tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post996202637730297258..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Pepe Le PewBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7258192672040480592021-04-06T20:44:11.636-07:002021-04-06T20:44:11.636-07:00He got paid more as he had a lot of voiced lines w...He got paid more as he had a lot of voiced lines where as Penelope was mostly mute all throughout the cartoons they stared in. A shame that some dare put him in rape culture when in reality, sure he hugs and kisses her a lot, but she smacks him back a lot too. Plus they did have some role reversals here and there that had Pepe running from Penelope for... pretty much the same reason. She smelled bad and it repelled him, just as when he smelled bad and it repelled her. They shared a few, rare mutual momemts together even. To those with common sense and a bit more wisdom, his cartoons in a comedic manner can teach generations that Pepe's actions aren't going to work when it comes to finding someone to love. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24098696565537403652018-07-11T19:38:13.234-07:002018-07-11T19:38:13.234-07:00Pepe LePew was never a rapist. He was a stock come...Pepe LePew was never a rapist. He was a stock comedy type, the self absorbed ladies' man, a variation on the miles gloriosus. He even shows up in old Roman plays and skits.<br />Kaleberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05283840743310507878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-22169560914077153052018-07-11T17:42:53.931-07:002018-07-11T17:42:53.931-07:00What were the jokes? Just mention of Pepe Le Pew,...What were the jokes? Just mention of Pepe Le Pew, or acting out a similar scenario?<br />I can see how the name can get a laugh without context.MikeNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-72238968459723971202018-07-11T03:50:19.808-07:002018-07-11T03:50:19.808-07:00It's certainly true that after a time Korea wa...It's certainly true that after a time Korea was used as an allegory of sorts for Vietnam, although in real life the conflicts were entirely dissimilar. Korea, as was noted many times on MASH, had the support of most of the planet via the UN. In Vietnam, we went largely alone. In Korea, it was aclear case of North/South aggression. In Vietnam, not so much as you had VC working across the south. Vietnam was more acase of fighting for inependence against Western powers.<br /><br />Woodrow Wilson could have (should have) avoided that entire war, believe it or not. Ho Chi Minh went to Versailles after World War I to seek a meeting with Wilson to enable nable Vietnam Independence from France. Wilson, however, refused to meet so as not to insult his French hosts. <br /><br />With US turning it's back on him, Ho Chi Minh then went to the only other superpower he knew of to secure backing for Independence: the Soviet Union.Janet Ybarranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24821395199927262492018-07-11T00:35:56.849-07:002018-07-11T00:35:56.849-07:00Just to put a cherry atop this thread:
https://lo...Just to put a cherry atop this thread:<br /><br />https://local.theonion.com/romantic-comedy-behavior-gets-real-life-man-arrested-1819565117DBensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01144515471557731622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-87405771566708244912018-07-10T13:50:02.038-07:002018-07-10T13:50:02.038-07:00Both the movie and TV version of MASH freely used ...Both the movie and TV version of MASH freely used Korea as a means of discussing Vietnam. A modern MASH would probably involve some post-Vietnam conflict where the doctors were -- initially, at least -- there because they chose to be there. Things have loosened up to the point where you conceivably get away with setting MASH on a current battlefield.DBensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01144515471557731622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-72926561074412773252018-07-10T07:10:33.366-07:002018-07-10T07:10:33.366-07:00IRL a guy stalking a woman is creepy, always. The...IRL a guy stalking a woman is creepy, always. There really aren't any exceptions, although Hollywood sometimes arranges things to make it seem romantic. Well, that's fiction and generally people do know the difference. Generally. Angsty young men don't always get it, but that has more to do with youthful idealism. You do grow out of Romeo and Juliet notions eventually.<br /><br />Pepe was a clueless cartoon skunk. He was laughable in the same way an Acme anvil dropped on Wiley E. Coyote was funny; because we do recognize the difference between fiction and reality, and in cartoons is always so over the top that it invites laughter. But I'll point out that the cat was forever running away. So maybe there was a lesson there that a lot of people weren't getting.McAlvienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-30161480594888614632018-07-10T06:06:27.094-07:002018-07-10T06:06:27.094-07:00Donald, Not sure you could remake MASH today in th...Donald, Not sure you could remake MASH today in the Korean War... it's now nearly 70 years old. At the time of the original, only 20-30...still within living memory. Not so much anymore.