Mystery sound in Brady Bunch episodes?! - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

J T · 10-30-2012, 10:57 PM

Sorry if this has been discussed before (I searched back about a year and a half), but there is a mystery sound in the Brady Bunch that I have heard in every episode (usually multiple times) all my life. I've heard it in other 60s sitcoms as well, like the Munsters, Bewitched, Beverly Hillbillies, et al., and I believe it has something to do with the laugh track. It used to be a little spooky to me as a kid in the 70s, and as an adult, it sounds even more bizarre to me because I've never found an explanation for it. As I mentioned, it usually happens multiple times in an episode, and it's completely random....sometimes during loud scenes with a lot of laughter, other times during quiet passages. SOMETHING on the set in the studio was creating this sound, and I've always wanted to know what it was.

Watch this video and listen closely at :33, right after Alice says "upstairs." You'll hear a weird, upward "wurr" sound:

I really hope others have heard this sound and someone can identify it after 40+ years of it creeping me out!

Thanks!

rcbrad · 10-31-2012, 08:45 PM

It sounds like the laugh track to me. I have heard this before too.

sixfingers · 11-01-2012, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J T

...

Watch this video and listen closely at :33, right after Alice says "upstairs." You'll hear a weird, upward "wurr" sound:

I really hope others have heard this sound and someone can identify it after 40+ years of it creeping me out!

Thanks!

I've listened to it 25 or 30 times and all I hear is that laugh track. Do you have that sound by itself?

Sammy Reed · 11-01-2012, 10:36 PM

It's a sortof screechy sound. It's right after Alice said the word "upstairs".

sixfingers · 11-02-2012, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sammy Reed

It's a sortof screechy sound. It's right after Alice said the word "upstairs".

There is a high pitched component to the laughtrack, that's all I'm hearing.

J T · 11-02-2012, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sixfingers

There is a high pitched component to the laughtrack, that's all I'm hearing.

Ignore the high pitched sound.

Listen for the "whirrr" sound...almost like from an organ or something. Definitely has a musical element to it, and not screechy at all.

I'll listen through some more video clips to see if I can find when it happens during a quiet passage.

Furienna · 11-02-2012, 07:14 PM

I'm sorry, but I don't hear anything either.

Sammy Reed · 11-02-2012, 10:05 PM

Sounds sortof like an organ.

gopyle · 11-02-2012, 10:32 PM

Not sure what it is, but there is something about it I know I have heard many, many times without even realizing...obviously has to do with the same laugh track being used.

Furienna · 11-03-2012, 08:31 AM

Well, at least three people seem to hear it. But I still don't.

sixfingers · 11-04-2012, 07:43 PM

I think it's part of the laugh track

sixfingers · 11-04-2012, 07:50 PM

I hear something that could be described as a "whir" sound, but it is definitely part of the laugh track.

J T · 11-07-2012, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sixfingers

I think it's part of the laugh track

Indeed it is. But WHAT exactly is causing the sound? It happens randomly...during laughing, during quiet times, whenever. I want to see the machine up close that made the sound since the mystery of it has haunted me all my life (40+ years)!

And it's one of those things that appears in several sitcoms from that era, yet I've never found any discussion on what it was.

Ok...I will soon have another video clip to play with the sound in it, but during a quiet passage. Gotta keep looking...

cleverfun3000 · 11-08-2012, 02:36 PM

There is absolutely, most definitely a
whirrrrr... sound right after Alice says "upstairs". It lasts a only second but it is absolutely audible . P.S. That's one of the reasons I LOVE this website. Where else can you make a thread and get so many replies behind something so small and insignificant? No Where.

Jack1000 · 11-09-2012, 04:32 PM

I will check out the OP for that sound!

If you have the DVD, I have found two strange sounds that AFAIK are not on any other prints:

I HAVE heard a low hum for about five seconds on at least one episode and from what I remember its a scene where Alice is mixing cake batter in a bowl and talking to Cindy, not sure about the scene, but there is a hum there.

In "The Dropout" episode where Greg is lifting weights, there is a very quick like 1-2 second chipmunk type speed up. Listen for it!

I had a defective DVD once, and got a good replacement DVD, the abnormal sounds are still there, but the playback is perfect!

Theories:

1.) There was a post-production DVD processing error where something in the transfer got messed up for a second. OR

2.) The DVD due to the high reproduction quality picked up an audio resolution that was always there, but was never heard due to the at the time weaker quality of the 1970's technology.

3.) On the DVD, they used stock pile footage to restore some cut scenes because the original prints/negatives were cut or lost on the first syndication cycle Such as:

A.) Peter and Bobby selling Family Night Frolic Tickets in "The Show Must Go On?"

B.) Extended scene of Jan and Cindy looking for Marcia in "Father of The Year."

C.) A distracting mix of back-up footage and clean footage when Peter is talking about the Sci-Fi movie he saw, "Invasion of the Potato People." in "The Personality Kid."

In some cases, the used back up prints when I KNOW better quality is out there. For instance, Inspiration Network (INSP) has the cleanest syndicated prints of Brady Bunch I have seen. They are still edited, but they are sharp. WBME ME TV's Brady Bunch prints are not as good as INSP's prints in most cases.

