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{{Short description|Widely used sound effect}} {{Short description|Widely used sound effect}}
{{About|2=the band|3=A Wilhelm Scream|4=the song by James Blake|5=The Wilhelm Scream}} {{About|2=the band|3=A Wilhelm Scream|4=the song by James Blake|5=The Wilhelm Scream}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}

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| caption2 = Audio sample of the Wilhelm Scream | caption2 = Audio sample of the Wilhelm scream
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| caption3 = Complete recording session of the Wilhelm scream | caption3 = Complete recording session of the Wilhelm scream
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The '''Wilhelm scream''' is a ] that has been used in a number of films and TV series, beginning in 1951 with the film '']''. The scream is usually used when someone is shot, falls from a great height, or is thrown from an explosion. The sound is named after Private Wilhelm, a character in '']'', a 1953 ] in which the character gets shot in the thigh with an arrow. This was its first use following its inclusion in the ] stock sound library, although ''The Charge at Feather River'' was the third film to use the effect. The scream is believed to be voiced by actor ]. It was featured in all of the original '']'' films. The '''Wilhelm scream''' is an iconic ] that has been used in countless films, TV series, and other media, first originating from the 1951 movie '']''. The scream is usually used in many scenarios when someone is shot, falls from a great height, or is thrown from an explosion. The scream is named after Private Wilhelm, a character in '']'', a 1953 ] in which the character gets shot in the thigh with an arrow. This was its first use following its inclusion in the ] stock sound library, although ''The Charge at Feather River'' was the third film to use the effect. The scream is thought to be voiced by actor ]. It was featured in all of the original '']'' films.


==History== ==History==
⚫ ] ]]
The Wilhelm scream originates from a series of sound effects recorded for the 1951 movie '']''.<ref name="Wired" /><ref name="times" /> In a scene from the film, soldiers fleeing ] are wading through a swamp in the ], and one of them is bitten and dragged underwater by an ]. The screams for that scene, and other scenes in the movie, were recorded later in a single take. The recording was titled "Man getting bit by an alligator, and he screams." The fifth take of the scream was used for the soldier in the alligator scene.<ref name="times" /><ref name="Lost1" />{{efn|The fourth and sixth screams recorded in the session were used earlier in the film, reportedly when several ] are shot during a raid on an ].}} That take, which later became known as the "Wilhelm scream", is thought to have been voiced by actor ] (who also played the uncredited role of Pvt. Jessup in ''Distant Drums'').<ref name="Widow" /> The Wilhelm scream originates from a series of sound effects recorded for the 1951 movie '']''.<ref name="Wired" /><ref name="times" /> In a scene from the film, soldiers fleeing a ] group are wading through a swamp in the ], and one of them is bitten and dragged underwater by an ]. The screams for that scene, and other scenes in the movie, were recorded later in a single take. The recording was titled "Man getting bit by an alligator, and he screams." The fourth take of the scream was used for the soldier in the alligator scene.<ref name="times" /><ref name="Lost1" />{{efn|The fourth and sixth screams recorded in the session were used earlier in the film, reportedly when several ] are shot during a raid on a ].}} That take, which later became known as the "Wilhelm scream", is thought to have been voiced by actor ] (who also played the uncredited role of Pvt. Jessup in ''Distant Drums'').<ref name="Widow" />


