The Lucy Show And A Laugh Track - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

lucyandethel · 02-03-2010, 02:44 AM

I've been watching the first season of "The Lucy Show" on DVD (for the umpteenth time) and with every viewing, I notice new things. This time around, I noticed that much of the laughter I hear on the show sounds a lot like the laughs that could be heard on a lot of other 1960s sitcoms. The scene where Lucy and Viv are tearing apart each other's Christmas trees had a lot of "laugh track" laughter in it.

Does anyone know if "The Lucy Show" used a laugh track, or were the laughs from the "Lucy" recorded to make the laugh tracks on other shows?

Or, maybe I watch too much TV...I don't know....

TV Knowledge Fan · 02-03-2010, 04:36 AM

...was filmed before a live audience, 'lucyandethel', most of the time, the audience laughter was "enhanced" (or "sweetened") with a laugh track; this had been done on "I LOVE LUCY" as well. Occasionally, an episode was filmed without a live audience in attendance (obviously, "Lucy In Marineland" was one), and the "laugh track" filled in those gaps where laughter was supposed to be heard (same as "I LOVE LUCY"- hint: if the camera angles focused on a set are wider than usual, and the action is photographed from "the side", and no pauses from the cast inbetween audience reactions to funny lines or "bits of business", that meant the studio audience wasn't there). Most of the "canned laughter" tracks were used repeatedly, and it does sounds familiar, if you listen to it long enough.

treky · 02-04-2010, 04:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucyandethel

I've been watching the first season of "The Lucy Show" on DVD (for the umpteenth time) and with every viewing, I notice new things. This time around, I noticed that much of the laughter I hear on the show sounds a lot like the laughs that could be heard on a lot of other 1960s sitcoms. The scene where Lucy and Viv are tearing apart each other's Christmas trees had a lot of "laugh track" laughter in it.

Does anyone know if "The Lucy Show" used a laugh track, or were the laughs from the "Lucy" recorded to make the laugh tracks on other shows?

Or, maybe I watch too much TV...I don't know....

I know that some of the audience laughs on "I LOVE LUCY" were (and probably still are) used on other shows, I remember watching an episode of "JUST SHOOT ME" once, and hearing a laugh from the show.

(allright "TV KNOWLEDGE FAN" I'm SURE you know if I'm right, the person who was doing the laughing, if they were married, had any kids, etc.-even what the cast had for breakfast that day!!

so c'mon, spill!!

)

rcbrad · 02-05-2010, 03:12 PM

I remember reading numerous times from different people associated with these shows, that they did not use a laugh track. I found that they have. (and others noticed too) The laugh track "laughter" was not used extensively, but it was used at times when/where needed.

lucyandethel · 02-16-2010, 12:31 AM

Actually, I did some research and found that the inventor of canned laughter, a guy with the last name of Douglass (two 'S's) actually created his laugh machine from laughter recorded from Lucille Ball scenes and a lot from Red Skelton sketches. So, it wasn't that The Lucy Show or I Love Lucy necessarily used laugh tracks. The laughter from Lucy's shows created the laugh track. Interesting!

LittleRickyII · 02-16-2010, 01:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucyandethel

Actually, I did some research and found that the inventor of canned laughter, a guy with the last name of Douglass (two 'S's) actually created his laugh machine from laughter recorded from Lucille Ball scenes and a lot from Red Skelton sketches. So, it wasn't that The Lucy Show or I Love Lucy necessarily used laugh tracks. The laughter from Lucy's shows created the laugh track. Interesting!

I think the use of laugh tracks may go back a little before I Love Lucy. Years ago, I found an early review of I Love Lucy that came out October 16 or 17, 1951, right after its premiere broadcast ("The Girls Want to Go to a Nightclub"). This reviewer was complaining about the heavy use of a laugh track in that episode.