The point is because The Brady Bunch is such a top syndicated property for over forty years, prints, sounds, and transfers came from a variety of different sources. I think Paramount could have done a little better job on some of the DVD restoration. However, we are seeing scenes that we have not seen probably since the first run, citing the examples I talked about above.

Jack

10-30-2012, 10:57 PM	#1
J T Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Oct 30, 2012 Location: Grand Rapids, MI Posts: 9	Mystery sound in Brady Bunch episodes?! Sorry if this has been discussed before (I searched back about a year and a half), but there is a mystery sound in the Brady Bunch that I have heard in every episode (usually multiple times) all my life. I've heard it in other 60s sitcoms as well, like the Munsters, Bewitched, Beverly Hillbillies, et al., and I believe it has something to do with the laugh track. It used to be a little spooky to me as a kid in the 70s, and as an adult, it sounds even more bizarre to me because I've never found an explanation for it. As I mentioned, it usually happens multiple times in an episode, and it's completely random....sometimes during loud scenes with a lot of laughter, other times during quiet passages. SOMETHING on the set in the studio was creating this sound, and I've always wanted to know what it was. Watch this video and listen closely at :33, right after Alice says "upstairs." You'll hear a weird, upward "wurr" sound: I really hope others have heard this sound and someone can identify it after 40+ years of it creeping me out! Thanks!

11-09-2012, 04:32 PM	#15
Jack1000 Member Senior Member Join Date: Dec 05, 2001 Posts: 2,055	I will check out the OP for that sound! If you have the DVD, I have found two strange sounds that AFAIK are not on any other prints: I HAVE heard a low hum for about five seconds on at least one episode and from what I remember its a scene where Alice is mixing cake batter in a bowl and talking to Cindy, not sure about the scene, but there is a hum there. In "The Dropout" episode where Greg is lifting weights, there is a very quick like 1-2 second chipmunk type speed up. Listen for it! I had a defective DVD once, and got a good replacement DVD, the abnormal sounds are still there, but the playback is perfect! Theories: 1.) There was a post-production DVD processing error where something in the transfer got messed up for a second. OR 2.) The DVD due to the high reproduction quality picked up an audio resolution that was always there, but was never heard due to the at the time weaker quality of the 1970's technology. 3.) On the DVD, they used stock pile footage to restore some cut scenes because the original prints/negatives were cut or lost on the first syndication cycle Such as: A.) Peter and Bobby selling Family Night Frolic Tickets in "The Show Must Go On?" B.) Extended scene of Jan and Cindy looking for Marcia in "Father of The Year." C.) A distracting mix of back-up footage and clean footage when Peter is talking about the Sci-Fi movie he saw, "Invasion of the Potato People." in "The Personality Kid." In some cases, the used back up prints when I KNOW better quality is out there. For instance, Inspiration Network (INSP) has the cleanest syndicated prints of Brady Bunch I have seen. They are still edited, but they are sharp. WBME ME TV's Brady Bunch prints are not as good as INSP's prints in most cases. The point is because The Brady Bunch is such a top syndicated property for over forty years, prints, sounds, and transfers came from a variety of different sources. I think Paramount could have done a little better job on some of the DVD restoration. However, we are seeing scenes that we have not seen probably since the first run, citing the examples I talked about above. Jack
	Last edited by Jack1000; 11-10-2012 at 04:15 PM.

10-31-2012, 08:45 PM	#2
rcbrad Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 21, 2007 Posts: 479	It sounds like the laugh track to me. I have heard this before too.

11-01-2012, 10:36 PM	#4
Sammy Reed Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 19, 2003 Posts: 403	It's a sortof screechy sound. It's right after Alice said the word "upstairs".

11-02-2012, 07:14 PM	#7
Furienna Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Oct 22, 2006 Location: Örnsköldsvik, Sweden Posts: 6,280	I'm sorry, but I don't hear anything either.

11-02-2012, 10:05 PM	#8
Sammy Reed Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 19, 2003 Posts: 403	Sounds sortof like an organ.

11-02-2012, 10:32 PM	#9
gopyle Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Oct 22, 2011 Posts: 235	Not sure what it is, but there is something about it I know I have heard many, many times without even realizing...obviously has to do with the same laugh track being used.

11-03-2012, 08:31 AM	#10
Furienna Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Oct 22, 2006 Location: Örnsköldsvik, Sweden Posts: 6,280	Well, at least three people seem to hear it. But I still don't.

11-04-2012, 07:43 PM	#11
sixfingers John Alan Elson Senior Member Join Date: Feb 22, 2008 Location: Sacramento Posts: 1,491	I think it's part of the laugh track

11-04-2012, 07:50 PM	#12
sixfingers John Alan Elson Senior Member Join Date: Feb 22, 2008 Location: Sacramento Posts: 1,491	I hear something that could be described as a "whir" sound, but it is definitely part of the laugh track.

11-08-2012, 02:36 PM	#14
cleverfun3000 Member Senior Member Join Date: Sep 18, 2008 Location: Manhattan Posts: 1,685	There is absolutely, most definitely a whirrrrr... sound right after Alice says "upstairs". It lasts a only second but it is absolutely audible . P.S. That's one of the reasons I LOVE this website. Where else can you make a thread and get so many replies behind something so small and insignificant? No Where.