The Wilhelm Scream
Not really uttered by German Kaiser Wilhelm, but I bet he felt like it sometimes
Normally, you wouldn’t imagine Hollywood as the kind of place where screams are in short supply. Between studio board meetings, producers being informed of returns and actors sharing the same dressing room, collecting an overabundance of screaming samples doesn’t sound like much of a problem.
And yet, there are some screams that just never fade away. Take the famous ‘Wilhelm scream’ for example: originally recorded for “Distant Drums” in 1951, this short but aggravated statement has since been used and re-used in countless films, including the Star Wars, Indiana Jones and LOTR franchises. Increasingly, it seems to be used not only for its own merits, but also on account of its long and renowned history – and as a nod to movie fans who recognize it in all of its various guises.
First appearance in that movie and – yes! – this is Gary Cooper.
A short history of the scream, with audio samples, can be found here, and this article has a video clip featuring a compilation of Wilhelm screams. And here is the list with all movies featuring it. (217!)
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