"Canned laughter" redirects here. For the Rowan Atkinson sitcom, see Canned Laughter.

A laugh track, laughter soundtrack, laughter track or canned laughter is a separate soundtrack with the artificial sound of audience laughter, made to be inserted into TV comedy shows and sitcoms. Sound' is Vibration transmitted through a Solid, Liquid, or Gas; particularly sound means those vibrations composed of Frequencies Brooklyn Book Festival crowd by David Shankbonejpg|thumb|An audience at the Brooklyn Book Festival in New York City. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Comedy (from the Greek κωμωδίαkomodia has a popular meaning (any discourse generally intended to amuse especially in Television, Film, and The first television show to incorporate a laugh track was The Hank McCune Show in 1950. The Hank McCune Show was an American Television Situation comedy. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[1]

Contents 1 History and usage 2 Laugh-track-free production 3 Criticism 4 Support 5 See also 6 References 7 External Links

History and usage

Before television, audiences often experienced comedy, whether performed live on stage, on radio, or in a movie, in the presence of other audience members. Television producers attempted to recreate this atmosphere in its early days by introducing the sound of laughter or other crowd reactions into the soundtrack of television programs.

Sweetening is a technique in which pre-recorded laughter is used to augment the response of the real studio audience if they did not react as strongly as desired. Sweetening is a term in Television that refers to the use of a Laugh track in addition to a live studio audience Laugh tracks have been used in some traditionally animated television series, which do not have live audiences. Traditional animation, also referred to as classical animation, cel animation, or hand-drawn animation, is the oldest and historically the most popular An animated cartoon is a short hand-drawn (or made with computers to look similar to something hand-drawn Film for the cinema, Television or computer The Flintstones and The Jetsons originally aired with laugh tracks, but later aired with the laugh track removed. The Flintstones is an animated American television sitcom that ran from 1960 to 1966 on ABC. The Jetsons is a prime-time animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. ^[2] Other cartoons that at least originally had laugh tracks include The Pink Panther Show, Scooby-Doo, Josie and the Pussycats, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, and the very first episodes of Rocky and His Friends. The Pink Panther Show is a showcase of DePatie-Freleng animated cartoons from the 1960s and 1970s prominently by David H Scooby-Doo is a long-running American animated series produced for Saturday morning television in several different versions from 1969 to the Josie and the Pussycats was an American Animated television series produced for Saturday morning television by Hanna-Barbera Productions The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show is the collective name for two separate American Television Animated series: Rocky and His Friends

In parts of East Asia, laugh tracks are often loud and exaggerated in comedy-variety shows despite them being filmed with small live audiences. The Hong Kong game show Minutes to Fame is one of the recognizable shows that uses a large number of laugh tracks, which sometimes cover up the singing or dialogue. Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders Minutes to Fame ( is a Game show broadcasted on Hong Kong 's TVB. In Japan the use of laugh tracks is almost unheard of, and is derided as being artificial. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics.

A well-known gag often used in satirical comedy is the use of a laughter track which cuts off unnaturally abruptly after each burst of laughter or applause, emphasizing its artifice and therefore its implied insincerity. In comedy a visual gag or sight gag is anything which conveys its Humor visually often without words being used at all Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human Shows such as Monty Python's Flying Circus pioneered this gag. Monty Python’s Flying Circus (also known as Flying Circus or during the final series just Monty Python) is a BBC Sketch comedy The sound of laughter has even been portrayed as emerging from a can marked 'Canned Laughter' as if it were a product. The sound emerges whenever the can is opened.

In some cases, laugh tracks are used as a source of humor in themselves. For example, the video game, Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon, features a laugh track after certain lines of text dialog used for humorous effect, particularly since there being a live audience would be impossible for a video game. is a Video game released by Konami for the Nintendo 64 on August 7 1997 in Japan and April 16 1998 in North America as the fifth entry in the

Laugh-track-free production

Larry Gelbart, creator of the TV series M*A*S*H, has said that he initially wanted the show to air entirely without a laugh track ("Just like the actual Korean War," he is said to have remarked drily). Larry Simon Gelbart (born February 25, 1928) is an American Comedy Writer and playwright with over sixty years of credits A television program (US television programme (UK or television show (U M*A*S*H was a Medical drama / Black comedy produced by 20th Television Fox for CBS. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the However, CBS rejected the idea. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Eventually a compromise was reached, and the producers of the series were not required to include a laugh track on operating room scenes on the show. As a result few scenes in the operating room contain canned laughter. Certain episodes omitted the laugh track completely, as did some international and syndicated airings of the show; the DVD releases, meanwhile, give the viewer a choice of laughing or non-laughing soundtracks. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is ^[3] Gelbart was not the first producer to refuse to use a laugh track on a CBS show, however. That distinction belongs to Ross Bagdasarian of Alvin and the Chipmunks fame. Ross Bagdasarian may refer to Ross Bagdasarian Sr (1919-1972 creator of Alvin and the Chipmunks Ross Bagdasarian Jr Alvin and the Chipmunks is a six-time Grammy Award -winning animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian Sr When he created The Alvin Show in 1961, Bagdasarian refused to use a laugh track, reasoning that if the show was funny, the viewers would laugh without being prompted. The Alvin Show was the first American Animated television series to feature the singing characters Alvin and the Chipmunks, although The Alvin Show lasted one season.

