The Original LaffBox, an Item Synonomous with Classic Sitcoms to be Auctioned

[Zoneboy]

Link

The one and only “LaffBox” invented in 1953 and used on more than 20,000 TV shows, including early classics like I Love Lucy. Created by a former radio sound engineer named Charles Rolland Douglass (1910-2003), the LaffBox was a technological innovation that enabled “canned” laughter or audience applause to be generated on demand by pushing a button or combination of buttons. The only one of its kind, the LaffBox contains 32 keys, each capable of activating tape loops of pre-recorded laughter ranging from polite chuckles and giggles to sidesplitting guffaws and belly laughs.

“Anyone who has ever watched a comedy show on television has heard the LaffBox – there’s only one,” said Presley. “Charlie Douglass knew he had something special. He was very secretive about its inner workings and guarded it with his life. He kept it padlocked when it wasn’t in use.” Douglass traveled throughout the world with his LaffBox, Presley said, running its controls for all types of productions, from sitcoms to telethons and even beauty pageants. “Canned laughter may be electronic now, but this is the one and only mechanical LaffBox. It’s should be in the Smithsonian or a broadcasting museum.”

Presley could not resist the temptation to “test drive” the LaffBox. At his last sale, he had bidders laughing – real laughs – as he experimented with the machine. “When someone won a piece, I’d hit the button for applause,” Presley said. “If I told a dumb joke and no one laughed, I could hit another button and avoid embarrassment. It’s actually an auctioneer’s best friend.”

The LaffBox will be auctioned together with a binder containing newspaper articles, extensive documentation of the machine’s history, photos, and even the paperwork used to file for a U.S. patent. Presley expects it to sell for at least $10,000.