1953 Charlie Douglass “Laff Box”
Antiques Roadshow appraisal of the machine used by Charlie Douglass to create laugh tracks. http://video.pbs.org/video/1754622115/
Cracking the Sitcom Code
An outline of the standard structure of the conventional sitcom, by Noah Charney in The Atlantic. http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/12/cracking-the-sitcom-code/384068/
Despite the 43 years I've devoted to cinematography, I must admit that I was scarcely prepared for the many problems which were to confront me upon my initial excursion into the realm of television with the "I Love Lucy" show. Fortunately, this motion picture experience helped to cushion many of the serious problems and aided me in adapting myself to this new medium. Today, many of the initial difficulties we've experienced have, to some extent, been solved, but we still remain in the infancy of a fascinating new entertainment medium. There are formidable problems ahead, all of which will be conquered in due time. As for myself, I have enormously enjoyed being a part of the team which has already overcome some of the preliminary hurdles.