Because of the costs of creating sound effects was expensive at that time, the scream was reused in a number of other ] films in that era.<ref name="cbs morning">{{cite video | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Fm39bUqjqU | title = An iconic Hollywood sound effect called the Wilhelm scream was uncovered in an archive | publisher = ] | date = June 28, 2023 | accessdate = June 30, 2023 }}</ref> These films include ] (1954),<ref name="Lost1" /> '']'' (1954), '']'' (1955), '']'' (1955), '']'' (1960), '']'' (1963), '']'' (1969),<ref>{{cite web |title=Facts about "The Wild Bunch" (p3) : Classic Movie Hub (CMH) |url=https://www.classicmoviehub.com/facts-and-trivia/film/the-wild-bunch-1969/page/3/ |website=Classic Movie Hub - CMH |access-date=2023-06-17 |archive-date=2016-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407193003/http://www.classicmoviehub.com/facts-and-trivia/film/the-wild-bunch-1969/page/3/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and '']'' (1968).<ref name="Lost1" /> Because the costs of creating sound effects were high at that time, the scream was reused in a number of other ] films in that era.<ref name="cbs morning">{{cite video | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Fm39bUqjqU | title = An iconic Hollywood sound effect called the Wilhelm scream was uncovered in an archive | publisher = ] | date = June 28, 2023 | access-date = June 30, 2023 }}</ref> In addition to '']'' (1953),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/04/23/wilhelm-scream/ |title=The origin of the Wilhelm scream, the most famous sound effect in the history of cinema |first=Domagoj |last=Valjak |date=April 23, 2018 |access-date=August 24, 2018 |work=The Vintage News}}</ref> other films using the scream include ] (1954),<ref name="Lost1" /> '']'' (1954), '']'' (1955), '']'' (1955), '']'' (1960), '']'' (1963), '']'' (1969),<ref>{{cite web |title=Facts about "The Wild Bunch" (p3) : Classic Movie Hub (CMH) |url=https://www.classicmoviehub.com/facts-and-trivia/film/the-wild-bunch-1969/page/3/ |website=Classic Movie Hub - CMH |access-date=June 17, 2023 |archive-date=April 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407193003/http://www.classicmoviehub.com/facts-and-trivia/film/the-wild-bunch-1969/page/3/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and '']'' (1968).<ref name="Lost1" />


The Wilhelm scream became iconic in popular culture when motion picture sound designer ], who had come across the original recording on a studio archive sound reel, incorporated it into the scene in '']'' (1977) in which ] shoots a ] off a ledge. The effect is heard as the Stormtrooper is falling.<ref name="Wired" /><ref name="StarSound" /> Burtt named the scream after Pvt. Wilhelm, and adopted it as his personal sound signature.<ref name="Lost1" /> Burtt also found use for the effect in '']'' (1979); and over the next decades he incorporated it into other films that he worked on, such as '']'' (1988),<ref name="Lost1" /> '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']''<ref name="cbs morning"/> and several ] and ] films. Notably, the rest of the '']'' films made under Lucas,<ref name="Wired" /> as well as all the '']'' movies included the effect.<ref name="ABC" /><ref name="Wired" />{{efn|In February 2018, it was announced that the ''Star Wars'' franchise would no longer use the Wilhelm scream, with '']'' (2015) being the last film in the series to use it.<ref name="retired" /><ref name="CBR" />}} The Wilhelm scream became iconic in popular culture when motion picture sound designer ], who had come across the original recording on a studio archive sound reel, incorporated it into the scene in '']'' (1977) in which ] shoots a ] off a ledge. The effect is heard as the Stormtrooper is falling.<ref name="Wired" /><ref name="StarSound" /> Burtt named the scream after Pvt. Wilhelm, a minor character from ''The Charge at Feather River'' who appears to emit the scream, and adopted it as his personal sound signature.<ref name="Lost1" /> Burtt also found use for the effect in '']'' (1979); and over the next decades he incorporated it into other films that he worked on, such as '']'' (1988),<ref name="Lost1" /> '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']''<ref name="cbs morning"/> and several ] and ] films. Notably, the rest of the '']'' films made under Lucas<ref name="Wired" /> and all the '']'' movies included the effect.<ref name="ABC" /><ref name="Wired" />{{efn|It was announced in February 2018 that the ''Star Wars'' franchise would no longer use the Wilhelm scream, with '']'' (2015) being the last film in the series to use it.<ref name="retired" /><ref name="CBR" />}}


Following its use in ''Star Wars'', other sound designers have picked up and used the sound effect in works. Inclusion of the sound in films became a tradition among a certain community of sound designers.<ref name="on-the-media" /> Following its use in ''Star Wars'', other sound designers have picked up and used the sound effect in works. Inclusion of the sound in films became a tradition among a certain community of sound designers.<ref name="on-the-media" />


