The story
From take (“a visible (facial) response to something”) as used in acting, especially in comedy.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
double take
Today it means: An abrupt movement, used, for example, as a comical reaction to a surprising sight, in which someone casually sees something, briefly stops looking at it, realizes what it is, and snaps attention back to it with an expression of surprise or disbelief. Full definition →