television has come a long way since the
early days of wholesome nuclear family
viewing welcome to watchmojo.com and
today we’re counting down our picks for
the top ten surprising things that used
to be banned from TV before we begin we
publish new videos every day so be sure
to subscribe for more great content for
this list we’re focusing on topics that
were not allowed to air on American
broadcast television at some point in TV
history
Ricky darling our dream has come true
you and I are going to be blessed with
something that means more to us than
anything in the whole world
number 10 political satire imagine a
life without satire on television in
1963 American folk rocker Bob Dylan was
scheduled to perform on The Ed Sullivan
Show during the dress rehearsal
Dylan sang tuck and John Birch paranoid
blues sweat figured they was inside the
TV set this satirical song delves into
the paranoia of a fictional conservative
John Birch Society member who feared
communists were everywhere upon hearing
the song a CBS executive from the
standards and practices Department said
Dylan had to change the controversial
lyrics or perform a different song but
instead of giving in to the network’s
censorship Dylan refused and walked out
number 9 cartoon nudity even cartoons
were told to cover up in 1942 a canary
that would later become Tweety Bird
appeared in a tale of two kitties in
this cartoon the bird was fleshy pink
colored and featherless which happened
to ruffle a few feathers at the looming
censorship office of the time
the Hays office responsible for the
motion picture censorship code of 1930
that the bird was too nude for comfort
so when Friz Freleng took the character
over from animator bob clampett he
started drawing it with yellow feathers
to cover up the birds nudity the same
Hays office was responsible for
censoring cartoon sensuality thanks to
these guys Betty Boop’s clothing and
behavior went from sexy to boring in the
1930s number 8 homosexuality
according to American TV gay people
didn’t exist until the 1970s the first
gay character to appear on an American
sitcom was in a 1971 episode of all in
the family
Steve a friend of the bunker family
defies Archies stereotypes of gay men
get a load of this my son-in-law and his
pal Tinkerbell although Archie’s bigoted
remarks stung the show pushed the
boundaries of wholesome family-friendly
television opening the doors for more
controversial topics what he thinks he’s
right art the following year ABC’s the
corner bar debuted with Vincent’s kia
valley playing Peter Panama the first
central gay character in a recurring
role on television however the show
stereotypes and homophobic jokes caused
an outcry from gay rights groups to
avoid further controversy the show got
rid of the character the truth in the
eye of the beholder anyway I’ll see you
later pal number 7 drug references peace
love and sticking it to the man where
widespread sentiments of the 60s among
the rebellious 60s rockers were the
doors who performed on The Ed Sullivan
Show in 1967 similar to Bob Dylan’s
experience a CBS producer asked the band
to change some lyrics in their song
light my fire following their dress
rehearsal the request was specifically
for the words girl we couldn’t get much
higher since it could be interpreted as
meaning getting high from marijuana or
other illicit drugs
the band reportedly agreed to the
censorship request with no actual
intention of changing the lyrics after
their performance with the original
lyrics intact the doors were banned from
The Ed Sullivan Show forever
[Music]
number six sexual illusion Elvis was
popular among the ladies for a reason
this king of rock knew had to get the
crowd going with his hip thrusting dance
moves but his suggestive moves proved to
be too much for CBS following Elvis’s
1956 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show
so for some of the segments only the top
half of Elvis was shown which left out
his gyrating sexually suggestive hip
movements in another attempt to censor
allusions to sexual behavior on the show
CBS asked the Rolling Stones to change
their lyrics and let’s spend the night
together instead the band had to sing
the nicer lyrics let’s spend some time
together
[Music]
number five female bellybuttons aside
from collecting lint this body part has
a history of making TV executives blush
I can’t decipher her anymore in 1951 the
code of practices for television
broadcasters came into effect
prohibiting females from exposing their
navels on American television female
leads and several shows were affected by
this censorship starting with Don Wells
and Tina Louise in Gilligan’s Island
Barbara Eden was allowed to show off
part of her midriff and I Dream of
Jeannie
but her belly button still had to be
covered by a high waistband and in a
1969 episode of Star Trek the original
series Mariette Hartley’s navel had to
be covered even though she was scantily
clad in an animal skin dress number four
underwear models there was a time when
mannequins did all the dirty work prior
to the 80s American networks banned
commercials from showing models and
underwear instead underwear was
displayed on mannequins in packaging
held up or spread out a live underwear
model was deemed too risque and indecent
for families to watch on TV but that all