As of mid 2023, the scream had not been made available in any commercial sound effects library.<ref name="ABC" /> The entire collection of original sources of the sound effects made by Sunset Editorial, which includes the Wilhelm scream, was donated to the ] in 1990.<ref name="freesoundcraigsmith" /> In 2023, Craig Smith released a copy of the complete recording from the original session on ] on behalf of the USC under the ] license, along with the rest of Sunset Editorial sound effects.<ref name="freesoundcraigsmith">{{cite web |url=https://blog.freesound.org/?p=1515 |title=Preserving the Sunset Editorial Sound Effects Library from the USC Archive |first=Craig |last=Smith |date=2023-03-10 |access-date=2023-04-08 |archive-date=2023-04-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408155643/https://blog.freesound.org/?p=1515 |url-status=live }}</ref> On May 20, 2023, the entire collection of Sunset Editorial SFX was mirrored in the ] (also under the CC0 license) for the purpose of enabling a wider distribution, especially thanks to its ] support.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Scott |first1=Jason |author1-link=Jason Scott |title=CRASH! BARK! BOOM! The USC Sound Effects Library |url=https://blog.archive.org/2023/05/20/crash-bark-boom-the-usc-sound-effects-library/ |website=] |archive-url=https://archive.today/2023.05.31-185859/https://blog.archive.org/2023/05/20/crash-bark-boom-the-usc-sound-effects-library/ |archive-date=31 May 2023 |date=20 May 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> As of mid-2023, the scream had not been made available in any commercial sound effects library.<ref name="ABC" /> The entire collection of original sources of the sound effects made by Sunset Editorial, which includes the Wilhelm scream, was donated to the ] in 1990.<ref name="freesoundcraigsmith" /> In 2023, Craig Smith released a copy of the complete recording from the original session on ] on behalf of the USC under the ] license, along with the rest of Sunset Editorial sound effects.<ref name="freesoundcraigsmith">{{cite web |url=https://blog.freesound.org/?p=1515 |title=Preserving the Sunset Editorial Sound Effects Library from the USC Archive |first=Craig |last=Smith |date=March 10, 2023 |access-date=April 8, 2023 |archive-date=April 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408155643/https://blog.freesound.org/?p=1515 |url-status=live }}</ref> On May 20, 2023, the entire collection of Sunset Editorial SFX was mirrored in the ] (also under the CC0 license) for the purpose of enabling a wider distribution, especially thanks to its ] support.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Scott |first1=Jason |author1-link=Jason Scott |title=CRASH! BARK! BOOM! The USC Sound Effects Library |url=https://blog.archive.org/2023/05/20/crash-bark-boom-the-usc-sound-effects-library/ |website=] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230531185859/https://blog.archive.org/2023/05/20/crash-bark-boom-the-usc-sound-effects-library/ |archive-date=May 31, 2023 |date=May 20, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Also, the scream has been used in many YouTube videos as a joke among the internet. It has been used in many scenes where someone falls to their death, being struck by a weapon, being knocked out, being thrown by other person, or being hit.


===Voice of the scream=== ===Voice of the scream===
Research by Burtt suggests that Wooley, best known for his 1958 novelty song "]", and his character of Indian scout Pete Nolan on the television series '']'', is likely to have been the voice actor who originally performed the scream. This has been supported by an interview in 2005 with Linda Dotson, Wooley's widow.<ref name="Widow" /> Burtt discovered records at ] from the editor of ''Distant Drums'', including a short list of names of actors scheduled to record lines of dialogue for miscellaneous roles in the movie. Wooley was one of a few actors assembled for the recording of additional "pick-up" vocal elements for the film. Dotson confirmed Wooley's scream had been in many Westerns, adding that he "always used to joke about how he was so great about screaming and dying in films."<ref name="times" /><ref name="ABC" /> Research by Burtt suggests that Wooley, best known for his 1958 novelty song "]" and his character of American Indian scout Pete Nolan on the television series '']'', is likely to have been the voice actor who originally performed the scream. This has been supported by an interview in 2005 with Linda Dotson, Wooley's widow.<ref name="Widow" /> Burtt discovered records at Warner Bros. from the editor of ''Distant Drums'', including a short list of names of actors scheduled to record lines of dialogue for miscellaneous roles in the movie. Wooley was one of a few actors assembled for the recording of additional "pick-up" vocal elements for the film. Dotson confirmed Wooley's scream had been in many Westerns, adding that he "always used to joke about how he was so great about screaming and dying in films."<ref name="times" /><ref name="ABC" />


