Charley Douglass
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Charley Douglass (1910 - 2003) was a sound engineer who is known for creating the 'Laff Box', which became the modern day laugh track.
The 'Laff Box' was a unique contraption that stood a little over two feet tall and could be played like an organ to replicate different kinds of laughter, from guffaws to belly laughs. The operator could also select particular genders and ages, so a kids' show could have a simulated audience full of giggling children. No one is really sure where the original recordings came from; some say Douglass recorded audiences from I Love Lucy, The Red Skelton Show, or Marcel Marceau's mime act. All of these were heavy on sight gags, which probably made the recording process a little easier.
Douglass won a special Emmy for engineering in 1992.
