Laugh tracks are pre-recorded audience laughter and applause sounds added to TV shows during post-production to trigger a response from viewers. The first recorded use was in 1950, and the Laff Box, a device containing recorded laughter and clap loops, was invented in 1953. Criticism of the practice peaked in the 1970s, and today, most sitcoms are recorded in front of a live audience, but a subtle laugh track can still be used. The updated digital version of the Laff Box offers additional tracks for foreign audiences and children’s shows.
A laugh track, sometimes called canned laughter by critics, is a collection of pre-recorded audience laughter and applause sounds added to television programs during post-production. The track’s primary purpose is to trigger a response from home viewers who may not understand all of the humor expected during a taped sitcom. The belief is that laughter creates laughter, so canned laughter complements natural reactions to a set-up and punchline. Some television producers call this practice sweetening the track.
The first known use of a recorded laugh track is said to have been in 1950 when the producers of The Hank McCune Show added canned laughter after the show was taped. Up to that point, other radio and television comedy shows used either a live studio audience or no canned laughter. In 1953, a recording engineer named Charley Douglass invented the Laff Box, a small electronic device containing numerous recorded laughter and clap loops.
Charley Douglass is said to have culled nearly all of his laugh track material from studio recordings of several comedy shows, including I Love Lucy, The Red Skelton Show, and various live performances by mime Marcel Marceau. Douglass needed to record all the different styles of laughter and clapping without the sound of dialogue, so it’s very possible that he recorded several Red Skelton silent clown performances. If this is true, then audience reactions to a modern sitcom may actually have been recorded more than 50 years earlier.
Criticism of the laugh track reached a fever pitch during the 1970s. Many sitcoms have chosen to do away with the practice altogether or mix live audience reactions with canned laughter. Filming a show in front of a live audience has become a badge of honor for a number of sitcoms. The use of a laugh track was seen as an attempt to disguise the weak writing or performances. Even shows that still relied on audio softening made efforts to cut back on the practice. The problem was that live audiences didn’t always provide a usable response, especially after a long day of filming and shooting.
Today, the same company created by Charley Douglass offers an updated digital version of the original Laff Box. Not only are the original laughter and applause tracks still present, but additional tracks have been added for foreign audiences and children’s shows. Most sitcoms produced today are still recorded in front of a live audience, but a more subtle laugh track can be used to reinforce subtle or weak responses. In the audio world, effective use of audio softening is considered more of an art than a science.
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