==Uses== ==Uses==
⚫ Since the late 20th century, the Wilhelm scream had been used in numerous films. The ] says the yelp has been featured in more than 400 films.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dudley |first=Joshua |date=June 22, 2023 |title=The Wilhelm Scream: The History of Film's Most Popular Sound Effect |url=https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/wilhelm-scream-explained-75982/ |website=]}}</ref>
⚫ ] ]]

===In films===
⚫ Since the late 20th century, the Wilhelm scream had been used in numerous films. The ] says the yell has been featured in more than 400 films.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dudley |first=Joshua |date=2023-06-22 |title=The Wilhelm Scream: The History of Film’s Most Popular Sound Effect |url=https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/wilhelm-scream-explained-75982/ |website=]}}</ref>

Sound designer ] included the effect in his 2006 directorial debut, the ] short film '']'',<ref name="Wired" /><ref name="AWN" /> as well as '']'' (1995), '']'' (1997), and '']'' (2003).<ref name="Lost1" /> The sound effect is heard in '']'' (1992),<ref name="Lost1" /> '']'' (1993), '']'' (2002), '']'' (2009), '']'' (2003),<ref name="Lost1" /> ] (2009),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Poitras |first=Amanda |date=2013-03-15 |title=The Famous "Wilhelm Scream" Heard in Over 200 Films is Thought to Have Come from the Vocal Talents of the Guy Who Wrote and Sang the Song "Purple People Eater" |url=https://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/03/the-famous-wilhelm-scream-heard-in-200-films-is-thought-to-have-come-from-the-vocal-talents-of-the-guy-who-wrote-and-performed-the-song-purple-people-eater/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130317040318/https://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/03/the-famous-wilhelm-scream-heard-in-200-films-is-thought-to-have-come-from-the-vocal-talents-of-the-guy-who-wrote-and-performed-the-song-purple-people-eater/ |archive-date=2013-03-17 |access-date=2023-08-12 |website=Today I Found Out |language=en-US}}</ref> '']'' (2019),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hutchinson |first=Sean |date=2018-08-16 |title=What Is the Wilhelm Scream? |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/60236/where-did-wilhelm-scream-come-and-why-do-so-many-filmmakers-use-it |access-date=2023-08-12 |website=Mental Floss |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-06-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628002354/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/60236/where-did-wilhelm-scream-come-and-why-do-so-many-filmmakers-use-it |url-status=live }}</ref> '']'' (2004), '']'' (2012), '']'' (2005), '']'' (2006), '']'' (1998), '']'' (2008), '']'' (2018), '']'' (2019), '']'' (2002), '']'' (2022), and throughout the '']'', '']'' and '']'' franchises.<ref name="Wired" /> The effect has appeared in many animated ] and Pixar films, such as '']'', '']'',<ref name="Wired" /> and '']'' franchises, and '']'' (1995).<ref name="Wired" /> Weddington Productions—that employs such sound directors as ], ], Steve Lee and George Simpson—and is owned by Burtt's friend and colleague, Richard Anderson, have used the effect in productions of '']'' (1991), '']'' (1992), ] (1996), '']'' (1997), '']'' (2001), '']'' (2001), '']'' (2003), and '']'' (2003).{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}} Anderson also incorporated the sound effect in to '']'' (1982), '']'' (1992), '']'' (2001), '']'' (2003), and '']'' (2005). Director ], beginning with his first major film, '']'' (1976), included it in his later films '']'' (1985), '']'' (1987), '']'' (1990), '']'' (1997), '']'' (1993), and '']'' (2003).<ref name="Lost1" />

