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Wilhelm scream

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For the punk rock band, see A Wilhelm Scream.

The Wilhelm scream is a stock sound effect first used in 1951 for the film Distant Drums. Actor-singer Sheb Wooley is considered to be the most likely voice actor for the scream, having appeared on a memo as a voice extra for the film.

The Wilhelm scream has been featured in many films and television programs since. Alongside a certain recording of the cry of the Red-tailed Hawk, the "Universal telephone ring"[1], the Goofy holler, the Tarzan yell and "Castle thunder", it is probably one of the best-known cinematic sound clichés. There is even a New Bedford, MA rock/punk band named A Wilhelm Scream.

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 labelled "Man being eaten by alligator"). 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 film The Charge at Feather River.

Although the identity of the individual who recorded the scream (which was actually one of a series of six) remains unknown, researcher and Star Wars sound effects editor Ben Burtt uncovered documentation suggesting the scream might have been recorded by singer Sheb Wooley, who was one of the actors in Distant Drums.[2]

Usage

The Wilhelm scream is often used when a character is plummeting to a great distance, usually falling off a ledge. Its use in the Star Wars films was the beginning of something of an in-joke among some sound designers of the film industry, especially at Skywalker Sound, and Weddington Productions (now a division of Technicolor Sound Services). They continued to try to incorporate it into films wherever feasible.

Because of the popularity of the sound, people are still finding it in older movies and shows. The following is a list of media that has been found that uses the Wilhelm scream.

Movie franchises

1950s

  • The Command (As an Indian is shot off his horse during an attack the wagon convoy attack)
  • The Charge at Feather River (By the character Wilhelm, who gave his name to the scream, and some other characters)
  • Distant Drums (The original use of the sound. Used when a character is eaten by an alligator and when three Indians are shot)
  • Helen of Troy (1956)
  • Land of the Pharaohs (A man is eaten by crocodiles)
  • The Sea Chase (1955)
  • Spoiler of the Plains (When Gregory Camwell falls from an oil derrick)
  • Springfield Rifle (1952)
  • A Star Is Born (1954 version with Judy Garland. In the projection room, During the song "Somewhere There's a Someone")
  • Them! (A giant ant attacks a boat crew; Also when Sgt. Ben Peterson is killed by an ant; And when a solder is struck by debris in a sewer)

1960s

  • The Green Berets (Before Peterson says "That's what its all about Mr. Beckworth!" Again when the villagers camp is attacked. Finally, you see a soldier pick up a VC and throw him to the ground)
  • Harper (Harper (Paul Newman) strikes Pudder (Roy Jenson)in the head with a rasp)
  • Impasse (Twice when Morrison (Burt Reynolds) and a thug fall to the bottom of some stairs and off a balcony, during a fight in a warehouse)
  • PT 109 (A crew member of PT-109 screams as Japanese destroyer smashes through the patrol boat)
  • Sergeant Rutledge (1960)
  • The Wild Bunch (A member of the Bunch is shot in the face during the opening scene of the movie)
  • Hercules Against the Moon Man (1964)

1970s

1980s

  • The Big Brawl (1980)
  • The 'Burbs (Hans, when he crashes the ambulance through the door of Art's house)
  • History of the World, Part I (1981)
  • Howard the Duck (film) (A duck hunter falls out of a boat shortly before Howard yells, "Banzai!")
  • Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (When two Nazi soldiers fall out of the back of a truck)
  • Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (When Indy is pushed into the band-stand in Club Obi-Wan. Again when Indy shoots driver of Lao Che's car. Finally, Mola Ram is eaten by alligators)
  • Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (When one soldier is killed with a grenade during the desert chase)
  • Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (During the funeral when attendees look towards the cliff off which Arthur has been chased,very faint.)
  • Poltergeist (After the family eats breakfast, Carol Anne Freeling is watching TV. A soldier dies)
  • Spaceballs (Barf uses a section of tubing to reflect four laser bolts back at guards,the fourth one hit screams)
  • Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (During the Hoth battle, a turret dish is destroyed. Also, Chewbacca throws a Stormtrooper during the carbonite scene)
  • Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (When Luke kills one of Jabba the Hutt's guards (a Weequay) above the Sarlacc Pit. Later, Han throws a bag of charges at an Imperial officer in the Endor bunker, knocking him backwards over a railing. That Imperial officer is sound designer Ben Burtt in a cameo appearance, who did his own impression of the "Wilhelm". In the Special Edition, a Stormtrooper does a Wilhelm while being savaged by a crowd, another occurs after another Weequay is knocked from a barge by Luke Skywalker, and when Boba Fett was knocked onto the Sarlaac)
  • Swamp Thing (The swamp thing grabs a thug and tosses him out his speedboat)
  • Willow (When the soldiers chariot crashes during chase scene, Also the Brownies trigger a larger spear)