TV Knowledge Fan · 02-20-2010, 04:49 AM

...laugh tracks before "I LOVE LUCY" premiered in 1951. I know for a fact that two unsold [and unaired] comedy pilots, produced by Jerry Fairbanks, used laugh tracks in lieu of a studio audience: "A DAY IN THE LIFE OF DENNIS DAY" (1949) {an unsuccessful attempt to sell a TV version of his popular radio show} and "SPIKE JONES AND HIS MUSICAL DEPRECIATION REVUE" (1950) {actually, two pilots were filmed featuring Spike and his "City Slickers" ensemble in the summer of '50, with no takers}. Fairbanks also produced ventriloquist Edgar Bergen's first TV specials for Coca-Cola [his radio sponsor] during the 1950-'51 season on CBS, featuring "canned laughter" instead of a studio audience because of the special effects involving Bergen's dummies and complicated camera set-ups. And then, of course, "THE AMOS 'N' ANDY SHOW", which premiered four months before "I LOVE LUCY" in the summer of '51, used a laugh track after the initial episodes were screened before a live studio audience (using their reactions on the soundtrack), with some "sweetening".

And the short-lived "HANK McCUNE SHOW", on NBC in the fall of 1950, was the first network situation comedy to use a laugh track.

LittleRickyII · 02-20-2010, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TV Knowledge Fan

...laugh tracks before "I LOVE LUCY" premiered in 1951. I know for a fact that two unsold [and unaired] comedy pilots, produced by Jerry Fairbanks, used laugh tracks in lieu of a studio audience: "A DAY IN THE LIFE OF DENNIS DAY" (1949) {an unsuccessful attempt to sell a TV version of his popular radio show} and "SPIKE JONES AND HIS MUSICAL DEPRECIATION REVUE" (1950) {actually, two pilots were filmed featuring Spike and his "City Slickers" ensemble in the summer of '50, with no takers}. Fairbanks also produced ventriloquist Edgar Bergen's first TV specials for Coca-Cola [his radio sponsor] during the 1950-'51 season on CBS, featuring "canned laughter" instead of a studio audience because of the special effects involving Bergen's dummies and complicated camera set-ups. And then, of course, "THE AMOS 'N' ANDY SHOW", which premiered four months before "I LOVE LUCY" in the summer of '51, used a laugh track after the initial episodes were screened before a live studio audience (using their reactions on the soundtrack), with some "sweetening".

And the short-lived "HANK McCUNE SHOW", on NBC in the fall of 1950, was the first network situation comedy to use a laugh track.

And lo and behold, Youtube to the rescue: here's a clip from "The Hank McCune Show" in 1950: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8lFfMt1bBI

And here's a very good history of the laugh track from the TV Party site. According to this article, confirming what lucyandethel wrote, the most common laugh tracks incorporated laughs recorded on The Lucy Show and The Red Skelton Show.

http://www.tvparty.com/laugh.html

But that doesn't mean those shows didn't also "sweeten" their own soundtrack, perhaps with their own laughs. For a period on TLS around 1965, it is my impression there was a lot of sweetening. One instance that sticks out in my mind is a scene in a third season episode where Lucy is dancing while vacuuming. It sounds like a laugh track was used in that scene.

TV Knowledge Fan · 02-21-2010, 12:42 AM

...and if you want to see both of the Edgar Bergen/Coke specials, they're also available for "inspection" on YouTube [as "EDGAR BERGAN SHOW {PTS. 1 AND 2}"].

"THE RED SKELTON SHOW", incidentally, filmed most of its second season (1952-'53), instead of being telecast live- and Red used laugh tracks on those. Even after he returned "live", when he moved from NBC to CBS in 1953, he did occasionally film several half-hour episodes in the late '50s and early '60s without a live audience, again employing a laugh track.

"THE LUCY SHOW" did use considerable audience "sweetening" towards the end of its run, even though the show was filmed before a live audience.

02-03-2010, 02:44 AM	#1
lucyandethel Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 18, 2009 Location: Los Angeles CA Posts: 435	The Lucy Show And A Laugh Track I've been watching the first season of "The Lucy Show" on DVD (for the umpteenth time) and with every viewing, I notice new things. This time around, I noticed that much of the laughter I hear on the show sounds a lot like the laughs that could be heard on a lot of other 1960s sitcoms. The scene where Lucy and Viv are tearing apart each other's Christmas trees had a lot of "laugh track" laughter in it. Does anyone know if "The Lucy Show" used a laugh track, or were the laughs from the "Lucy" recorded to make the laugh tracks on other shows? Or, maybe I watch too much TV...I don't know....