===In TV===
The Wilhelm scream has made its way into television series, such as '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'',<ref name="Lost1" /> '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'' (2012), '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'' (2016), '']'' (2012), '']'', '']'', '']'',<ref name="Lost1" /> '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', ''Stand Up and Away with Brian Regan'', '']'' (2023), and every episode in the first season of ''Killer Karaoke''.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

===In video and other media===
Video games have made use of the scream, as it is heard in video games such as '']'' (during ]),<ref name="Guinness" /> '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'' (during a cutscene of the DLC Zaeed - The Price of Revenge), '']'', '']'' (during the intro cinematic), ], ],{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}} and '']''.<ref name="on-the-media" /> The scream can be found in commercials for Dell Computers and the Comcast streaming service.<ref name="Lost1" /> The Star Trek Adventure at Universal Studios, The Batman Adventure at Warner Brothers Movie World, and "Golden Dreams" (playing at Disney's California Adventure) all use the sound effect.<ref name="Lost1" />


==See also== ==See also==
* ] * ]


== Explanatory notes == == Explanatory notes ==
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{{reflist|refs= {{reflist|refs=
<ref name="times">{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrgggggghhh-v62r36ldbvv |title=Aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrgggggghhh!! (Paywalled) |last=Malvern |first=Jack |date=May 21, 2005 |newspaper=] |access-date=December 12, 2009 |archive-date=December 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212084329/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrgggggghhh-v62r36ldbvv |url-status=live }}</ref> <ref name="times">{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrgggggghhh-v62r36ldbvv |title=Aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrgggggghhh!! (Paywalled) |last=Malvern |first=Jack |date=May 21, 2005 |newspaper=] |access-date=December 12, 2009 |archive-date=December 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212084329/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrgggggghhh-v62r36ldbvv |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="on-the-media">{{citation | work=] |title=Wilhelm |date=December 30, 2005 |first1=Bob |last1=Garfield |first2=Brooke |last2=Gladstone}}</ref> <ref name="on-the-media">{{cite podcast |url= https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/segments/128898-wilhelm |title=Wilhelm |website=] |publisher=WNYC Studios |date=December 30, 2005 |access-date=October 13, 2024}}</ref>
<ref name="Wired">{{cite magazine | url=https://www.wired.com/entertainment/hollywood/magazine/15-10/st_scream |magazine=] |title=Cue the Scream: Meet Hollywood's Go-To Shriek |issue=10 |date=September 25, 2007 |first=James |last=Lee |volume=15 |access-date=December 26, 2017}}</ref> <ref name="Wired">{{cite magazine | url=https://www.wired.com/entertainment/hollywood/magazine/15-10/st_scream |magazine=] |title=Cue the Scream: Meet Hollywood's Go-To Shriek |issue=10 |date=September 25, 2007 |first=James |last=Lee |volume=15 |access-date=December 26, 2017}}</ref>
<ref name="ABC">{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=3728693&page=1 |newspaper=] |title=Does That Scream Sound Familiar? |date=October 14, 2007 |access-date=December 26, 2017 |archive-date=October 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001220204/http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Story?id=3728693&page=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> <ref name="ABC">{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=3728693&page=1 |newspaper=] |title=Does That Scream Sound Familiar? |date=October 14, 2007 |access-date=December 26, 2017 |archive-date=October 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001220204/http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Story?id=3728693&page=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="StarSound">{{cite book |last=Rinzler |first=J. W. |title=The Sounds of Star Wars |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oCFlRwAACAAJ |year=2010 |publisher=] |location=San Francisco |isbn=978-0-8118-7546-2 |pages=304 |access-date=2020-09-13 |archive-date=2020-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106152645/https://books.google.com/books?id=oCFlRwAACAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> <ref name="StarSound">{{cite book |last=Rinzler |first=J. W. |title=The Sounds of Star Wars |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oCFlRwAACAAJ |year=2010 |publisher=] |location=San Francisco |isbn=978-0-8118-7546-2 |pages=304 |access-date=September 13, 2020 |archive-date=November 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106152645/https://books.google.com/books?id=oCFlRwAACAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="Lost1">{{cite web |url=http://www.hollywoodlostandfound.net/wilhelm/index.html |title=The Wilhelm Scream |work=Hollywood Lost