<br /><br />You might as well set it in Vietnam....if not one of the more recent conflicts. Korea, today, is kinda the forgotten war (except for MASH, which was not exactly historically accurate at all times. For example, although the series says it begins in 1950, in real life draftee doctors didn't begin arriving in-country, I believe, until '51.)Janet Ybarranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-75176674604391694352018-07-10T05:56:13.755-07:002018-07-10T05:56:13.755-07:00Tom Galloway: In the 1990s into the early 2000s I ...Tom Galloway: In the 1990s into the early 2000s I had a satellite dish that got German TV channels. I saw a few of those HOGAN'S HEROES episodes. *So* weird to hear them *dubbed into German*!<br /><br />wgWendy M. Grossmanhttp://www.pelicancrossing.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3645177955177034662018-07-10T03:09:04.312-07:002018-07-10T03:09:04.312-07:00I like to think that I am liberal but the PC polic...I like to think that I am liberal but the PC police give me a pain in my funny bone.Barry Traylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14134880916215990198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-10396742837487554792018-07-10T03:02:10.606-07:002018-07-10T03:02:10.606-07:00@ Donald Benson
Thanks for the reply :)
@ Donald Benson<br /><br />Thanks for the reply :)<br /><br />Dhruvnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-75300919565285772272018-07-10T00:49:35.682-07:002018-07-10T00:49:35.682-07:00Some years back there'd be a different answer ...Some years back there'd be a different answer to that question. Disney product symbolized a certain vision of middle-class America: secure, affluent, and very clean. Coming out of a depression and a war, people embraced it, no questions asked. Later, as little mousekateers grew up, they rebelled against a corrupt establishment. And Disney was a handy symbol of same. A dirty drawing of Mickey was as political as a satire of Nixon.<br /><br />Today: Being scrappy and tough is admired when you're the underdog. When you're the biggest kid on the block -- and Disney is rapidly becoming just that -- being scrappy and tough to a world of little guys is the opposite of admirable. Walt Disney went from hard-working visionary to micromanaging tyrant in many eyes, even though the one real difference was scale. Micheal Eisner was hailed as the second coming of Walt when he took over the nearly-destroyed Disney company; he suffered the same fall from grace when he turned it into a genuine empire.<br /><br />One could argue that Disney's corporate sins are no worse that the rest of Hollywood. The difference is, Disney has a face and an identity that no other surviving major studio has. For all the old classics that have come out of MGM. articles about their sins don't open with "Louis B. Mayer, who gave us 'Wizard of Oz', would be appalled ..." When Disney sins, there's inevitably a reference to Mickey Mouse, still a potent symbol of happy kiddie times despite the relentless exploitation. Even in Hollywood, there are still people with a residual nostalgia for Disney and the boomer comfort food he provided. A bad meeting at MGM is exactly that. A bad meeting at Disney is a betrayal of beloved Uncle Walt and all you wanted him to stand for.DBensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01144515471557731622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69814746733763990562018-07-10T00:25:41.004-07:002018-07-10T00:25:41.004-07:00I recall a WSJ article of some years ago about how...I recall a WSJ article of some years ago about how Hogan's Heroes had turned out to be very popular in Germany, with one reason given that they'd rewritten the German's parts in translation such that they were even more incompetent and stupid than in the American version.Tom Gallowayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17164851214377133676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-72955534199540644322018-07-10T00:19:03.447-07:002018-07-10T00:19:03.447-07:00JY: If you kept MASH in the Korean War, Klinger wo...JY: If you kept MASH in the Korean War, Klinger would still work: He's a straight draftee playing "crazy" to get sent home (when MASH was on, he couldn't pretend to be gay or feminine. He always played against his wardrobe). Today, in the all-volunteer force, you lose the fact of him being there unwillingly (although I understand they sometimes make it hard to get out). I don't think society's views would kill the character -- Klinger was a mockery of military rules, and a nod to Catch-22 (anybody who wants out isn't crazy). A lot of MASH's satiric energy was directed at how war and Army bureaucracy were often the opposite of what reasonable people accepted.<br /><br />A modern-day Klinger, somehow committed to a long hitch, might well capitalize on current attempts to bar gays and transgenders. There could be comedy in surrounding him with gays and transgenders fighting to stay in, and fighting his discharge in the belief they're helping him. DBensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01144515471557731622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-38626584948985039152018-07-09T22:32:55.715-07:002018-07-09T22:32:55.715-07:00Sexual politics in old cartoons: A male desperatel...Sexual politics in old cartoons: A male desperately trying to impress a female; a male just too enthusiastic about a female (Even Mickey could be downright adolescent, putting Minnie on giggling defense); two males in competition for a female (either as comic rivals or hero versus villain); a married male versus his henpecking or merely unimpressed mate; or a world were females barely figure (except as mothers, housekeepers, annoying little girls, etc.).