Banned Cartoons

[Christmas_Boy]

The issues of with Tom and Jerry has got be wondering, just what cartoons are banned by WB and other companies from ever being released (aside rom Song of the South, which is a combination feature.) Is Coal Black and de Seben Dwarfs banned? I believe there are two Bugs Bunny shorts that were said to be banned but I'm unsure of the titles.

Also, does WB own enough banned shorts to do an Archive Collection release since that series is geared to collectors and in theory some soccer mom wouldn't be buying that title for babysitting her kids? I think this is a great idea and am surprised I've not seen it proposed elsewhere online. What do the rest of you think?

[RedNinja84]

Yes Coal Black is banned, it is part of what is called the Censored 11. These cartoons were banned because of their depiction of black people. Here are the 11 banned:

Hittin' the Trail for Hallelujah Land (1931, directed by Rudolf Ising)
Sunday Go to Meetin' Time (1936, rereleased as a Blue Ribbon in 1944, directed by Friz Freleng)
Clean Pastures (1937, directed by Friz Freleng)
Uncle Tom's Bungalow (1937, directed by Tex Avery)
Jungle Jitters (1938, directed by Friz Freleng)
The Isle of Pingo Pongo (1938, rereleased as a Blue Ribbon in 1944, directed by Tex Avery)
All This and Rabbit Stew (1941, directed by Tex Avery)
Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs (1943, directed by Robert Clampett)
Tin Pan Alley Cats (1943, directed by Robert Clampett)
Angel Puss (1944, directed by Chuck Jones)
Goldilocks and the Jivin' Bears (1944, rereleased as a Blue Ribbon in 1952, directed by Friz Freleng)

Though I read TCM may have shown them at their movie festival in April. So thier is hope one day will be released in a collector's set.

[chalmers]

Though I read TCM may have shown them at their movie festival in April. So thier is hope one day will be released in a collector's set.

Yes, they did (http://www.tcm.com/festival/#/films/cartoons), however they only showed eight of the eleven cartoons; the shorts Jungle Jitters, All This and Rabbit Stew, and Angel Puss were not screened. Reportedly this event was a way for WB to test the waters for a possible release of the shorts in their Warner Archives line.

[Hey Steve]

While I don't recall seeing Jerry Beck do a post-festivities write-up for the event on his blog, I do believe that he did state in a post a few days later that it was a success, and that it took place WITHOUT INCIDENT. That is, not a single person in attendance for that event had any complaints about the cartoons having racist content.

**Anyone from WB reading this? Now what would be the excuse for not putting these films on an official release?**

[Christmas_Boy]

It probably went without incident because there was little fanfare about it. Most of these groups who find falt with everything rarely attend such events. But we now know there are at least 13 banned WB owned cartoons. Nearly enough for a single disc release. What about other banned MGM cartoons?


Also, is this why we never see Tex Avery's Red Hot Ridinghood cartoons released? Maybe they could be included on this adultds only set?

[chalmers]

But we now know there are at least 13 banned WB owned cartoons.

Not to mention other cartoons that aren't officially banned but rarely seen anymore like Bugs Bunny Nips The Nips or Confederate Honey.

And none of the Censored Eleven(or the two cartoons I mentioned) are owned outright by WB, the rights to them still reside with Turner.


Also, is this why we never see Tex Avery's Red Hot Ridinghood cartoons released? Maybe they could be included on this adultds only set?

Well, seeing as not much of his work has been released (only Droopy and some WB shorts so far), I'd say that's why it hasn't appeared yet on DVD. It was released on VHS though, all those years ago.

[Hey Steve]

"Banned" cartoons? There are too many to list, but here is an attempt

Other Warner Bros. cartoons no longer shown on TV because of black stereotyping:

"The Early Worm Gets the Bird"
"Flop Goes the Weasel"
All Inki cartoons (there are 5 of these, although TCM did air at least once "Inki at the Circus" to fill time between movies)
"Wise Quackers" (slavery references)
"Which is Witch?"
"Africa Squeaks" (although Nickelodeon used to show a severely edited version)
"Porky's Ant"
"Robinson Crusoe, Jr."
"Goin' to Heaven on a Mule"

The following 2 are occasionally shown, but on the rare occasion they are, they are severely edited as the unedited versions contain numerous black stereotypes

"September in the Rain"
"Confederate Honey"

The following are no longer shown on TV because of Asian stereotyping

"One Step Ahead of My Shadow" (this one may have aired on TCM)
"Tokio Jokio"
"Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips"
"China Jones"

There are several WWII era Warner Bros. cartoons that have Nazis, but these are only banned from channels that children would regularly watch. Most of them were commonly shown on TCM and are available on DVD as well.

