louis Armstrong, were banned due to racial imagry. Fortunately on that front, the Fleischers used racial charactures less than most other studios, and I do know that the black maid charactures in the Famous Studio Little Lulu and Little Audrey cartoons did make it past the censors in New York.


You can also add to this list Jeepers Creepers since that film also had the "My oh My, Tattle-tale gray!" line at the end of that short.

Another case of censorship comes from Inkwell Images collection of Fleischer's Song Cartoon shorts. My Old Kentucky Home had the entire last chorus removed from the cartoon.