SoapLand - The Battle Of The Laughter - The Result

[Willie Oleson]

Who did the best laughter in SoapLand?

Do you have a "ha-ha" top 5?​

 

[Victoriafan3]

1. Pam Dallas

The rest I’ll be inspired to list when others write theirs...

:0)

 

[Angela Channing]

1. Melissa Agretti - FALCON CREST - A deep, loud throaty laugh that was kind of dirty and sexy too.

2. Pamela Ewing - DALLAS - A real laugh, straight from her belly.

3. Gary Ewing - KNOTS LANDING - His memorable high pitched hysteria.

4. Jack Ewing - DALLAS - Had a really fake laugh that he used way too frequently, almost every time he began a sentence.

5. Greg Sumner - KNOTS LANDING - Another fake-sounding laugh that had the bonus of showing us all his very impressive teeth.

 

[Daniel Avery]

Oh, I thought we were voting for individual scenes where characters had a good laugh (usually at someone else's expense). I had four in mind, waiting for a fifth to be mentioned that would jog my memory. Oh, well--I'll keep lurking.

 

[Willie Oleson]

From 5:13 onwards

 

[Zable]

Sable Colby. She never did the same laugh twice.

 

[That Bowie Girl]

Can I join in on this one @Wintry North Poleson even though I have only seen Dallas and Knots Landing?

 

[Angela Channing]

4. Jack Ewing - DALLAS - Had a really fake laugh that he used way too frequently, almost every time he began a sentence.

This video demonstrates why Jack made my top 5

 

[Willie Oleson]

Can I join in on this one @Wintry North Poleson even though I have only seen Dallas and Knots Landing?

Yes, please . It doesn't matter how many prime time soaps you've watched.

 

[That Bowie Girl]

This is what I have come up with from memory. I haven't seen either of these shows in over 5 years although I have just started to watch Knots Landing again.

1. Laura Avery Sumner ~ Knots Landing
Her face would get red, her eyes would squeeze together, a huge smile would come across her face and then out would come the best giggle I have ever heard.

2. Greg Sumner ~ Knots Landing
He would do that hahahaha laugh with that glint in his eye that always felt to me that he thinking........ I am laughing but the jokes on you.

3. Pamela Ewing ~ Dallas
She had such a natural laugh that always seemed so bubbly and heartfelt. Just watching the look on her face when she laughed was so much fun.

4. Tom Ryan ~ Knots Landing
I had to add Tom because of his throaty, husky oh so sexy laugh. I don't know what else to say but yum!

Number 5 came down to a tie for me between Sid Fairgate and J.R. but after thinking about it I decided to go with.......

5. J.R. Ewing ~ Dallas
He had the best evil laugh.......if I remember correctly it sort of sounded like heheheHA when he was planning on destroying someone or getting his own way over everyone.

 

[Willie Oleson]

1. Gary Ewing's "Stan Laurel" moments in KNOTS LANDING. The most extraordinary laughter I've ever seen/heard in a soap.

2. Pam Ewing - DALLAS. Beautiful, sparkly and contagious.

3. Melissa Agretti - FALCON CREST. The perfect raunchy vixen laughter.

4. JR Ewing - DALLAS. For his trademark nasty-but-funny laughter.

5. Lilimae Clements - KNOTS LANDING. A most joyful cackle.

 

[Daniel Avery]

1. Gary Ewing (KL)'s contagious "belly laugh"--never faked, always a result of him finding something hysterically funny and just 'cutting loose'. Most memorably, he was telling Abby that he'd heard what he'd be inheriting in Jock's will. He was all dour and serious until he said "I guess it was daddy's way of saying HAVE A NICE DAY!!" and he practically doubled over laughing, while Abby just stood there not quite comprehending it.

2. Karen MacKenzie, KL. Granted, she didn't have many opportunities to exhibit her laughter, but it was great when it happened. Abby dropped by Karen's office to needle her about Jill Bennett "sniffing around" Mack. Karen, well aware that Jill was sleeping with Abby's husband Gary by that point, burst out laughing and kept laughing to such an extent that Abby ended her 'visit' and walked out of the office with a puzzled look on her face.

3. Greg Sumner, KL. Like others said, his laughter was usually AT someone rather than WITH someone. It was no small accomplishment for him to use that whole, huge set of teeth to laugh at Abby's latest failed scheme or Laura's latest bon mot tossed at Ruth.