1990s

  • Aladdin (As the villagers flee in terror when the Genie (under jafar's control) lifts the palace into the air)
  • Batman Returns (When Batman turns a corner, punches and grabs an enemy and hurls him towards a railing)
  • Beauty and the Beast (After Chip says, "You guys got to try this thing", during a fight between the villagers and the household objects)
  • Dante's Peak (Dr. Paul Dreyfus falls into the mudflow when the bridge gives way)
  • Die Hard: With a Vengeance ({Scream is truncated} John McClane (Bruce Willis) is driving through Central Park and almost hits a mime)
  • The Fifth Element (When Leeloo kicks the Mangalores into the hallway during the fight in Plavalaguna's chamber, very faint)
  • A Goofy Movie (During the song "On The Open Road", Goofy's car plows through a construction scaffold)
  • Gremlins 2 (As a victim is covered in gremlins and he falls off of a ledge)
  • Hercules (1997 film) (As the villagers flee in terror when the Cyclops titan first starts crushing buildings looking for Hercules)
  • Legion of Iron
  • Lethal Weapon 4 (When the flamethrower man in the opening scene flies into the gas truck)
  • Matinee (Can be heard a couple of time in the movie within the movie "Mant")
  • Mom And Dad Save The World (A Spnego guard is shot in the fortress docking bay, imitation of the sound effect)
  • Pokemon: The First Movie
  • Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon S: The Movie (English dub only; Emitted from random civilian outside restaurant when frozen by a snow dancer)
  • Reservoir Dogs (Mr.Brown is shot in his car, when Mr. Pink pushes someone out of his way while running down the sidewalk)
  • The Second Civil War (Vinny Franko is watching an old movie with John Wayne, and John throws a grenade)
  • Uncle Sam (A man is killed in an orchard)
  • Small Soldiers (many action figures scream Wilhelms when they die)
  • Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (Two men are shot in the Naboo hangar. Also, "Trailer B" when a fighter pilot is shot down)
  • Toy Story (Buzz Lightyear is knocked out of a window)

2000s

Television shows

  • American Dad (In many, many episodes: "Pilot", "Roger Codger", "Meter Made", "Most Adequate Christmas Ever", "Tearjerker")
  • Angel (In A New World, when Connor throws a knife into an arm. Also, The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco when a guard is thrown)
  • The Batman (Episode The Breakout, When Batgirl and Robin are fighting an organization in an elevator shaft)
  • Ben 10: Race Against Time (In the trailer when Heatblast fires a firebolt into a croud of robbers. Also, it can be heard when Eon hits one of the plumbers.)
  • Chuck (In the episode "Chuck Versus the Truth" after Sarah shoots Kevin Weisman's character in the knee)
  • CSI: New York (In the episode Grand Master where Mack and Aiden are on a fire escape. In a possible flashback of the murder)
  • Class of 3000 (In the episode "Too Cool for School", when liquid carbonite falls on Mr. Bore)
  • Doctor Who (During the "TARDISODE" for the 2006 episode "Tooth and Claw", a man is attacked by a werewolf)
  • Drawn Together (In the episode "Dirty Pranking No. 2" when someone gets blasted with a robo-fly's raygun, in "The Lemon-AIDS Walk", when Captain Hero takes steroids, in "A Very Special Drawn Together Afterschool Special" during a barroom brawl, and in "The Drawn Together Clip Show" when the Producer opens fire on the audience)
  • Family Guy (In many, many episodes: "North by North Quahog", "The Perfect Castaway", "No Chris Left Behind", "Blue Harvest")
  • The Girls Next Door (Mutiny on the booty, During the montage while holly describes the trouble with her photo shoot)
  • Invasion (When a man is thrown over the edge of a pier during the series finale {May 2006})
  • Island of Assassins (When Ellen is fighting in the opening scene (very faint). Only in the FUNimation dub)
  • The League of Gentlemen (On the main menu of the second series DVD, accompanied by the show's theme tune)
  • The Life and Times of Juniper Lee (In almost any, if not every, episode)
  • Macross (In the episode "Blind Game" when Hikaru Ichijyo takes down a group of Zentradi police officers. Only in the ADV Films dub)
  • Masters of Horror (Episode 6, "Homecoming". Death scream of one of the zombies)
  • Primeval (In the first episode, after the Spatial anomaly closes and the Gorgonopsid is chasing the team. It was also used twice in episode two, appeared on the episode three trailer, and in episode 6 when one of the Captain Ryan's soldiers is killed by the predator)
  • Ranma ½ (Episode "Enter Ryoga! The Eternal Lost Boy", as Ryoga goes down a "straight" path, he runs into a forest, 3rd variation)
  • Squirrel Boy (In the episode "Don't Cross Here" heard in the educational film. Also, in two other episodes, it can be heard when the stray cat is hit by a gumball and falls off the balcony and when a tree falls down, with Rodney,Andy,Leon, and Darlene are in it.)
  • The Venture Bros. (In Tag Sale – You're It!, when #21 confronts Brock Samson, {very faint}. Also in Hate Floats when The Monarch, Dr. Venture and the henchmen come out of the door just before the closing credits. Also, I Know Why the Caged Bird Kills when the Monarch and his henchmen mistakingly raid an office)
  • X-files (In the season 7 episode "Chimera", just after the second death, the smoking man is watching a movie)

Video games

Internet videos

Music

Short films

See also

Template:Illustrated Wikipedia

References

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