SMOKIN’ TOONS

Last month the British press made a stink about cigarette smoking in old Tom & Jerry cartoons. Nicole Hollander even made note of it in her syndicated comic strip Sylvia last Tuesday (excerpt below, see the entire strip here). Now Turner Entertainment is planning to cut those smoking scenes out of all their Tom & Jerry TV prints. Never mind that these cartoons weren’t aimed at kids in the first place, and produced in a time when a cigarette, cigar or pipe in your mouth was as common as a cup of Starbucks in your hand today. I’ve never smoked myself and I am very much against against big tobacco – but I believe it is my right to watch cartoon characters smoke if I want to.On Saturday October 28th, at the AFI in Hollywood, Asifa Hollywood is hosting a special showing of SMOKIN’ TOONS. A special blend of cartoons from the 1940s and 50s, hosted by yours truly Jerry Beck, will screen at 3pm. No smoking permited on the AFI campus, but I guarantee your lungs will ache with laughter! Join us!