Daryl wrote --
I detest laugh tracks.
I wonder what idiot thought this up.
I'd like to find him as well.
It goes back to the early days of television.
Most comedy shows were done live.
Filmed syndicated sitcoms were common as well. Before Desi Arnaz and
his three camera system, shows were filmed as short movies. Often out of sequence, retakes, etc.
One couldn't expect an audience to sit all day and laugh at a one minute scene, then sit around for an hour for another short scene, etc.
Laugh tracks were literally lifted from recorded radio comedy shows.
The advent of tape recording around 1947 allowed engineers to have snips of different sorts of laughs they could record unto the film.
Soon enough the bean counting brass realised they didn't need an
audience, large theatre, and the related expenses and the rest is history for a lot
of shows.
But some network comedy shows continued with an audience, either live,
on film, on kinoscope and later tape which allowed a show to be "recorded in front of a live audience". The actors liked the live feed back they got and sometimes played to the audienc
Shows like his were straight through, so anything he did or said (and
later on the Carol Burnett show) was presented as seen by the audience.
(Burnett did two shows, just as radio once did a east coast show and
three hours later a west coast show, for the time difference. Once a while a scene went over better for one group than the other and that was edited into the final show.
(While network radio shows were not normally recorded, some people made
air checks to see how the sponsors product was presented, etc. Recording
then was a long, time consuming process and besides, "who wants to listen to a show a second time?"
(WWII changed a lot of that with Armed Forces Radio Services recorded
shows to be played overseas on the war fronts.
(Since shows had to be done a second time a new audience was at the
midnight show. They sometimes reacted differently to a performer and some shows
had both recorded and are available today)
I thought that member of the audience was at every show. Only later
did I learn the real reason.
Which was??
I want to say it was Amos 'n' Andy.
There was a woman in NYC in the late '50 and early '60s who went to
every show every day. She made the rounds, since they were all free.
Well, I can't blame her for being a frugal cheapskate.
When I was NYC the first time I had tickets for the David Frost show, a
very popular talk show at the time.
That was also the show I made my national tv de-but.
My ship was mentioned by Frost and the camera panned the audience with a
sea of blue uniforms and white caps.
I said "It's a conversation piece". :)
Really.
It still works.
Back in the olden days, (pre cell phones) a transformer blew. Mine was
the only phone to work since it needed no electrical back up. Just plug it
in and go.
At one time or another I had larger apartments and would buy, at like
Radio Shack, used phones and install them myself, much to Ma Bell's dislike. was never caught and I think the statute of limitations has run out. I hope anyway.
One phone was from Holland and there was some problem one time of it not working (lines down or something). When I was told this I said something to the effect "It only understands Dutch".
I also would buy extension wire and have 20-30 foot cords. To me that
was the height of sophistication, like in the movies. Now I could carry the phone around, no longer tethered to a few feet long cord.
Joe
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