Wilhelm Scream

by Quizzards Trivia

Q: Which famous stock sound effect was voiced by Sheb Wooley?

A: The Wilhelm Scream

The Wilhelm scream is a famous sound effect used in films and television. It’s a distinctive, high-pitched scream that has become a sort of inside joke among sound designers and filmmakers. The scream was originally recorded for a 1951 film called Distant Drums. The take used in the final film is thought to be voiced by Sheb Wooley -  best known as the singer of "The Purple People Eater". 

However the sound effect wasn't named after him. The scream gets its name from Private Wilhelm, a character in the 1953 film The Charge at Feather River, who lets out the repurposed stock scream after being shot with an arrow. 

It’s become a kind of signature for many filmmakers, especially those working within the Lucasfilm and Pixar communities, and you can often hear it in the works of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. The Wilhelm scream has been used in everything from Star Wars and Indiana Jones to Toy Story and The Lord of the Rings. Someone has put together a compilation of just some of the uses here:

 

 

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