Allowed or not?

What's considered shocking and taboo changes as the times pass. This is nothing new, we've all heard how people fainted from fright when the original Dracula (with Bela Lugosi) was shown.

But sometimes, what's considered acceptable and what's not can be really weird. Let me give you a couple of examples:

Elvis Presley, the King of Rock 'n Roll, was censored from the waist down for a long time on TV, due to his wild pelvic gyrations. Jim Morrison (the Doors) and Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones) were both ordered to change lyrics before appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show. Today, these bands are considered culture.

Did you ever watch I Dream of Genie? Barbra Eden and Larry Hagman (J.R. From Dallas) had good chemistry and the show had quite a bit of sexual tension between them. If I remember correctly, the characters even got married at one point. So what?, I hear you ask.

Well the Genie was dressed in what would commonly be considered a harem outfit, only her pants were lined with silk on the inside so that you couldn't see her legs. Furthermore, the executives argued for hours about whether they could show her belly button on TV. In the end, they decided to cover it up, even though the show featured more than one scene on the beach with women in bikinis, including Barbra Eden herself... Way to earn that paycheck, guys.

During the 50's and the 60's, you could show a married couple in their bedroom, but never with a double bed. Sure, most couples sleep in a double, but to show one would be demonstrating that the couple was intimate with each other, and that wasn't allowed. Never mind that all these TV couples had TV kids...

The 50's sitcom, Leave it to Beaver was the first TV show in the U.S. and probably the world to show not only a bathroom, but a toilet. The plot called for a couple of boys to keep a turtle in the water tank of said toilet, and after many long discussions, the network allowed it, but only if they didn't film the seat and bowl.

Finally I want to mention Tweety Bird. Warner Bros. tiny yellow bird that always thought he saw a “puddytat”. Well, originally he was pink, like baby birds are. Then the censors thought he looked naked and demanded a color change. Because small birds with big heads wielding mallets are apparently sexual. Who would have thought? At least the character wasn't ruined by the change.

Well, that's all I wrote for this week. Until next time, have a wonderful week.