The following Popeye cartoons are no longer seen on TV (although the first 3 listed are now available on DVD):

"You're a Sap, Mr. Jap"
"Scrap the Japs"
"Seein' Red, White n' Blue" (an edited version aired maybe once or twice, but never again. The cartoon does not make sense with the entire second half cut to remove the Japs and Nazis)
"Pop-Pie A La Mode" (Cannibal stereotypes)
"The Island Fling" (Used to air quite often as an edited version, but even the edited version no longer airs on TV. This one is an adaptation of Robinson Crusoe where Bluto is Crusoe and his companion is Friday, the island native stereotype)
"Popeye's Pappy" (Cannibal stereotypes)

The following MGM cartoons are no longer shown:

All Bosko cartoons (even though the first 2 use the exact same character that was used in the Warner Bros. cartoons. These 2 are now available on classic movie DVD releases as bonus features)
"The Old Plantation"
"Swing Social"
"Uncle Tom's Cabana"

The following MGM cartoons are not going to be airing on Boomerang any time soon, but they have been known to appear on TCM every once in a while (a few of them were actually quite common finds on TCM)

"The Old Pioneer" (Boomerang no longer shows Warner or MGM shorts that stereotype Native Americans)
"The Chinese Nightingale" (Cartoon Network did air this one a few times during late night showings)
"The Early Bird and the Worm" (perhaps it is too hard to edit out the black crows?)
"The Old Mill Pond" (always shown during TCM's Month of Oscar, although the version they showed was always edited)
"Swing Wedding"
"The Pygmy Hunt" (not sure if this aired on TCM, but Cartoon Network occasionally aired this one on Late Nite Black and White)
"Romeo in Rhythm" (yes, the crows are stereotypes, even if it goes mostly unnoticed)
"The Lonesome Stranger" (stereotypes 3 ethnic groups in a very tame fashion; the 3 Mexican bandits, the Native American who delivers telegrams, the Lonesome Stranger's "black" horse who is based off of Rochester from the Jack Benny Show)
"Mrs. Ladybug"
"Abdul the Bulbul Ameer" (perhaps the portrayal of Russians in this cartoon is harsh?)
"The Boy and the Wolf" (perhaps the portrayal of Mexicans in this cartoon is harsh?)
"Blitz Wolf" (quite commonly shown during TCM's Month of Oscar programming, although in an edited version to remove anti-Japanese content)
"War Dogs" (Many copies floating around have the "Jap" edited out near the beginning. Is it too hard for the kiddy channels to edit out the sequence with the Hitler picture?)
"Big Heel-Watha" (Used to air quite often, but as the 2000's came around, TCM became the only channel that would air this one)
"Half-Pint Pygmy" (Only known TV airing the last few decades was on TCM's Cartoon Alley)
"His Mouse Friday" (aired once on Cartoon Network with all cannibal dialogue muted out. Aired once on TCM with cannibal dialogue intact, but a scene near the end was cropped to remove a side view of the face of the cannibal that chases Jerry)

There are too many cartoons that may also be listed for Native American stereotyping. I remember growing up in the 1990's, TBS, TNT and Cartoon Network had no problem showing the cartoons regularly that stereotyped Native Americans. But some time in late 1998, early 1999, they slowly started to stop showing them altogether except for occasional late night showings.

[Zorak Masaki]

Actually, i did see China Jones on Nickelodeon in 1993.

[chalmers]

^Yes, apparently it did air on Nick, and all that was cut was the very end of the short.

http://looney.goldenagecartoons.com/ltcuts/c/

[Hey Steve]

Yes, I do confirm that I myself saw "China Jones" air on Nick quite a few times in the early 1990's. But seeing as how that was 17 years ago and it hasn't aired on TV since, I would say that it has been pulled off the air because of the stereotypes.

But during that time, Nick also aired "Which is Witch?" on several occasions.

Plus, around that time Fox had aired "Caveman Inki" and "Wise Quackers".

All 4 of those shorts have not been shown on TV since the early 1990's and we all know the reasons why...ethnic stereotyping.

[Cartoon-Buffoon]

I have a bunch of banned Betty Boop cartoons burnt onto DVD. Also there is quit a few Looney Tunes cartoons that are banned. If anyone has a list I would like it so I can try finding them. I wish they would make a dvd collection of all banned toons in one box set.

[Mr__Meek]

If you search around on the internet you can find sets of banned cartoons. They are usually not "official" releases though, and they are certainly not restored.

I do hope that someday WB will release an official collection of these cartoons (hopefully restored), but until then these sets are a great temporary resource.

[Bat-Fan Beyond]

I'd hate to open up a can of controversial worms, and even more so I'd hate to play the I-have-black-friends-so-that-proves-I'm-not-a-racist card, but...

All This and Rabbit Stew is a really great Bugs Bunny cartoon and despite having what's considered a less than favorable depiction of a black character, I really don't think it's racist at all. If a white character like Elmer Fudd can be depicted as a foolish hunter against Bugs Bunny, why can't a black character? I understand that it's banned because this particular black character is viewed as stereotypical, but even if it was offensive to some viewers, that doesn't mean it shouldn't be allowed the appreciation it deserves as the work of art it is. People should understand that it is a product of its time and that we should not whitewash over history by banning and hiding what was.

Of all the banned cartoons, All This and Rabbit Stew, as well as the few absent Tom and Jerry shorts, are the ones I really want to get a proper DVD release. The "Well, call me Adam" ending with Bugs stealing the fig leaf is hilarious!