and Found |first=Steve |last=Lee |date=May 17, 2005 |access-date=December 26, 2017 |editor-first=Ben |editor-last=Burtt |editor2-first=Richard |editor2-last=Anderson |editor3-first=Rick |editor3-last=Mitchell |editor4-first=Gary |editor4-last=Rydstrom |editor5-first=Curt |editor5-last=Schulkey |editor6-first=Chris |editor6-last=Boyes |editor7-first=David |editor7-last=Whittaker |editor8-first=David |editor8-last=Stone |editor9-first=Phil |editor9-last=Kovats |editor10-first=David |editor10-last=Fein |editor11-first=Chris |editor11-last=Linke |editor12-first=Jack |editor12-last=Malvern |editor13-first=Linda |editor13-last=Dotson-Wooley |archive-date=December 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171217042933/http://www.hollywoodlostandfound.net/wilhelm/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> <ref name="Lost1">{{cite web |url=http://www.hollywoodlostandfound.net/wilhelm/index.html |title=The Wilhelm Scream |work=Hollywood Lost and Found |first=Steve |last=Lee |date=May 17, 2005 |access-date=December 26, 2017 |editor-first=Ben |editor-last=Burtt |editor2-first=Richard |editor2-last=Anderson |editor3-first=Rick |editor3-last=Mitchell |editor4-first=Gary |editor4-last=Rydstrom |editor5-first=Curt |editor5-last=Schulkey |editor6-first=Chris |editor6-last=Boyes |editor7-first=David |editor7-last=Whittaker |editor8-first=David |editor8-last=Stone |editor9-first=Phil |editor9-last=Kovats |editor10-first=David |editor10-last=Fein |editor11-first=Chris |editor11-last=Linke |editor12-first=Jack |editor12-last=Malvern |editor13-first=Linda |editor13-last=Dotson-Wooley |archive-date=December 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171217042933/http://www.hollywoodlostandfound.net/wilhelm/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="retired">{{cite web |url=https://uproxx.com/hitfix/star-wars-wilhelm-scream/ |title=A 'Star Wars' Tradition Dating Back To The Original Movie Has Been Retired |first=Josh |last=Kurp |date=21 February 2018 |access-date=24 August 2018 |work=] |archive-date=24 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180824065756/https://uproxx.com/hitfix/star-wars-wilhelm-scream/ |url-status=live }}</ref> <ref name="retired">{{cite web |url=https://uproxx.com/hitfix/star-wars-wilhelm-scream/ |title=A 'Star Wars' Tradition Dating Back To The Original Movie Has Been Retired |first=Josh |last=Kurp |date=February 21, 2018 |access-date=August 24, 2018 |work=] |archive-date=August 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180824065756/https://uproxx.com/hitfix/star-wars-wilhelm-scream/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="CBR">{{cite web |url=https://www.cbr.com/star-wars-wilhelm-scream/ |title=Star Wars Has Abandoned the Iconic Wilhelm Scream |first=Ananda |last=Dillon |date=21 February 2018 |access-date=24 August 2018 |work=] |archive-date=23 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180823233712/https://www.cbr.com/star-wars-wilhelm-scream/ |url-status=live }}</ref> <ref name="CBR">{{cite web |url=https://www.cbr.com/star-wars-wilhelm-scream/ |title=Star Wars Has Abandoned the Iconic Wilhelm Scream |first=Ananda |last=Dillon |date=February 21, 2018 |access-date=August 24, 2018 |work=] |archive-date=August 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180823233712/https://www.cbr.com/star-wars-wilhelm-scream/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="AWN">{{Cite web| url=https://www.awn.com/animationworld/2007s-oscar-nominated-animated-shorts-three-fords-vespa-and-kit-bike| title=2007's Oscar-Nominated Animated Shorts: Three Fords, a Vespa and a Kit Bike| website=Animation World Network| language=en| access-date=2019-08-10| archive-date=2023-08-16| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816214907/https://www.awn.com/animationworld/2007s-oscar-nominated-animated-shorts-three-fords-vespa-and-kit-bike| url-status=live}}</ref> <ref name="Widow">{{Cite web |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article524937.ece |title=''Times'' article in which Sheb Wooley's widow states her belief that her husband was the man behind the scream |access-date=April 27, 2008 |archive-date=October 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191017125348/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
<ref name="Guinness">{{cite book |title=Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2015 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8OUkBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA45 |publisher=] |date=6 November 2014 |page=45 |isbn=9781908843715 |access-date=13 September 2020 |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624214230/https://books.google.com/books?id=8OUkBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA45 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="Widow">{{Cite web |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article524937.ece |title=''Times'' article in which Sheb Wooley's widow states her belief that her husband was the man behind the scream |access-date=2008-04-27 |archive-date=2019-10-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191017125348/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
}} }}


