In case you missed the first Throwback Thursday Trivia, click here to find out about MGM's iconic mascot.
This week, Ticket Stub looks at one of the most used sound effects in the film and television industry:
the Wilhelm Scream.
You've probably heard it a gazillion times but never realised there is a name for it or that it even exists. Here is a compilation of examples where the Wilhelm Scream is used - often with someone falling, being shot or thrown from an explosion.
How did this sound effect become so commonplace in film-making?
First used in the 1951 film, Distant Drums, the sound effect was recorded for a scene where a man gets bitten by an alligator. However, it is most famously used in a different film: The Charge at Feather River (1953). (See first clip in the compilation video above.) The name of the character who gets struck in the leg by an arrow is Private Wilhelm. The name stuck and the effect was used repeatedly in subsequent Warner Bros. films.
Nowadays, the Wilhelm Scream is widely recognised by film fanatics due to its extensive use in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones series. Sound designer Ben Burrt rediscovered the stock sound effect and incorporated it into these big film franchises. Since then, many films have referenced the Wilhelm Scream and is often seen as an in-joke for filmmakers.
So next time you're at the movies, keep your ears out for one of the most iconic sounds in cinema!
To find out more, check out this video on the history of the Wilhelm Scream:
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