In 1942, the Warner Brothers animation studios released a film for distribution called "A Tale of Two Kitties", directed by Robert Clampett. Robert Clampett had a reputaion as a loose cannon. One of his "hobbies" was to try to sneak things into the script and get them past the Hayes Comittee's board of review.

The Hayes Comittee was an industry-sponsored censorship organization that was responsible for approving scripts as acceptable for family viewing. Few movies were released without being "Passed by the National Board of Review". There were a few, but they were either "educational films" about venerial diseases or drugs, or "Stag films" (in those times, also referred to as "dirty movies"). Both were considered "adults only" fare.

"A Tale of Two Kitties" was the first cartoon to feature the now famous character of "Tweety Bird". The antagonists were two cats (hence the title) who were characatures of the Abbott and Costello comedy team. I recall one scene in particular.

[The cats are trying to get Tweety out of his nest. The Costello cat [C] is at the top of a slender ladder that sways drunkenly with his every move. The Abbott cat [A] stands at the bottom, eagerly awaiting the snack that Tweety represents.]

A: "Have you got him? Give him to me! Give me the bird!"

C: [Looks straight at the audience] "Oh, if it wasn't for the Hayes Comittee, I'd give him da boid!"

Shortly after the movie began playing in theaters, Robert Clampett was called in to the Hayes Comittee's offices to discuss "A Tale of Two Kitties". He thought they might have caught on to his tactic of including outrageous dialogue in the hope (occasionally realized) that the comittee would focus on the truly objectional material and miss the sly references. The cause of their objections, however, was not dialogue, but a little bird.

I have heard a couple different versions of this story. The following scenario is as close to the truth as I can construct from those versions.

[Robert Clampett enters the Hayes Comittee office. A single representative of the committee sits behind a desk, his hands folded in front of him. Robert Clampett is asked to take a seat.]

Comittee Member (CM): "It has come to the comittee's attention that the bird in "A Tale of Two Kitties" is pink."

Robert Clampett (RC): [Puzzled] "Yes...? Is there some sort of problem about that?"

CM: "Of course there's a problem with that! You see, if the bird is pink, that means he's naked!"

RC: [Feigning shock] "No!"

CM: "Yes! Mr. Clampett, despite the good intentions of this board, we sometimes overlook details like this. I'm sorry, but I'm sure you'll understand why we can't approve any more cartoons featuring this character... [consults notes] ..."Tweety Bird", unless you put some clothes on him."

RC: "But he's only a few inches tall! If we put clothes on him, the audience won't be able to tell he's a bird!"

CM: "I'm sorry, Mr. Clampett, but the comittee has rendered it's decision. Put some clothes on that bird or we will not approve any scripts featuring him."

RC: "Look. If pink means he's naked, then why don't I just make him yellow. If he's yellow, that would mean he's covered with feathers, right?"

CM: [Hesitantly] "Well... I suppose."

RC: "And if he's covered with feathers, then he isn't naked. Right?"

CM: "Hmmm... Very well. If you promise that this Tweety Bird character will be yellow in all subsequent pictures, then I suppose that this would address the concerns of the Hayes Comittee."

RC: "Oh, I promise! Yellow! Yes, indeed!"

[As he leaves the Hayes offices, Robert Clampett wonders why they hadn't ever noticed that Porky Pig didn't wear pants?]

--Baloo

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"Politicians and diapers should be changed regularly, for the same reason."
--(Unknown)
Come Hither and Yawn...

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Gene: "I AM Star Trek"
Yvonne: "You can't sum yourself up in so small a package."
Gene: "SMALL?!!"

- Gene Roddenberry: The Last Conversation

Interesting that Sweetie (form Tiny Toons) was pink. And only wore a bow in her hair.

But then, of course, SHE'S A GIRL! Cause she wears pink. Duh.

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"Sorry Wendy, I just can't trust something that bleeds for five days and doesn't die."

You have to remember the incredible lack of intelligence common to people who favor censorship of all media. These are still the same people who want to ban Harry Potter books because the main character is a wizard, or ban The Wizard of Oz for having 'good witches' and crap like that. These are people who get offended if they see the word 'prick,' in print, because they're too dumb to realize that it's being used in the connotation of 'pinprick.'

Prurient idiots.

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Calvin: "No efficiency, no accountability... I tell you, Hobbes, it's a lousy way to run a Universe." -- Bill Watterson

quote:

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"When correctly viewed,
Everything is lewd!
I could tell you things about Peter Pan,
And the Wizard of OZ?
There's a dirty old man!"

--Professor Tom Lehrer (From the Smut anthem)

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Thanks, 1^st of 2, there is so little about Robert Clampett on the web (he alienated his peers at WB by claiming to have created nearly every popular character they had from the late 1930's through about 1945). He went on to create a children's TV puppet show in 1947 called "Time for Beany", which eventually led to the animated "Beany and Cecil show". If you can find it on tape, you will be surprized at the amount of adult humor cleverly packed into the show. When I was a kid, I was amused. Now I'm an adult, I'm amazed at the number of sly references he managed to get past the censors.

I think the last show he had a personal hand in was "The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse". That show died an ugly death when, after one scene where Mighty Mouse crushed a flower in his hand. He then snorted the resulting powder, prompting fundamentalists everywhere to claim the show advocated drug use by juveniles.

Alas, when shown a random pattern, people will tend to see what they are looking for. The network felt the negative publicity of the threat of a boycott was damaging in itself, so they yanked the show.

Pity.

--Baloo

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"Politicians and diapers should be changed regularly, for the same reason."
--(Unknown)
Come Hither and Yawn...

See the importance of getting more than one witness?

--Baloo

P.S.: The example above still illustrates how asinine the criterion can be for imposing censorship. Unfortunately, the people who gravitate to that sort of position tend to have dirty minds and find objectionable material everywhere they look.

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"Politicians and diapers should be changed regularly, for the same reason."
--(Unknown)
Come Hither and Yawn...