10 Most Groundbreaking TV Episodes Ever

Historic Impact: First Use of a Laugh Track

Psychologist have discovered that people laugh much more when in the presence of others -- 30 times more, in fact. It's why stand-up comedians prefer a packed house over a speckling of strangers. Those same psychologists suggest laughter is actually more about communicating than reacting to something. It's more of an "I appreciate that" than an "I can't stop my body from making this sound" kind of thing.

That psychology, consciously or not, led to the use of so-called "canned laughter" in sitcoms. And Hank McCune exploited the hell out of it.

The Hank McCune Show was filmed without a studio audience present, but the show's creators didn't want the viewers at home to feel that. So they inserted pre-recorded chuckles and guffaws into the background of McCune's shenanigans. While he was having wacky adventures at a candy company convention, ghost chortles were pumped into the soundtrack, and no one was any the wiser.

Thanks to its effectiveness on the show, the laugh track became an integral part of television for many decades. It's really only stopped in recent years with the advent of more single camera comedies like The Office.