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Revision as of 12:31, 30 November 2006
This article is about the sound effect. For the punk rock band, see A Wilhelm Scream.The Wilhelm scream is a stock sound effect first used in 1951 for the movie Distant Drums. The scream was most likely vocalized by actor-singer Sheb Wooley, who later had a number one pop hit with the novelty song "Purple People Eater." It has been featured in dozens of movies since. Alongside a certain recording of the cry of the Red-tailed Hawk, the "Universal telephone ring" , the Goofy holler and "castle thunder," it is probably one of the most well-known cinematic sound clichés.
History
The Wilhelm's revival came from Star Wars series sound designer Ben Burtt, who tracked down the original recording (which he found as a studio reel labeled "Man being eaten by alligator"). The recording was actually from a film from 1951 titled Distant Drums. Although Distant Drums was the first known use of the sound, Burtt named it after "Pvt. Wilhelm", a minor character who emitted the same scream in the 1953 movie The Charge at Feather River. Its use in the Star Wars films was the beginning of something of an in-joke amongst some sound designers of the film industry, especially at Skywalker Sound, and Weddington Productions (now a division of Technicolor Sound Services). They continue to try to incorporate it into movies wherever feasible; action movies are naturals, but film sound cognoscenti are particularly impressed when it is used naturally in films such as A Star Is Born (with Judy Garland), The Wild Bunch and A Goofy Movie. In a tribute to its origins, the clip was used in the film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom when the villain Mola Ram was eaten by crocodiles. It was also used in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade when an ambusher was killed during the attack on the German convoy.
Sheb Wooley is considered by many to be the most likely voice actor for the scream, having appeared on a memo as a voice extra for Distant Drums.
See also
References
- Wilhelm Scream origin and history on HollywoodLostAndFound.net
- A Wilhelm Scream filmography (cached version)
- Films with the keyword "Wilhelm Scream" at the Internet Movie Database
- Radio report about the Wilhelm scream, with transcript and audio examples of uses of the scream
- Film Sound Clichés at FilmSound.org
- Article: The Silver Scream: Wilhelm and Immortality
External links
- The Wilhelm Scream in .wav sound format
- Several examples including some from George Lucas' movies and coverage of the surrounding story can be heard in the last segment of the December 30, 2005 edition of NPR's On the Media.
- The Wilhelm Scream Compilation
- Panopticist: A Screaming Comes Across the Screen (another Wilhelm Scream compilation)