Episode 144. For thousands of years, the art of the visual medium has entertained audiences. But is sight and sound enough? What if you could smell the story, too? Hans Laube developed a system for incorporating smell into film in the 1930s, and worked to get his invention into theaters. Morgan and Emileigh explore the history of smell and other senses into film, and the highs and lows of each.
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Stupid History: A Collection of Stupidity, Strangeness, and Mythconceptions Through the Ages by Leland Gregory, 2019. Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC. Kansas City.
“Hollywood And Its Efforts to Introduce the Wacky World of Smell-O-Vision” by Gilles Messier (Apr 3 2023)
“The Idea of Smell-O-Vision Has Been Around for Over a Century. AI May Finally Make It Work” by Michael Wolf (Aug 20 2024)
“Smell-O-Vision: The Curious Case of Cinema’s Forgotten Sense” by Kate Holtz (Aug 7 2025)
https://www.massiveactionmedia.com/post/history-of-smell-o-vision
“The Story of the Smell-O-Vision Wars”
https://hyscent.com/the-story-of-the-smell-o-vision-wars/
https://www.uflib.ufl.edu/SPEC/belknap/exhibit2002/smell.htm
“A Brief History about Hans Laube” by Carmen Laube (Jan 01 2016; updated Dec 21 2025)
https://www.in70mm.com/presents/1960_smell_o_vision/library/hans_laube/index.htm
“In Glorious Smell-O-Vision! scented documentary”
“Smell-o-vision screens let you really smell the coffee” by Hal Hodson (Mar 26 2013)
“Best ever April Fools’ pranks” (Mar 30 2007)
https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/best-ever-april-fools-pranks-2mcmmb8hlwn
“Smell O vision 2026” (Jan 3 2026)
https://olorama.com/smell-o-vision/
Sound Credits:
Music by Julius H. from Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/music/marching-band-cheerful-march-happy-march-music-292405/