changed in 1987 when NBC aired the first
bra commercial with a real live woman
modeling the bra instead of a strange
lifeless mannequin this Playtex
commercial paved the way for more live
models in underwear commercials whether
we really want to see them or not
number 3 shared beds I sleep in a racing
car do you sleep in a big bed with my
way back in the day sex was a taboo
subject even for married people
according to TV networks in the 60s
shows could not allow married couples to
share a bed since you know it would mean
they probably had sex so when the Dick
Van Dyke Show spanned into the Patrese
bedroom viewers saw separate twin beds
and thus they were protected from any
indecency
perhaps the producer should have given
the pet Ruiz a bunkbed instead that it
helps save space on set and affirm that
the married couple remained chaste well
I guess it’s natural for a husband to
behave this way after so many years of
marriage
number two pregnancy Ethel we’re going
to have a baby expecting with child
having a baby in the 1950s TV shows
could use a multitude of synonyms for
the word pregnant except for the word
itself CBS deemed the word too vulgar
since it implies that a couple had sex
in the episode of I Love Lucy titled
Lucy is a scent Lucy finds out that
she’s pregnant and has to tell her
husband oh that’s all right you’re bound
to be a little cranky in your condition
cranky the entire episode including the
title avoids the use of the word
pregnant using synonyms such as with
child and the French word ascent instead
my husband and I are going to have a
blessed event
and like other TV couples of this time
Lucy and her husband Ricky slept in
separate twin beds to avoid any allusion
to a sexual relationship number one
toilets
potty humor is relatively new there was
a time when toilets and often whole
bathrooms were banned from TV since they
implied bodily functions Leave It to
Beaver 1957 pilot episode was pulled
from airing in its original form because
it had a bathroom scene so what
compromise was made where and only a
toilet tank could be shown meanwhile
Allen the family was the first show to
have the sound of a toilet flushing but
it wasn’t until the 80s that toilets and
references to using the bathroom
appeared on TV is it just me or is that
a toilet take for instance the married
with children episode that shows a
toilet in the Bundys living room as al
builds his own bathroom in the garage
this episode is appropriately titled a
dump of my own I’m constipated do you
agree with our pics check out these
other great clips from WatchMojo and
subscribe for new videos every day
early days of wholesome nuclear family
viewing welcome to watchmojo.com and
today we’re counting down our picks for
the top ten surprising things that used
to be banned from TV before we begin we
publish new videos every day so be sure
to subscribe for more great content for
this list we’re focusing on topics that
were not allowed to air on American
broadcast television at some point in TV
history
Ricky darling our dream has come true
you and I are going to be blessed with
something that means more to us than
anything in the whole world
number 10 political satire imagine a
life without satire on television in
1963 American folk rocker Bob Dylan was
scheduled to perform on The Ed Sullivan
Show during the dress rehearsal
Dylan sang tuck and John Birch paranoid
blues sweat figured they was inside the
TV set this satirical song delves into
the paranoia of a fictional conservative
John Birch Society member who feared
communists were everywhere upon hearing
the song a CBS executive from the
standards and practices Department said
Dylan had to change the controversial
lyrics or perform a different song but
instead of giving in to the network’s
censorship Dylan refused and walked out
number 9 cartoon nudity even cartoons
were told to cover up in 1942 a canary
that would later become Tweety Bird
appeared in a tale of two kitties in
this cartoon the bird was fleshy pink
colored and featherless which happened
to ruffle a few feathers at the looming
censorship office of the time
the Hays office responsible for the
motion picture censorship code of 1930
that the bird was too nude for comfort
so when Friz Freleng took the character
over from animator bob clampett he
started drawing it with yellow feathers
to cover up the birds nudity the same
Hays office was responsible for
censoring cartoon sensuality thanks to
these guys Betty Boop’s clothing and
behavior went from sexy to boring in the
1930s number 8 homosexuality
according to American TV gay people
didn’t exist until the 1970s the first
gay character to appear on an American
sitcom was in a 1971 episode of all in
the family
Steve a friend of the bunker family
defies Archies stereotypes of gay men
get a load of this my son-in-law and his
pal Tinkerbell although Archie’s bigoted
remarks stung the show pushed the
boundaries of wholesome family-friendly
television opening the doors for more
controversial topics what he thinks he’s
right art the following year ABC’s the
corner bar debuted with Vincent’s kia
valley playing Peter Panama the first
central gay character in a recurring
role on television however the show
stereotypes and homophobic jokes caused