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Widely used sound effect For the band, see A Wilhelm Scream. For the song by James Blake, see The Wilhelm Scream.

Audio sample of the Wilhelm screamComplete recording session of the Wilhelm scream

The Wilhelm scream is an iconic stock sound effect that has been used in countless films, TV series, and other media, first originating from the 1951 movie Distant Drums. The scream is usually used in many scenarios when someone is shot, falls from a great height, or is thrown from an explosion. The scream is named after Private Wilhelm, a character in The Charge at Feather River, a 1953 Western in which the character gets shot in the thigh with an arrow. This was its first use following its inclusion in the Warner Bros. stock sound library, although The Charge at Feather River was the third film to use the effect. The scream is thought to be voiced by actor Sheb Wooley. It was featured in all of the original Star Wars films.

History

The voice of the scream, Sheb Wooley

The Wilhelm scream originates from a series of sound effects recorded for the 1951 movie Distant Drums. In a scene from the film, soldiers fleeing a Seminole group are wading through a swamp in the Everglades, and one of them is bitten and dragged underwater by an alligator. The screams for that scene, and other scenes in the movie, were recorded later in a single take. The recording was titled "Man getting bit by an alligator, and he screams." The fourth take of the scream was used for the soldier in the alligator scene. That take, which later became known as the "Wilhelm scream", is thought to have been voiced by actor Sheb Wooley (who also played the uncredited role of Pvt. Jessup in Distant Drums).

Because the costs of creating sound effects were high at that time, the scream was reused in a number of other Warner Bros. films in that era. In addition to The Charge at Feather River (1953), other films using the scream include A Star Is Born (1954), Them! (1954), Land of the Pharaohs (1955), The Sea Chase (1955), Sergeant Rutledge (1960), PT 109 (1963), The Wild Bunch (1969), and The Green Berets (1968).

The Wilhelm scream became iconic in popular culture when motion picture sound designer Ben Burtt, who had come across the original recording on a studio archive sound reel, incorporated it into the scene in Star Wars (1977) in which Luke Skywalker shoots a Stormtrooper off a ledge. The effect is heard as the Stormtrooper is falling. Burtt named the scream after Pvt. Wilhelm, a minor character from The Charge at Feather River who appears to emit the scream, and adopted it as his personal sound signature. Burtt also found use for the effect in More American Graffiti (1979); and over the next decades he incorporated it into other films that he worked on, such as Willow (1988), Gremlins, Anchorman, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Lethal Weapon 4, The Fifth Element and several George Lucas and Steven Spielberg films. Notably, the rest of the Star Wars films made under Lucas and all the Indiana Jones movies included the effect.

Following its use in Star Wars, other sound designers have picked up and used the sound effect in works. Inclusion of the sound in films became a tradition among a certain community of sound designers.

As of mid-2023, the scream had not been made available in any commercial sound effects library. The entire collection of original sources of the sound effects made by Sunset Editorial, which includes the Wilhelm scream, was donated to the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 1990. In 2023, Craig Smith released a copy of the complete recording from the original session on Freesound on behalf of the USC under the CC0 license, along with the rest of Sunset Editorial sound effects. On May 20, 2023, the entire collection of Sunset Editorial SFX was mirrored in the Internet Archive (also under the CC0 license) for the purpose of enabling a wider distribution, especially thanks to its BitTorrent support.

