Did The "Laugh Track" Save 60's Sitcoms Like 'The Beverly Hillbillies?'

[Brian Damage]

What would TV history be without the laugh track? While much-maligned by television critics, the laugh track is, in fact, any true TVParty-er's best friend. Over the years, having watched rerun after rerun, we all have come to know and love those nameless laughers whose voices we recognize, and who can always be counted on to assure our amusement.

Such classics as 'The Beverly Hillbillies', 'The Munsters' or even 'Bewitched' wouldn't be nearly as fun - and indeed, would be almost inconceivable - without the laugh track.

Case in point: Cartoon Network's newly remastered versions of 'The Flintstones' omit the 1960s laugh track, and the jokes largely fall flat with a thud.

http://tvparty.com/laugh.html

Do You Agree?

[old grouch]

I agree. There is something comforting and reassuring about watching an old sitcom and hearing people who have died decades ago laughing in the background.

If you watch enough sitcoms, you can hear a laugh track where a lady says 'Uh Oh!!' (For example, the episode of 'Gilligan's Island' where Mary Ann thinks she ate the poisonous mushrooms.) That track is taken from " I Love Lucy', and the lady's voice is Lucille Ball's mother Dee Dee, who was usually in the studio audience when the show was taping.

[lucyandethel]

I never understood why the laugh track has been considered so taboo anyway. Most of the shows produced today use them, peppered in with the responses of a live audience. I noticed on the Cartoon Network, they are rerunning "Josie and the Pussycats" with laugh track back in and it is much funnier.

[gopyle]

I grew up with the laugh track shows and that's the way I like it. It started to bother me in the 70s when shows like Happy Days with the live audience would allow cheering and whistling such as when the Fonz entered the scene. Most of the laugh tracks were basically unnoticeable and added to the ambience.

[rezny717]

Originally Posted by gopyle

I grew up with the laugh track shows and that's the way I like it. It started to bother me in the 70s when shows like Happy Days with the live audience would allow cheering and whistling such as when the Fonz entered the scene. Most of the laugh tracks were basically unnoticeable and added to the ambience.

I agree with you 100%.I grew up with laugh tracks too,and in the 1960's,and they used the laugh track more subtle-like than in the 1970's.If they had filmed ALL 1960's comedies before a live audience ala Happy Days,and they had allowed cheering and whistling like they did in Happy Days and in the latter years of Sanford and Son,it would have made them annoying .