An Open Letter

[oakenguy]

Dear Hollywood Folks Who Make These Decisions,

Please be advised, when you issue DVD collections of TV comedy series, that I would happily pay an extra $5 for the option to turn the laugh track off.



Dear Folks Issuing the Muppet Show Collections,

Make it $20.

Comments

[ronsonbeck.livejournal.com]

Does your definition of "laugh track" include studio audiences, before whom a show was taped for live responses? If so, I would have to object in certain cases...do you think Carol Burnett's "Gone With the Wind" sketch would be as priceless without the five-plus minutes of the audience pissing themselves?

I do have to disagree with the Muppet Show laugh track...it's supposed to be happening in a theater before a live audience, so I take that as necessary noise. Besides, I'm just happy they didn't take two bloody years to get season three out (as happened with S2).

Final thought: wouldn't your life be more interesting with a laugh track? Or at least a musical score?

[callunav.livejournal.com]

To me, at least, laugh track = polar opposite of studio audience reaction.

Actual audience reaction, good.

Laugh track, bad. In some cases, very very bad.

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

What she says. A laugh track is the silicon implant of sound engineers, with results every bit as lifelike.

While a soundtrack would be cool (and was actually discussed this weekend as a really useful superpower, except if you were a) a burglar or b) deaf), a nonstop laugh track is something I'd inflict on someone as a Gypsy curse. For good measure I'd throw in a Weep Track for whenever they tried to complain about something or act emo.

(Maybe, just maybe, I've spent too much time thinking about this topic.)

The thing about the Muppet Show, and maybe it's just because I've been away from it for a while, is that they use it like they're getting paid by the fake laugh. Here, let me show you:

TRANSCRIBED FROM YOUTUBE

THE FIRST 0:33 of MAHNA MAHNA

PINK COW ALIENS: Opening 'Doo-doo-de-doo-doos'
SINGER: Mahna mahna.
*laugh track*
PCA: Doo-doooo-doo-de-doo
S: Mahna mahna
*mild laugh track*
PCS: Doo-doo-de-doo
S: Mahna mahna (disappears)
PCS Doo-doooo-doo-de-doo (dance, end of first exchange).
S: (reappears) Mahna mahna *laugh track* mahna meedleumbum dee de (three seconds of scat singing, PCS shake heads, *laugh track*, pause, *laugh track*,) mahna mahna

...and so on. It's a great bit, but a laugh every 6.5 seconds? Srsly?

[spatch]

That's not a fake laugh track, those are real Muppets in the Muppet Theater laughing along to the show oh god don't break my fragile illusions

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

Oh, Spatch, this breaks my heart to tell you....their laughter's been enhanced in places. You know, like Saturday Night Live does, just less obviously.

[badassfaerie.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if it is laugh tracked-- that particular sketch, anyway. I have seen/heard it without- and sometimes with. I'm assuming they have performed it more than once- as there were even different versions of it as it grew- if it was an older version, possibly from a sketch on Johnny Carson- that may be real laughter- versus the "newer" version from one of the Muppet show episodes, if that makes sense that would have been a canned episode. the sketch is basically the same, but it depends on when it was recorded. Although, to be fair, I think Johnny Carson ran a laugh cue card/sign, if not a true laugh track for his audience.

[magickcat.livejournal.com]

Muppet Show Collection? Where? When? My birthday is on Friday. Need for the wishlisting. Mmmmmmm Muppets.

Laugh tracks= dumb
Real audience= yay