That’s one way of trying to transcribe the most famous scream in motion picture history:
THE WILHELM SCREAM!
It’s named after a character named Pvt. Wilhelm in the western The Charge At Feather River (1953), who is just filling his pipe when he is shot in the leg by an arrow, prompting him to utter the now-famous scream.
The scream went on to be used in countless Warner Brothers movies and, after it was discovered by Star Wars sound designer Ben Burtt, in countless additional movies as well.
Burtt ran down the source of the scream and found that it was originally used in the 1951 film Distant Drums, where an unnamed character is eaten by an alligator.
After the photography on the film was done a series of voice takes was done under the title "Man being eaten by an alligator," and these became (collectively) known as the Wilhelm Scream.
Who the voice actor was doing the Wilhelm Scream is not known for certain, but Burtt has uncovered evidence that it was Sheb Wooley. best known for recording the song "Purple People Eater."
The scream has been used in innumerable movies, including all of the Star Wars films, all of the Indiana Jones films, and the second and third Lord of the Rings films.
It’s even used in TV shows and video games.
No doubt, you’ve heard it dozens of times, and now you know its name!
LISTEN TO THE WILHELM SCREAM (.wav).
(PARTIAL) LIST OF MOVIES WITH THE WILHELM SCREAM.
NPR RADIO FEATURE ABOUT THE WILHELM SCREAM (.real).
WATCH A MONTAGE OF CLIPS WITH THE WILHELM SCREAM (.mov; 48 mb!).
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WILHELM SCREAM.
BUY MOVIES WITH THE WILHELM SCREAM.
BUY WILHELM SCREAM MEMORABILIA.
How many films have you seen with the Wilhelm Scream?
(Maybe I’ll take the .wav file and use it for one of my Windows sound events. Every time my computer crashes, it could make the Wilhelm Scream.)
I now have the Wilhelm scream as my Windows Shutdown sound!!!
I don’think it came from a Western. It sounds like the scream from the old Cheech and Chong skits!
Jimmy, THIS is why we pay you the big bucks!
I actually watched the film clip montage, and now I think I will actually be able to spot the Wilhelm scream as I watch movies.
Like Luke Skywalker, I feel I have taken my first step into a larger world.
hmmmm, I didn’t recognize it. Perhaps that’s because it’s not featured in any of the Jane Austin movies? 🙂 Maybe it’s a sign from God that I need to get out more.
Let’s not forget the Howard Dean scream.
I love the title of your page,
http://www.jimmyakin.org/2005/09/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.html#comments
ROTFL!
Anyone know what the name is of the ‘wateywateyawateya’ (best transcription I can come up with!) sound from the old Warner Bros cartoons? Usually accompanying a violent shaking of the head… I’ve tried to Google it, but it’s hard to find something you can’t even remotely begin to spell!
South Coast – I wonder if that was a Mel Blanc invention? He was responsible for a vast majority of the Looney Tunes voices.
SouthCoast-
I know EXACTLY the sound you are talking about!… but I can’t think of any way to help you find it online.
I’ve often wondered how they produced some of these classic sound effects. Some have been around for 75 years!
The other WB cartoon sound I love is the Beeoowup! Like when a character gets fooled big time or wheh a character zooms off of the screen (not roadrunner [beep beep!])
That should be WHEN a character zooms off of the screen! (My first blog typo!)
Dr. Eric,
The typo police can be bribed with chocolate donuts. 🙂
…I know this thread started a year ago, but I hope it’s not too late to say THANKS for noticing Wilhelm, and to answer a question…
SouthCoast, the sound YOU are describing is informally referred to by sound effects editors as the Trombone Gobble. It first appeared in a WB Tex Avery cartoon around the early ’40s. Hopefully, I’ll have a piece about it on my site soon.
Thanks again…