PGood97041 referenced this guy in the Ted Baxter thread. I didn't want to hijack it so I figured I'd start a new one.

Years ago my friends and I noticed this guy laughing in a lot of episodes; the laughs became more pronounced in later seasons. If you haven't noticed it the closest thing I can compare his laugh to is Ricky Ricardo's big belly laugh, although it was different than that; kind of hard to describe. Sometimes it sounded forced, like if you're laughing at a friend's bad joke just to be kind.

We surmised he was a paid laugher. Maybe someone brought in to let the audience know where the really good lines were, or maybe he was just someone on the staff who had a large laugh. I was in the studio audience for one of Bob Hope's TV specials in the 80s and there was a lady behind us who laughed at every single thing he said. They had a technical problem and Bob began yelling at the crew. This lady was even laughing at that! Maybe Mary's distinctive laughing guy was like that; a superfan who thought everything everybody said was hilarious.

Anybody have a theory about this person or know who he is?
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Yeah, I've actually heard the exact same guy in the audience of "Rhoda". Who is this guy?

i'd always heard it was one of the producers, which would also make the rhoda connection make sense
but anybody who has any info, feel free!

just found this in a review on amazon.com!:

The above Ted Baxter outburst, of course, is ratcheted up on the "funny meter" by the ever-present inclusion of the guy I refer to as "The MTM Honker", whose distinctive laugh can be heard many times throughout several MTM episodes. "The Honker", btw, is none other than MTM Producer/Creator/Writer James L. Brooks (he sounds like he's "honking" all the time; it's hilarious). Brooks' unique "honk"/laugh is audible on the soundtrack of many episodes of some of the TV series that were produced under Mary Tyler Moore's "MTM Enterprises" label -- including Mary's own series, plus "Taxi" and "Rhoda" (and probably other shows as well). He's especially noticeable and audible with his "honks" on the "Rhoda" series, which was a very good spin-off of Mary's own series, featuring "Rhoda Morgenstern" out on her own in New York City.

Actually, I think the presence of the "Brooks honk" (which certainly stands out from the rest of the live studio audience laughter) is a good idea from a production standpoint. Because every time I hear Jim honking away (sometimes when the rest of the audience is dead quiet), it makes me want to laugh even harder -- which, I imagine, was exactly what the producers of these shows wanted.

Yes you hear Jim Brookes really clearly in "Rhoda's Wedding".

Oh, yeah, I know the guy you're talking about!
Very obvious! lol

Yeah, I've actually heard the exact same guy in the audience of "Rhoda". Who is this guy?

It's the late Lorenzo Music, who was both a writer and production assistant for "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and producer of "Rhoda," but probably best known as Carlton, the Doorman on "Rhoda." He also served as the audience warm-up guy, which is one reason he could be heard out in the studio audience. In later years, he supplied the voice of Garfield, the cat in the TV cartoons.

That same laugh is also heard in Taxi. The laugh is heard in the Rhoda's wedding episode when Rhoda is trying to enter the room in her wedding gown. LOL. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!

Yes you hear Jim Brookes really clearly in "Rhoda's Wedding".

It's not Jim Brooks, but Lorenzo Music.

no, no, no, you're all wrong. According to a book I have about the show "TAXI" (where the laugh is also heard) it was Ed Wienberger, one of the producers. Besides "MTM", "RHODA", & "TAXI" he's also heard on "THE BOB NEWHART SHOW", "NEWHART", and "PHYLISS".

no, no, no, you're all wrong. According to a book I have about the show "TAXI" (where the laugh is also heard) it was Ed Wienberger, one of the producers. Besides "MTM", "RHODA", & "TAXI" he's also heard on "THE BOB NEWHART SHOW", "NEWHART", and "PHYLISS".

Books can be wrong. For years, one book after another reported that Vivian Vance was younger than Lucille Ball, that there was a clause in Vivian Vance's contract that she had to be 15 pounds overweight, that Lucie Arnaz appeared on the last episode of I Love Lucy, and many other things that all turned out to be untrue. I do remember some 30 years ago reading that this was Lorenzo Music's laugh. It was in TV Guide or something like that. That of course could be wrong, too, but I've never heard otherwise. And I've seen it reported elsewhere that it was Lorenzo Music's laugh. Also, I do know that I have heard this laugh in almost every episode of Rhoda, and Ed Weinberger was never involved with that show.

well; until I get a definate answer I'll say it's Ed Wienberger.

this is turning into quite the mystery!

:lol:

I'm pretty sure its either Jim Brooks or Lorenzo Music. Jim Brooks made a cameo in Rhoda's Wedding (in the subway station) and Lorenzo Music was of course Carlton the Doorman. They both seem like they could have such a laugh.

OK, not that Wikipedia is the be-all-end-all in research, but I found this listed under James Brooks:

Brooks often sat in the studio audience of shows that he produced in the 1970s. Viewers can usually tell whether Brooks was in the audience by his distinctive loud guffaw.

And there was nothing on Wikipedia along those lines for Ed Weinberger or Lorenzo Music. So until I see or hear otherwise, I'm going to go with Jim Brooks!

That convinces me its Jim Brooks! Just looking at him, he looks like he could laugh like that

This might help: James L. Brooks was also involved with The Tracey Ullman Show, and you can hear a laugh like his often. I believe I saw some behind the scenes footage once, and saw him laughing. It's a pretty safe bet it's him on MTM.

I think you can here the distinctive laugh in these key scenes:

1. Who's In Charge Here?: The scene in Mary's apartment where Phyllis is determined to get Mary to aply for Lou's job. As Rhoda leaves, Mary rolls her eyes toward Phyllis and says to Rhoda, "Where are you going?"

2. Feeb: After Lou tells Mary that Randy will get a raise, Mary cries and says "That would be very unfair to me!"

3. Hi There Sports Fans! Mary tells Lou she's tired of doing "piddly little jobs."

The distinct laugh comes from a gentleman named Carroll Pratt who was paid handsomely to fill in laughter holes in MTM sitcoms. Canned laughter was pioneered by another gentleman with the last name of Douglass but can't remember his first name.. Lol. Carroll had a laugh similar to Ricky Ricardos..

I was going to mention that Lorenzo Music was the voice of "Carlton The Doorman" too. He also went on to do the voice of Garfield in the first Garfield specials and cartoons.

Ed.

I've been bingeing on MTMS, Rhoda and Phyllis concurrently and just got to learn of Brooks' audience laugh through episodes (heard the laugh for years, especially on Taxi, but gave little attention til recently...). Thanks to this thread and this blog entry from veteran TV writer Ken Levine (http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2009/08/who-is-that-guy-with-weird-laugh.html).

In the midst of this revelation, I watched the SNL episode with host Lily Tomlin (airdate 11/22/1975) and felt I could hear (sometimes faintly) traces of Brooks' laugh. One clear moment is in the Jaws III sketch (scene shot attached) right after Belushi does that weird "Richard Dreyfus" gesture at Curtin:

http://i.imgur.com/RHQsAQHm.jpg

Didn't think further until the camera turned to audience shot before break and... well I'm not 100% on this, but I believe that's James L Brooks circled there:

http://i.imgur.com/P1hIaye.jpg

Also noted: this is the first credited episode for Marilyn Suzanne Miller, who formerly penned episodes of MTMS and Rhoda for Brooks.