Ode to Wilhelm

The Wilhelm Scream is a stock sound effect, first used in the 1951 film Distant Drums. It was used sporadically in films during the 50s and 60s, but it was in the 70s that it hit the big time.

While working on Star Wars, sound designer Ben Burtt discovered a sound effect labeled 'man eaten by alligator'. He recognized it as a scream used in the 1953 film The Charge at Feather River, and called in The Wilhelm Scream after the character who uttered it... Private Wilhelm.

After a little more research he tracked down the sound effect's true origin, Distant Drums. It's believed that the scream was recorded by singer Sheb Wooley (of Purple People Eater fame), an actor in the film. Since Star Wars, the scream has experienced a renaissance, being used in more than a hundred film, including nearly all those by Lucasfilm.


The Scream:

And a look at just some of the films that have used Wihelm: