# What was that 60's Laugh Track sound effect? \[Obscure!\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 4, 2004, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-60s-laugh-track-sound-effect-obscure/243536 "2004-05-04T22:14:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-60s-laugh-track-sound-effect-obscure/243536/1 "2004-05-04T22:14:12Z")
I tend to remember it mostly from shows like The Brady Bunch… it was on the laugh track after a wacky hijink elicited a hearty laugh from the canned audience, and the laugh would end with a silly sound effect… sort of like a springy “sproing” sound that rose in pitch… or maybe like someone rubbing on an inflated balloon… or someone rolling a BB in a balloon… or, I dunno, it wasn’t a human laugh sound. Anyone know what I’m talking about? I’m looking for both a good .WAV of the sound, and hopefully an idea of how the Foley guys made the sound. ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-60s-laugh-track-sound-effect-obscure/243536/2 "2004-05-05T01:06:57Z")
Well, perhaps this is so obscure it would do better in GQ? I wish I could give a better description of the sound… it almost sounds like a meow… ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-60s-laugh-track-sound-effect-obscure/243536/3 "2004-05-05T02:09:23Z")
Could this be it? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-60s-laugh-track-sound-effect-obscure/243536/4 "2004-05-05T02:15:42Z")
By jove, I think he’s got it! ---
**Author:** ![Guy\_Incognito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guy_incognito/32/3920_2.png) [@Guy\_Incognito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Incognito)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-60s-laugh-track-sound-effect-obscure/243536/5 "2004-05-05T03:39:52Z")
ArchiveGuy, I know the sound that bughunter is talking about, and I don’t think that’s it. The sound is sort of like a “meow” sound. It’s about one second in length and to me it sounded like “hraaaarh”. (Hey, it’s a palindrome, too!) I never could figure out if it was coming from a single voice or if it was a combination of two or more voices mingled together. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-60s-laugh-track-sound-effect-obscure/243536/6 "2004-05-05T13:52:50Z")
I’m pretty sure I know that laugh track too, but I’m used to hearing in on The Andy Griffith Show. There would be a group of laughers with one emerging and the end with a breathy “hyeeeeeah!” My friend and I used to purposely add that to the end of our laughs in tribute to the mystery AG laugher. ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-60s-laugh-track-sound-effect-obscure/243536/7 "2004-05-05T17:26:27Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > Could this be it? No, but I remember that one, too. Another good addition to my system sounds folder… but not the one I was looking for. **Guy** and **Max** seem to have a handle on it… even if they can’t name it any better than I can. ---
**Author:** ![fringbang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/2bfe46/32.png) [@fringbang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fringbang)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-60s-laugh-track-sound-effect-obscure/243536/8 "2010-03-30T02:54:37Z")
My friend just linked this to me because we were also obsessed with it as kids. (I didn’t realize this was a 10-yr-old post…oh well). I couldn’t get a clear shot of it, but you can hear it at the beginning of the clip under Mike Brady. [http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=v5aalk&s=5](http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=v5aalk&s=5) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-60s-laugh-track-sound-effect-obscure/243536/9 "2010-03-30T03:14:46Z")
I always just thought that was the sound of someone halfway gagging when they start laughing. I’ve made a similar sound before when I didn’t expect to be laughing at something. But I now suspect it was to provide a clear beginning to the sound, so that you didn’t hear the the laughs were not necessarily recorded from the beginning. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-60s-laugh-track-sound-effect-obscure/243536/10 "2010-03-30T10:24:12Z")
Threads this old sometimes get locked, but I think we can leave this open and see how people weigh in on this new theory. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-60s-laugh-track-sound-effect-obscure/243536/11 "2010-03-30T10:57:50Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Threads this old sometimes get locked, but I think we can leave this open and see how people weigh in on this new theory. :cue laughter: ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-60s-laugh-track-sound-effect-obscure/243536/12 "2010-03-30T11:00:46Z")
Doubt if it was the same one, but there a laugh track that barely sounded human at all, used over and over again in The Flintstones. It sounded more like a bunch of plastic bowling pins falling over, or something. ---
**Author:** ![fringbang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/2bfe46/32.png) [@fringbang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fringbang)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-60s-laugh-track-sound-effect-obscure/243536/13 "2010-03-30T22:20:15Z")
Glad to resurrect this ancient thread. Maybe we can finally get some answers about this clearly unhuman, disturbing sound (that was in nearly every sitcom from the late 60s/early 70s)! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-60s-laugh-track-sound-effect-obscure/243536/14 "2010-03-31T01:05:06Z")
The Flinstones one I can answer. It was just a really low quality, tinny recording made on the cheap. [Wiki Cite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laugh_track#Hanna-Barbera). ETA: While we’re at it, I believe that the Brady Bunch used the laff box, which I believe had a few sound effects built in, too. I assumed the question was how they made those sound effects, which I still don’t know. Listen to the YouTube clip: any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-60s-laugh-track-sound-effect-obscure/243536/15 "2010-03-31T01:20:17Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > The Flinstones one I can answer. It was just a really low quality, tinny recording made on the cheap. > > [Wiki Cite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laugh_track#Hanna-Barbera). > > ETA: While we’re at it, I believe that the Brady Bunch used the laff box, which I believe had a few sound effects built in, too. I assumed the question was how they made those sound effects, which I still don’t know. Listen to the YouTube clip: any ideas? “The same prerecorded laugh can be heard after nearly every punchline, which does not go unnoticed by the astute viewer.” Meaning your typical seven year old. 😃 Just one more reason I disdained Hanna Barbera as a kid.