Once More with Volume

Comedy ain't pretty.

Alice says something Betty finds shocking. "What?!" Betty asks indignantly. Cindy, The Ditz, repeats word for word what Alice said, mistaking the indignance for not having heard.

Examples:

Film
"Austin: [giving a massage] How does that feel, baby? Girl: Mmm, lower! Austin: [deeper voice] How does that feel, baby?"
 * Another variant in Austin Powers;

Live Action Television
"Rachel: Ross's mom once told me I was like the daughter she never had. Monica: What?! Phoebe: (loudly) She's like the daughter she never had."
 * Phoebe Buffay does it all the time:

"Stan: We're being audited. Dorothy: What?! Rose: (loudly) He said you're being audited."
 * Rose Nylund does it frequently, too:

"Alexander Armstrong: What would happen if we decided to shut down all the UK's power stations tomorrow? Paul Merton: It'd go dark at night. Alexander Armstrong: More sinister even than that. Paul Merton: It'd go dark at night! Bwahaha!"
 * A variant was used on Have I Got News for You where Paul Merton came close to giving the correct answer but not close enough. The then host, Angus Deayton, said "More precisely?" Paul Merton repeated exactly what he had just said but slower and with much more careful diction.
 * And then there was this exchange from a different episode:

"Sam: If the kidnapper's still at large we might be able to lure him out. Gene: How? Sam: That note was a cry for justice. Gene: And I ask again, only slightly louder, HOW?!!!"
 * He's done lots of those. "Lower" (when guessing at a number) made him use a deeper voice, "nearer" made him lean in, etc.
 * It was used multiple times in one episode of Night Court, always at Christine. Oh, and the last one came from a radio broadcast.
 * Life On Mars has the double act of Sam Tyler and Gene Hunt:

"Jim: Psst! Bobby! What does a yellow light mean? Bobby: Slow down. Jim: What, does, a, yellow, light, mean? Bobby: Slow down! Jim: What ... does ... a ... yellow ... light ... mean? Bobby: Slow down!! Jim: Whaaaat ...... dooooeeeess ...... aaaaa ...... yeeellllllooowww ......"
 * Used in one episode of Taxi, when Reverend Jim was taking the test to get a driver's license ...

Western Animation
"Mr. Garrison: How would you like to go to the principal's office?! Cartman: How would you like to suck my balls? Mr. Garrison: WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?! Cartman: Oh, I'm sorry...(produces a megaphone) HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SUCK MY BALLS, MR. GARRISON?"
 * From South Park:

"The Phantom: What did he/she say???? Raticus: He/She said that... The Phantom: I HEARD HIM/HER!!!!!"
 * Used as a Running Gag in the animated series Flying Rhino Junior High between The Phantom and Raticus:

"Dr. Wily: What do you mean, he escaped? ProtoMan: Escaped, as in departed, vamoosed, beat feet... Dr. Wily: I KNOW what the WORD means!"
 * A gem from the Ruby-Spears Mega Man cartoon:

Other

 * It's happened in MSN conversations. As if, the other person in the convo thought the text was too quiet to read.
 * WHAT?
 * It's happened in MSN conversations. As if, the other person in the convo thought the text was too quiet to read.