# Cussing on Early Network Television **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 18, 2005, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cussing-on-early-network-television/331638 "2005-11-18T14:40:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cussing-on-early-network-television/331638/1 "2005-11-18T14:40:43Z")
I know I’ve thought about this before. And I recall the big flap over Hawkeye Pierce calling someone a ‘Son of a Bitch’ on MASH in the 1980s sometime. But I’m watching Disk One of ‘Dragnet 1967’ (I love Jack Webb’s Los Angeles in all its forms) and I notice that the cops are cursing. Woot! This would have aired in, unsurprisingly, 1967! I thought that was well before anyone could get away with such. The two examples I have are: In the ‘Blue Boy’ episode the word ‘Damn’ is used to indicate that they’d better get on something ‘damn fast’. In a later episode Harry Morgan says ‘Hell, Joe, blah blah blah’ is conversation. So what’s up with that? Could 1967 television get away with mild profanity like that? Was it censored from the broadcast versions? Was Webb just trying to be as ‘gritty’ and ‘realistic’ as the times allowed? ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cussing-on-early-network-television/331638/2 "2005-11-18T14:51:05Z")
I don’t think people were as hung up on it when it came to mild swearing like “hell” and “damn”. I recall some examples from the original Star Trek series, too. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cussing-on-early-network-television/331638/3 "2005-11-18T14:58:43Z")
> [@slortar](#): > > I don’t think people were as hung up on it when it came to mild swearing like “hell” and “damn”. I recall some examples from the original Star Trek series, too. I dunno. IIRC, this would be in the same time frame when you couldn’t use the word “pregnant” to describe a woman who was going to have a baby. If “pregnant” was beyond the pale, how did hell and damn slip in there? ---
**Author:** ![ImaginalDisc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a88e57/32.png) [@ImaginalDisc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ImaginalDisc)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cussing-on-early-network-television/331638/4 "2005-11-18T15:04:34Z")
“Damn it Jim! I’m a doctor, not a bricklayer.” “Damn your green-blooded Vulcan logic.” ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cussing-on-early-network-television/331638/5 "2005-11-18T15:14:27Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > I dunno. IIRC, this would be in the same time frame when you couldn’t use the word “pregnant” to describe a woman who was going to have a baby. By 1967? “Pregnant” wouldn’t have been a problem. CBS gave Desi Arnez problems about using the word pregnant in 1952, but that was 15 years before, and attitudes had changed since then. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cussing-on-early-network-television/331638/6 "2005-11-18T15:48:39Z")
> [@Captain Amazing](#): > > By 1967? “Pregnant” wouldn’t have been a problem. CBS gave Desi Arnez problems about using the word pregnant in 1952, but that was 15 years before, and attitudes had changed since then. I googled around and found several sites mentioning the “pregnant” censorship on the Lucy show, but couldn’t find any reference to when they STOPPED censoring the word “pregnant.” I did find a good time line with info on censorship [here.](http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/facts/tvtimeline.asp). Note that, according to the site: > [@](#): > > 1981 Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” anchor Charles Rocket lets a profanity slip and is fired . ---
**Author:** ![ImaginalDisc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a88e57/32.png) [@ImaginalDisc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ImaginalDisc)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cussing-on-early-network-television/331638/7 "2005-11-18T15:58:58Z")
Above, I attempted to quoted two lines from Star Trek, the Original Series. I made a common mistake. Dr. McKoy does not say “damn” in the first instance, and never actually says the second line. Mea culpa. I can’t find any instances of cussing in Star Trek, which I had thought was full of it. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cussing-on-early-network-television/331638/8 "2005-11-18T16:35:38Z")
I clearly remember being stunned by the MASH quote. I watched it when it was aired. That’s why I’m stunned that you would call MASH “early network television”. I’m only 38 ☹ ---
**Author:** ![deevee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@deevee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deevee)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cussing-on-early-network-television/331638/9 "2005-11-18T16:52:23Z")
Although it’s not early television I was kind of stunned recently when I saw a Seinfeld repeat in which George called Jerry a “Jerkoff”. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cussing-on-early-network-television/331638/10 "2005-11-18T16:57:50Z")
There was a [url="[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=330838](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=330838)"long thread on this just a couple of months ago. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cussing-on-early-network-television/331638/11 "2005-11-18T16:59:37Z")
Whenever I don’t preview. :smack: There was a [long thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=330838) on this just a couple of months ago. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cussing-on-early-network-television/331638/12 "2005-11-18T18:38:31Z")
> [@ImaginalDisc](#): > > I can’t find any instances of cussing in Star Trek, which I had thought was full of it. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” –Kirk, final line of _City on the Edge of Forever_ ---
**Author:** ![ImaginalDisc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a88e57/32.png) [@ImaginalDisc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ImaginalDisc)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cussing-on-early-network-television/331638/13 "2005-11-18T18:49:04Z")
> [@Steve MB](#): > > “Let’s get the hell out of here.” > –Kirk, final line of _City on the Edge of Forever_ Oh, no. Please don’t tell anyone I missed that. My geek liscence is already on probabtion… ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cussing-on-early-network-television/331638/14 "2005-11-18T19:11:46Z")
> [@slortar](#): > > I recall some examples from the original Star Trek series, too. The “how the hell did that get past the network censors” example I recall best didn’t involve any actual swear words: **Marlena:** I’ve been a captain’s woman and I like it. I’ll be one again, if I have to go through every officer in the fleet! **Kirk:** You could. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cussing-on-early-network-television/331638/15 "2005-11-18T22:51:14Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > I did find a good time line with info on censorship [here.](http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/facts/tvtimeline.asp). > [@PTC Timeline](#): > > 1977 TV’s first openly gay series regular, Billy Crystal as Jody on Soap. Nope. Dunno if they were first, but _Hot L Baltimore_ featured a gay couple (George and Gordon) as regulars in 1975. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cussing-on-early-network-television/331638/16 "2005-11-18T22:55:24Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > Dunno if they were first, but _Hot L Baltimore_ featured a gay couple (George and Gordon) as regulars in 1975. Were they ‘openly gay’ or just ‘funny’? ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cussing-on-early-network-television/331638/17 "2005-11-18T23:01:25Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > Were they ‘openly gay’ or just ‘funny’? IIRC, they were openly gay. I loved that show! ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cussing-on-early-network-television/331638/18 "2005-11-18T23:04:46Z")
I never saw the show so I don’t know how they interacted on-screen. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cussing-on-early-network-television/331638/19 "2005-11-18T23:05:53Z")
But apparently, they were openly gay. (curse you **LiveOnAPlane**!) ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cussing-on-early-network-television/331638/20 "2005-11-18T23:13:59Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > Note that, according to the site: > > 1981 Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” anchor Charles Rocket lets a profanity slip and is fired It really must be noted that the profanity in question was ‘Fuck’. The line was: > [@](#): > > Oh, man! It’s the first time in my life I’ve been shot. I’d like to know who the fuck did it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cussing-on-early-network-television/331638.md?page=2)