4. Sable Colby, Colbys/Dynasty. Like Greg, she was usually getting the 'last laugh' on someone else, and like they say: he who laughs last, laughs best. The haughtier, the better!

5. Jack Ewing, Dallas. Hearing about his antics on Dallas is a revelation, since I recall DR doing the exact same fake-laugh all the time during his tenure as Grant Harrison on Another World...and it bugged the heck out of me! It had to be a "crutch" of the actor's that he could not shake.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

It had to be a "crutch" of the actor's that he could not shake.

Which is odd considering he seemed to spend half his time on the show shaking his "crutch".

 

[Mel O'Drama]

1. Gary Ewing
Knots Landing

An enjoyably manic "bwaaaah haaa haaaaaaaa" type laugh with added howl factor. Quite Gorshinesque.
Favourite example: repeatedly corpsing while shooting that party political video.



2. Greg Sumner
Knots Landing

Another terrific guffaw.
Favourite example: his response to his own daydream of Laura bugging his office.



3. Clayton Farlow
Dallas

I can't think of a specific scene, but I remember this rich, fruity, resounding chuckle reminiscent of James Earl Jones opening the quarterly cheque for his "Darth Vader money".



4. Constance Colby
The Colbys

The deep, throaty crackle of someone who smoked fifty a day for as many decades. In terms of sexy appeal it lies somewhere between Pam Ewing and Lizzie Birdsworth.



5. Karen Fairgate Mackenzie
Knots Landing

A very contagious laugh.
I wasn't going to mention Karen until @Avery Merry Christmas reminded me of the example above. Which was all the convincing I needed.

 

[Daniel Avery]

Which is odd considering he seemed to spend half his time on the show shaking his "crutch".

You say that like it's a bad thing.....

 

[Toni]

Oooops, I didn´t vote here yet...

1 - Queen Victoria (Dallas)
2 - Gary Ewing (Knots & Dallas)
3 - Melissa Agretti (FC)
4 - Pamela Sue Martin (Dynasty)
5 - Larry Hagman (Dallas)

 

[Victoriafan3]

Thank you for the ideas everyone So

1. Pam Dallas oh how I love her laugh, highly contagious
2. Jack Dallas for all the wrong reasons
3. Fallon I Dynasty
4. Sable Dynasty
5. Clayton Dallas

 

[Willie Oleson]

I don't recall the scene itself but I remember reading in @James from Lapland's versus-versus thread that Knots' Frank Williams did the hardest and longest laughter ever.

 

[Jock Og]

1) Gary Ewing: I suppose the best way I describe his laughter is full throttle. IMHO it was the biggest and the best. - KNOTS LANDING.

2) Pamela Barnes Ewing: The real hearty type. - DALLAS.

3) Clayton Farlow: Howard Keel's character had like a guffaw laugh, off the top of my head. - DALLAS.

4) Melissa Agretti Cumson Gioberti Cumson: A cackle from the vineyard owner and eighties vixen. - FALCON CREST.

5) Richard Denault Channing: He had two types; firstly a snicker for when he got one over on a rival and secondly there was the cachinnation, which happened during the scene below. - FALCON CREST.


Angela isn't over the moon that Richard is her son; presumed dead at birth but who actually survived and was stolen, by her arch rival Jacqueline Perrault and Angela's first husband Douglas Channing.

There is an incident, in which Angela's pool man tries to blast Richard, with a revolver. A scene ensues which Richard believes is a candid camera moment, (a scene from season 7, 1987 - '88):

Angela: "Jacqueline Perrault is not your real mother. I am!"

Richard: "Oh!"

He then begins a fit of laughing, as Emma and Angela watch his antics.

Richard: "Oh god, where's the hidden camera boys?"

He then walks over to one of Angela's hedges, "come on, come on out of the bushes. The game is over. The jigs up."

Richard then puts his hands on Emma and Angela's shoulders. He then says to his new found mother, "damn it woman, you know I just love your sense of humour."

He walks away from them.

Angela speaks to him again: "You might as well hear the rest of it."

 

[Gioberti84]

1 - Pam - Dallas
2 - Gary - Knots
3 - Greg - Knots
4 - Richard - FC
5 - Sable - Dynasty