Wilhelm Scream
The
Wilhelm scream
is a stock
sound effect
first recorded in
1951
for the movie
Distant Drums
. It has been featured in
dozens of movies
since. Alongside a certain recording of the cry of the
red-tailed hawk
, it is probably the most well-known
cinematic sound clich
. 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"). He named it after Wilhelm, a minor character who emitted the scream in the
1953
movie
The Charge at Feather River
. Its use in
Star Wars
was the beginning of something of an
in-joke
amongst some sound designers of the film industry, (especially at
Skywalker Sound
). 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
) and
A Goofy Movie
.
See also
List of films and other media using the Wilhelm Scream
External links
WAV recording of the Wilhelm scream
A Wilhelm Scream filmography
(
cached version
)
Radio report about the Wilhelm scream, with transcript and audio examples of uses of the scream
Film Sound Clichs
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