an outcry from gay rights groups to
avoid further controversy the show got
rid of the character the truth in the
eye of the beholder anyway I’ll see you
later pal number 7 drug references peace
love and sticking it to the man where
widespread sentiments of the 60s among
the rebellious 60s rockers were the
doors who performed on The Ed Sullivan
Show in 1967 similar to Bob Dylan’s
experience a CBS producer asked the band
to change some lyrics in their song
light my fire following their dress
rehearsal the request was specifically
for the words girl we couldn’t get much
higher since it could be interpreted as
meaning getting high from marijuana or
other illicit drugs
the band reportedly agreed to the
censorship request with no actual
intention of changing the lyrics after
their performance with the original
lyrics intact the doors were banned from
The Ed Sullivan Show forever
[Music]
number six sexual illusion Elvis was
popular among the ladies for a reason
this king of rock knew had to get the
crowd going with his hip thrusting dance
moves but his suggestive moves proved to
be too much for CBS following Elvis’s
1956 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show
so for some of the segments only the top
half of Elvis was shown which left out
his gyrating sexually suggestive hip
movements in another attempt to censor
allusions to sexual behavior on the show
CBS asked the Rolling Stones to change
their lyrics and let’s spend the night
together instead the band had to sing
the nicer lyrics let’s spend some time
together
[Music]
number five female bellybuttons aside
from collecting lint this body part has
a history of making TV executives blush
I can’t decipher her anymore in 1951 the
code of practices for television
broadcasters came into effect
prohibiting females from exposing their
navels on American television female
leads and several shows were affected by
this censorship starting with Don Wells
and Tina Louise in Gilligan’s Island
Barbara Eden was allowed to show off
part of her midriff and I Dream of
Jeannie
but her belly button still had to be
covered by a high waistband and in a
1969 episode of Star Trek the original
series Mariette Hartley’s navel had to
be covered even though she was scantily
clad in an animal skin dress number four
underwear models there was a time when
mannequins did all the dirty work prior
to the 80s American networks banned
commercials from showing models and
underwear instead underwear was
displayed on mannequins in packaging
held up or spread out a live underwear
model was deemed too risque and indecent
for families to watch on TV but that all
changed in 1987 when NBC aired the first
bra commercial with a real live woman
modeling the bra instead of a strange
lifeless mannequin this Playtex
commercial paved the way for more live
models in underwear commercials whether
we really want to see them or not
number 3 shared beds I sleep in a racing
car do you sleep in a big bed with my
way back in the day sex was a taboo
subject even for married people
according to TV networks in the 60s
shows could not allow married couples to
share a bed since you know it would mean
they probably had sex so when the Dick
Van Dyke Show spanned into the Patrese
bedroom viewers saw separate twin beds
and thus they were protected from any
indecency
perhaps the producer should have given
the pet Ruiz a bunkbed instead that it
helps save space on set and affirm that
the married couple remained chaste well
I guess it’s natural for a husband to
behave this way after so many years of
marriage
number two pregnancy Ethel we’re going
to have a baby expecting with child
having a baby in the 1950s TV shows
could use a multitude of synonyms for
the word pregnant except for the word
itself CBS deemed the word too vulgar
since it implies that a couple had sex
in the episode of I Love Lucy titled
Lucy is a scent Lucy finds out that
she’s pregnant and has to tell her
husband oh that’s all right you’re bound
to be a little cranky in your condition
cranky the entire episode including the
title avoids the use of the word
pregnant using synonyms such as with
child and the French word ascent instead
my husband and I are going to have a
blessed event
and like other TV couples of this time
Lucy and her husband Ricky slept in
separate twin beds to avoid any allusion
to a sexual relationship number one
toilets
potty humor is relatively new there was
a time when toilets and often whole
bathrooms were banned from TV since they
implied bodily functions Leave It to
Beaver 1957 pilot episode was pulled
from airing in its original form because
it had a bathroom scene so what
compromise was made where and only a
toilet tank could be shown meanwhile
Allen the family was the first show to
have the sound of a toilet flushing but
it wasn’t until the 80s that toilets and
references to using the bathroom
appeared on TV is it just me or is that
a toilet take for instance the married
with children episode that shows a
toilet in the Bundys living room as al
builds his own bathroom in the garage
this episode is appropriately titled a
dump of my own I’m constipated do you
agree with our pics check out these
other great clips from WatchMojo and
subscribe for new videos every day
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