<br /><br />Betty Boop was sometimes an exception. Koko and/or Bimbo often had to rescue her, usually ending in a clinch with Bimbo but occasionally Koko -- How many cartoon heroines played the field? (in time Koko and Bimbo were replaced by Fearless Fred, a parody melodrama hero) She'd also stand apart from all that as a performer / emcee, or a straight woman to other characters. Like Mickey Mouse, she was ultimately reduced to supporting her pet dog. In one late entry she introduced Sally Swing, an obvious jitterbug replacement for the Boop-a-Doop flapper. Sally never got a second appearance; Betty herself was retired not long after.<br /><br />The various cuties in the Tex Avery wolf toons were song-and-dance acts for the wolf to react to. If there was plot beyond that, it would mostly focus on other characters (a few shorts had the wolf abandoning his pursuit of the babe to escape a gleefully man-crazy old lady). Disney did a Chip and Dale short, "Two Chips and a Miss", clearly modeled on the Avery toons: The chipmunks separately slip out to a chipmunk night club, where they get worked up over the chipmunk chanteuse and join her for a number. It wasn't Avery-level lechery. It wasn't even Donald Duck-level ...<br /><br />... What was my point? DBensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01144515471557731622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-14158614716114840472018-07-09T20:48:03.917-07:002018-07-09T20:48:03.917-07:00Some of it may be PC but humor also is reflective ...Some of it may be PC but humor also is reflective of the culture, which certainly does change.<br /><br />For instance, I think, in general, jibes based on ethnicity has largely fallen out of favor, and I think rightfully so.<br /><br />Same much more recently with sexual/gender orientation. For instance, Michael Richards went on that unfortunate racist rant and he immediately found himself radioactive for some time.<br /><br />That's like today I don't think you could remake MASH with a direct analog to Klinger since society's views on transgender Americans have evolved. Indeed, gay and transgender Americans have served in the military.<br /><br />Kristen Beck is a perfect example. She was a decorated SEAL before coming out as transgender. And I wouldn't mess with her as I'm sure she can kill you with your own tongue.<br /><br />That doesn't diminish comedy...it just means finding it perhaps in more life-affirming ways.<br /><br />For example, Ben Bailey, the host of the game show CASH CAB, says he was initially encouraged to heckle and denigrate contestants who got wrong answers.<br /><br />He said no way he would do that and is funny in his own way.Janet Ybarranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-59436459686788362292018-07-09T20:00:15.406-07:002018-07-09T20:00:15.406-07:00Some changes to old cartoons don't bother me. ...Some changes to old cartoons don't bother me. For example, a few years ago they redubbed the black maid, known to fans as Mammy Two-Shoes, who appears in many of the old Tom and Jerry cartoons to eliminate her stereotyped negro dialect. For example, the line, "Thomas, if you is a mouse catcher, I is Lana Turner--which I ain't," became, "Thomas, if you're a mouse catcher, I'm Lana Turner--which I'm not." Those redubbed versions are the ones you see on broadcast TV, but the originals are the ones available on DVD. As long as the originals remain available, I don't see any harm in making changes like that. <br /><br />It's hard to justify plopping children down to watch old cartoons that display some truly racist traits. Like the Mr. Magoo cartoons that were made for TV in the early 1960s. Magoo has a Chinese houseboy named Charlie (he calls himself "Chollie"), who comes complete with buck teeth and pig tail and speaks in a thick comic Chinese dialect that leaves him unable to pronounce the letter "R" ("Watch out, Missa Magloo, you get in tlouble!").Dananoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-85060040476621680082018-07-09T19:48:36.234-07:002018-07-09T19:48:36.234-07:00Ken,
I see no evidence that Pepe LePew has been c...Ken,<br /><br />I see no evidence that Pepe LePew has been censored anywhere. The cartoons still play on Boomerang's twice-daily airings of Looney Tunes, which I watch with my son sometimes. Granted, they don't turn up nearly as often as, say, Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck, but then there aren't that many Pepe cartoons. Though the character had been around since the mid-'40s, the series proper didn't really get rolling until the late '40s, and they rarely made more than one a year into the early 1960s, as the formulaic nature of the cartoons didn't lend itself to heavy repetition. Over a dozen of the Pepe cartoons are readily available to subscribers of Boomerang's streaming app, and trust me, Boomerang's streaming app is VERY child/family-oriented. Warner also released every one of the Pepe's on DVD two or three years ago. <br /><br />Warner can and does withdraw cartoons, generally those featuring African American and Native American characters, but there's not one bit of evidence to support the notion that Pepe has been censored. People are always talking about Speedy Gonzales being censored, though his cartoons are still very much in evidence on the Boomerang Looney Tunes broadcasts, so I'm not sure what people base that statement on. A number of the Speedy cartoons have been released on DVD, too.<br /><br />With all due respect, I think you're buying into paranoia about political correctness run rampant.