In a similar case, Sports Night premiered with a laugh track, against the wishes of show creator Aaron Sorkin, but the laugh track became more subtle as the season progressed and was completely removed at the start of the second season. Sports Night is an American Television series about a fictional Sports news show (also called Sports Night) and the people who Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9 1961 is an American Screenwriter, producer and Playwright. In some cases a laugh track was needed to maintain continuity, as portions of each episode were filmed in front of a live audience, the remainder being filmed without an audience present.

Alan Spencer's Sledge Hammer! aired with a laugh track for the first 12 episodes including the pilot, but Spencer was not impressed by ABC editing the episodes. Sledge Hammer! was a satirical Police sitcom produced by New World Television that ran for two seasons on ABC The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. Later on, the video releases had all the laugh tracks removed. ^[4]

Though the use of canned laughter reached its peak in the 1960s, the trend began to reverse with the 1971 debut of All in the Family. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. All in the Family is an American Situation comedy that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12 1971 to April As proclaimed over the closing credits each week ("All in the Family was recorded on tape before a live studio audience. " and later "All in the Family was played to a studio audience for live responses. ") the sitcom relied solely on live, unprompted audience response.

Laugh-track-free production has been gaining ground in the US since the early 1990s. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Larry Sanders Show won critical praise for not including a laugh track. The Larry Sanders Show is a satirical television Sitcom that originally aired from August 1992 to May 1998 on the HBO Cable television network ^[5] Such shows are often produced in the more expensive single camera style usually reserved for one-hour drama, using on-location shooting and high production values, as opposed to the standard multi-camera sitcom sound stage. The single-camera setup (aka single-camera mode of production is a method of shooting films and television programs The multiple-camera setup (aka multiple-camera mode of production is a method of shooting films and television programs A sound stage is a soundproof Hangar -like structure building or room used for the production of theatrical motion pictures and Television shows Recent live action American sitcoms that adopted this style include Arrested Development, Malcolm in the Middle, Curb Your Enthusiasm, My Name Is Earl, The Bernie Mac Show, The Office, Scrubs, 30 Rock, Samantha Who?, Flight of the Conchords, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Arrested Development is a character-driven American television Sitcom about a formerly wealthy habitually Dysfunctional family. Malcolm in the Middle was a seven-time Emmy Award -winning one-time Grammy -winning He had run off and married a good-natured Canadian woman Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American Sitcom starring Seinfeld writer co-creator and executive producer Larry David as himself and My Name Is Earl is an American sitcom created by Greg Garcia. The Bernie Mac Show is a half-hour American sitcom featuring the antics of late comedian Bernie Scrubs is an Emmy and Peabody Award -winning American Comedy-drama that premiered on October 2 2001 on NBC. 30 Rock is an American Television comedy Series created by Tina Fey. Samantha Who? is an American Emmy -winning television sitcom which premiered on October 15 2007 on ABC. Flight of the Conchords is an Emmy Award -nominated Television Comedy series that follows the adventures of the Flight of the Conchords It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an American television sitcom created by Rob McElhenney and developed by McElhenney and Glenn Howerton

In the United Kingdom prior to the 2000s most sitcoms were taped before live audiences to provide natural laughter. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Other comedies, such as the The Royle Family and The Office which are presented in the mode of cinema verite rather than in the format of a traditional sitcom, do not feature any audience laughter. The Royle Family is a popular BAFTA award-winning television sitcom produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for This article is about the original version of The Office For the US version see The Office (US TV series, and for a comparison of the various versions from around the Cinéma Vérité is the first Album by an Alternative rock group Dramarama, released in November 1985

The League of Gentlemen was originally broadcast with a laughter track, but after the first two series this was dropped. The League of Gentlemen is a quartet of British comedy writer/performers formed in 1995 by Jeremy Dyson, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton ^[6] The pilot episode of the satirical series Spitting Image was also broadcast with a laughter track. Spitting Image was a British satirical Puppet show that ran on the ITV television network from 1984 to 1996 This idea was quickly dropped as it was felt that the series worked better without one. Some later editions, in 1992 (Election Special) and 1993 (two episodes) did use a studio audience, and therefore a laughter track, as the format of these editions included a spoof Question Time. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) Question Time in a Parliament occurs when Backbenchers (members of the parliament who are not Ministers) ask questions of the Prime Minister which