02-03-2010, 04:36 AM	#2
TV Knowledge Fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 29, 2006 Location: Long Branch, N.J. Posts: 2,577	Even though "THE LUCY SHOW"... ...was filmed before a live audience, 'lucyandethel', most of the time, the audience laughter was "enhanced" (or "sweetened") with a laugh track; this had been done on "I LOVE LUCY" as well. Occasionally, an episode was filmed without a live audience in attendance (obviously, "Lucy In Marineland" was one), and the "laugh track" filled in those gaps where laughter was supposed to be heard (same as "I LOVE LUCY"- hint: if the camera angles focused on a set are wider than usual, and the action is photographed from "the side", and no pauses from the cast inbetween audience reactions to funny lines or "bits of business", that meant the studio audience wasn't there). Most of the "canned laughter" tracks were used repeatedly, and it does sounds familiar, if you listen to it long enough.

02-20-2010, 04:49 AM	#7
TV Knowledge Fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 29, 2006 Location: Long Branch, N.J. Posts: 2,577	Yes, certain filmed comedies were using... ...laugh tracks before "I LOVE LUCY" premiered in 1951. I know for a fact that two unsold [and unaired] comedy pilots, produced by Jerry Fairbanks, used laugh tracks in lieu of a studio audience: "A DAY IN THE LIFE OF DENNIS DAY" (1949) {an unsuccessful attempt to sell a TV version of his popular radio show} and "SPIKE JONES AND HIS MUSICAL DEPRECIATION REVUE" (1950) {actually, two pilots were filmed featuring Spike and his "City Slickers" ensemble in the summer of '50, with no takers}. Fairbanks also produced ventriloquist Edgar Bergen's first TV specials for Coca-Cola [his radio sponsor] during the 1950-'51 season on CBS, featuring "canned laughter" instead of a studio audience because of the special effects involving Bergen's dummies and complicated camera set-ups. And then, of course, "THE AMOS 'N' ANDY SHOW", which premiered four months before "I LOVE LUCY" in the summer of '51, used a laugh track after the initial episodes were screened before a live studio audience (using their reactions on the soundtrack), with some "sweetening". And the short-lived "HANK McCUNE SHOW", on NBC in the fall of 1950, was the first network situation comedy to use a laugh track.

02-21-2010, 12:42 AM	#9
TV Knowledge Fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 29, 2006 Location: Long Branch, N.J. Posts: 2,577	Thank you for that information, 'LittleRicky'... ...and if you want to see both of the Edgar Bergen/Coke specials, they're also available for "inspection" on YouTube [as "EDGAR BERGAN SHOW {PTS. 1 AND 2}"]. "THE RED SKELTON SHOW", incidentally, filmed most of its second season (1952-'53), instead of being telecast live- and Red used laugh tracks on those. Even after he returned "live", when he moved from NBC to CBS in 1953, he did occasionally film several half-hour episodes in the late '50s and early '60s without a live audience, again employing a laugh track. "THE LUCY SHOW" did use considerable audience "sweetening" towards the end of its run, even though the show was filmed before a live audience.

02-05-2010, 03:12 PM	#4
rcbrad Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 21, 2007 Posts: 479	I remember reading numerous times from different people associated with these shows, that they did not use a laugh track. I found that they have. (and others noticed too) The laugh track "laughter" was not used extensively, but it was used at times when/where needed.

02-16-2010, 12:31 AM	#5
lucyandethel Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 18, 2009 Location: Los Angeles CA Posts: 435	Actually, I did some research and found that the inventor of canned laughter, a guy with the last name of Douglass (two 'S's) actually created his laugh machine from laughter recorded from Lucille Ball scenes and a lot from Red Skelton sketches. So, it wasn't that The Lucy Show or I Love Lucy necessarily used laugh tracks. The laughter from Lucy's shows created the laugh track. Interesting!