<br /><br />Even my wife, who's not much of an animation person, is amused by some of Pepe's overripe amorous dialogue. ("You may call me Streetcar, because of my desire for you.")Darrylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-13903068610132253072018-07-09T19:21:14.789-07:002018-07-09T19:21:14.789-07:00Ironically, the first appearance of Pepe Le Pew is...Ironically, the first appearance of Pepe Le Pew is completely different from all the others. A male cat deliberately disguises himself as a skunk to avoid hostile dogs, and Pepe romantically pursues *him*. (I assume the idea is that Pepe mistakenly believes the “skunk” is female, although I don’t think he ever says that.) Then the surprise ending is that “Pepe” is actually a married American skunk named Henry who was just putting on the Boyer act to go catting around (no pun intended). The Pepe character turned out to be more popular than Jones expected, so they retconned him to be an actual French skunk so he could become a recurring character.Andy Rosenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-10704414585156949292018-07-09T17:46:31.737-07:002018-07-09T17:46:31.737-07:00The Pepe cartoon which won the Oscar (For Scent-im... The Pepe cartoon which won the Oscar (For Scent-imental Reasons) does turn the premise upside-down: by the end, its Penelope who is pursuing a panicked Pepe. The really crazy one is where Pepe pursues an escaped wildcat. She repeatedly mauls him-and he likes it!<br /><br /> I remember watching Pepe cartoons on French TV in the mid 80's. I wondered how well they worked, since skunks aren't native to Europe, and half the fun is all that phony French double-talk. Still Pepe on French TV wasn't as weird as seeing Hogan's Heroes on German TV. Jeff Boicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14600946876122022978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3760335874437648272018-07-09T17:17:58.694-07:002018-07-09T17:17:58.694-07:00Here's a series examining genuinely offensive ...Here's a series examining genuinely offensive cartoons that have been withdrawn from circulation. Pep is nowhere at this level. <br /><br />http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/category/christopher-p-lehman/<br /><br />I suspect the cadre of killjoys being knee-jerk censorious about "PC" are more of an imaginary image some people use to project sour-faced prudes that make them look like jolly free-spirits. Of course, when a public figure tweets material from Nazi websites, it's not so jolly. <br /><br />There was that case a while back where you got a lot of nonsense about being racist for making jokes about black presenters at an awards show, but I didn't see that as legitimate politics as much as online trolls playing manipulative games. Things like that get played from any angle the users can find to needle the target. I remember a guy who used to do the same routine in real life, going after me for my politics and another co-worker for being Catholic. He'd wind up contradicting himself between the two of us, but he wasn't trying to be logical, just show us he was above everyone. E. Yarbernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-73840650953892289872018-07-09T17:17:51.018-07:002018-07-09T17:17:51.018-07:00Wendy, to me Howard character occasionally went so...Wendy, to me Howard character occasionally went so far on the creepiness meter that it rendered him basically unlikeable and nearly unwatchable.<br /><br />I'm glad Chuck Lorre, et Al. toned him down.Janet Ybarranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-51250964220431698432018-07-09T17:11:04.457-07:002018-07-09T17:11:04.457-07:00I wonder if at times we are becoming a little bit ...I wonder if at times we are becoming a little bit too PC. Pepe was funny. Nice Charles Boyer reference I forgot about that. Perhaps your audience laughs because they are older and get it. I wish I would have read this before talking to my 34 year old son. I wonder if he ever saw the Loony Toons cartoons. sanfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06580867647162091670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-9655295125681850512018-07-09T16:09:08.231-07:002018-07-09T16:09:08.231-07:00Another reason for viewing Pepe as a klutz instead...Another reason for viewing Pepe as a klutz instead of a Romeo: He almost never realizes Penelope isn't a skunk, but a cat. She has entirely black fur, but unwittingly ends up getting a skunk-like white streak on her back (e.g. walking under a white park bench without noticing the "Le Wet Paint" sign). Pepe then enters the scene, sees her with that white streak, and then commences the wooing.<br /><br />I think only once did Pepe notice she wasn't a skunk. I remember a cartoon where she fell into a swimming pool escaping him, the paint washed off, and Pepe wondering what happened to her streak.<br /><br />@Mike Barer, Arte Johnson's "Laugh-In" dirty old man -- the wonderfully named Tyrone Horneigh -- always fell victim to several purse-beatings from Ruth Buzzi's Gladys Ormphby. Was there ever a sketch that didn't feature him falling to the ground slo-mo in pain?Liggienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-35539554270060652632018-07-09T16:06:03.798-07:002018-07-09T16:06:03.798-07:00My initial reaction was, "Oh, give me a fucki...My initial reaction was, "Oh, give me a fucking break and lighten up!" But after further reflection, I can see how he would be considered offensive. Besides,I never cared much for Pepe anyway. Now if you go after Bugs, then them are fighten' words!Colin Strattonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07514175776570611098noreply@blogger.com