...at least the INVENTOR of the laughter, that is.
Charles Rolland "Charlie" Douglass, 93, inventor of the "Laff Box" that has been supplying recorded audience reaction for TV shows since the 1950s, died April 8th in Los Angeles. While working as a technician director for live TV shows in the early days of the industry, he formed the idea of developing a "laugh machine" to enhance or substitute for live audience reaction. The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences presented the longtime CBS engineer and private entrepreneur an engineering Emmy at its technical awards in 1992.
So everytime you hear that laugh track, think fondly of Charlie!
Charles Rolland "Charlie" Douglass, 93, inventor of the "Laff Box" that has been supplying recorded audience reaction for TV shows since the 1950s, died April 8th in Los Angeles. While working as a technician director for live TV shows in the early days of the industry, he formed the idea of developing a "laugh machine" to enhance or substitute for live audience reaction. The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences presented the longtime CBS engineer and private entrepreneur an engineering Emmy at its technical awards in 1992.
So everytime you hear that laugh track, think fondly of Charlie!