Also, the scream has been used in many YouTube videos as a joke among the internet. It has been used in many scenes where someone falls to their death, being struck by a weapon, being knocked out, being thrown by other person, or being hit.

Voice of the scream

Research by Burtt suggests that Wooley, best known for his 1958 novelty song "The Purple People Eater" and his character of American Indian scout Pete Nolan on the television series Rawhide, is likely to have been the voice actor who originally performed the scream. This has been supported by an interview in 2005 with Linda Dotson, Wooley's widow. Burtt discovered records at Warner Bros. from the editor of Distant Drums, including a short list of names of actors scheduled to record lines of dialogue for miscellaneous roles in the movie. Wooley was one of a few actors assembled for the recording of additional "pick-up" vocal elements for the film. Dotson confirmed Wooley's scream had been in many Westerns, adding that he "always used to joke about how he was so great about screaming and dying in films."

Uses

Since the late 20th century, the Wilhelm scream had been used in numerous films. The National Science and Media Museum says the yelp has been featured in more than 400 films.

See also

Explanatory notes

  1. The fourth and sixth screams recorded in the session were used earlier in the film, reportedly when several Native Americans are shot during a raid on a U.S. Army fort.
  2. It was announced in February 2018 that the Star Wars franchise would no longer use the Wilhelm scream, with The Force Awakens (2015) being the last film in the series to use it.

References

  1. ^ Lee, James (September 25, 2007). "Cue the Scream: Meet Hollywood's Go-To Shriek". Wired. Vol. 15, no. 10. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  2. ^ Malvern, Jack (May 21, 2005). "Aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrgggggghhh!! (Paywalled)". The Times. Archived from the original on December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2009.
  3. ^ Lee, Steve (May 17, 2005). Burtt, Ben; Anderson, Richard; Mitchell, Rick; Rydstrom, Gary; Schulkey, Curt; Boyes, Chris; Whittaker, David; Stone, David; Kovats, Phil; Fein, David; Linke, Chris; Malvern, Jack; Dotson-Wooley, Linda (eds.). "The Wilhelm Scream". Hollywood Lost and Found. Archived from the original on December 17, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  4. ^ "Times article in which Sheb Wooley's widow states her belief that her husband was the man behind the scream". Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2008.
  5. ^ An iconic Hollywood sound effect called the Wilhelm scream was uncovered in an archive. CBS News. June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  6. Valjak, Domagoj (April 23, 2018). "The origin of the Wilhelm scream, the most famous sound effect in the history of cinema". The Vintage News. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  7. "Facts about "The Wild Bunch" (p3) : Classic Movie Hub (CMH)". Classic Movie Hub - CMH. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  8. Rinzler, J. W. (2010). The Sounds of Star Wars. San Francisco: Simon & Schuster. p. 304. ISBN 978-0-8118-7546-2. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  9. ^ "Does That Scream Sound Familiar?". ABC News. October 14, 2007. Archived from the original on October 1, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  10. Kurp, Josh (February 21, 2018). "A 'Star Wars' Tradition Dating Back To The Original Movie Has Been Retired". Uproxx. Archived from the original on August 24, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  11. Dillon, Ananda (February 21, 2018). "Star Wars Has Abandoned the Iconic Wilhelm Scream". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on August 23, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  12. "Wilhelm". On the Media (Podcast). WNYC Studios. December 30, 2005. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  13. ^ Smith, Craig (March 10, 2023). "Preserving the Sunset Editorial Sound Effects Library from the USC Archive". Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  14. Scott, Jason (May 20, 2023). "CRASH! BARK! BOOM! The USC Sound Effects Library". Internet Archive. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023.
  15. Dudley, Joshua (June 22, 2023). "The Wilhelm Scream: The History of Film's Most Popular Sound Effect". Backstage.

External links

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