Although some contemporary Canadian sitcoms are laugh track-free (e. g. , "The Newsroom", Corner Gas, etc. The Newsroom is an award winning Canadian television Comedy series which ran on CBC Television in the 1996 - 1997, Corner Gas is a Canadian Television sitcom created by Brent Butt and airing on CTV and in the United States on WGN ), many still rely on laugh tracks in some form. Air Farce and The Red Green Show both tape in front of a live audience, and in the latter's case the audience itself is incorporated into the format of the program (Red Green is a show about a show). Air Farce Live (simply credited as Air Farce, previously Royal Canadian Air Farce, now Air Farce--Final Flight! The Red Green Show is a Television Comedy that aired on CBC Television in Canada and on PBS in the United States

There is an "in-between" category, where there is a separate "laugh track," but of "genuine" laughter. For example, while many scenes of the BBC's Last of the Summer Wine are filmed outdoors, even in indoor scenes the cast are clearly not reacting to audience laughter. Last of the Summer Wine is a British sitcom written by Roy Clarke that is broadcast on BBC One. However, the shows' producers, while confirming that the show is filmed without an audience, point out that that the laughter is not "manufactured" but instead is a recording of the genuine response of a studio audience to whom the completed episode is shown. This is a technique which is frequently used for programmes that feature a lot of location filming (for which an audience could obviously not be present) or which involve a lot of post-production effects work. A prime example of this is Red Dwarf. According to the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, a red dwarf star is a small and relatively cool Star, of the Main sequence, either late K The first six series of which were shot partly in front of a live audience and, due to special effects scenes, filmed but shown to the audience later. This caused a lot of problems and series 7 was filmed without an audience but was shown to one to get 'live' laughter. Series 8 saw the return of the live audience.

Criticism

Laugh tracks have been derided by some critics as insulting to the intelligence of the viewers of a show, because it seems to tell the audience when they should laugh, as though they could not figure it out for themselves. Some also feel that laugh track placement and intensity serve as strong suggestions as to how certain real-life situations should be viewed and handled. The ability to tailor specific audible elements within a laugh track, as well as careful placement and timing, are viewed by some as subliminal messages that relate to the subject matter being used. A subliminal message is a signal or message embedded in another medium designed to pass below the normal limits of the human Mind 's perception There are also complaints of laugh tracks being overused, such as in Hannah Montana. Hannah Montana is an Emmy Award-nominated American Television series, which debuted on March 24 2006 on Disney Channel.

Support

Executive producer for Sid and Marty Krofft, Si Rose, convinced the Kroffts to use laugh tracks on their puppet shows such as H.R. Pufnstuf, The Bugaloos, Lidsville, and others. HR Pufnstuf is a children's television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft in the United States. The Bugaloos was a children's television series in the United States produced by brothers Sid and Marty Krofft in 1970 Lidsville was Sid and Marty Krofft 's third Television show following H In a recent interview, he states "The laugh track was a big debate, they (the Kroffts) said they didn't want to do it, but with my experience with night-timers, night-time started using laugh tracks, and it becomes a staple, because the viewer watches the program and there's a big laugh every time because of the laugh track, and then when you see a show that's funny and there's no laugh because of no laugh track, it becomes a handicap, so I convinced them of that. Good or bad. ". Later in another interview, Marty Krofft confirmed that he and Sid were initially reluctant to use a laugh track on their shows, but agreed that it was a necessity.

In a 2007 DVD interview, Filmation producer/founder Lou Scheimer praised the laugh track for its usage on The Archie Show. For the unrelated isometric graphics engine used by Ultimate Play the Game in their 8-bit computer games see Filmation engine. Louis Scheimer (born October 19, 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American producer one of the original founders of The Archie Show was the first in a long line of Saturday morning cartoon Animated series produced by Filmation and based upon Bob Montana "Why a laugh track?" Scheimer asked. "Because you feel that you are watching the program with a group of people instead of being alone. " Scheimer confirmed that The Archie Show was the first Saturday morning cartoon to utilize a laugh track. A Saturday morning cartoon is the colloquial term for the animated television programming which was typically scheduled on Saturday mornings on the major American ^[7]

See also

• Claque
• Noddies
• List of television comedies with laugh tracks
• List of television comedies without laugh tracks

References

External Links

• TVParty.com - The Laugh Track

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