The Origin Of Star Wars’ Most Famous Sound Effect Revealed Only4Media.com

The secrets behind the most recognizable sound effect in Star Wars history have been unveiled. Since the first Star Wars movie in release order in 1977, sound effects have become revolutionized. The franchise is known for its otherworldly sounds, noises, voices, and languages that help invest audiences in a galaxy far, far away, with this set to continue into upcoming Star Wars movies. Not only that, but the franchise’s ventures into the small screen mean these sound effects have now become commonplace in Star Wars TV shows too, with one of the most iconic instances being recognized throughout cinema.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ben Burrtt, the sound designer of many a Hollywood film, unveiled the secrets behind the Wilhelm Scream. The Wilhelm Scream is difficult to explain, but instantly recognizable to the ear, even to those not versed in the world of cinematic sound design. Star Wars is no stranger to including the Wilhelm Scream, with Burrtt outlining exactly how he became known as the creator of such an easily identifiable sound effect:

“It was a scream I first heard as a child. I recorded it off the television. It was in many of the Warner Bros. films in the 1950s and ’60s. It was a stock scream in their library… Anyway, when I got to USC, there was another student there named Richard Anderson… I told him about the scream… We just joked about it. We included a Wilhelm in a film we did for school and all laughed about it. The naming came out of our discussion…

Later, when… we were mixing at Warner Bros. on the first
Star Wars
movie, I went to their sound library and spoke to the librarian. They didn’t know what a Wilhelm was, because it wasn’t called that, of course, but I was able to find it. So in
Star Wars
, I stuck it in for a stormtrooper falling into a trench when he gets shot. It was just for my own pleasure. Nobody asked for it. Nobody noticed it. That was it.”

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The 10 Funniest Wilhelm Screams In Movies

The most famous Hollywood sound effect of all time is undoubtedly the Wilhelm Scream, which has become a hilarious running gag in many big movies.

The Wilhelm Scream Has Become A Star Wars Legend

The Wilhelm Is Popular In All Cinema, But It Is Iconic In Star Wars

Since the first usage of the Wilhelm Scream by Burrtt in 1977’s Star Wars, it has almost become a legend in the franchise. The scream can be heard in all three original trilogy movies, as well as all three prequel films. Similarly, George Lucas and his team even included the Wilhelm Scream in the animated movie Star Wars: The Clone Wars, before it made its way into eight episodes of the TV show of the same name. Of the Star Wars sequels, only Star Wars: The Force Awakens includes the Wilhelm Scream.

That said, Star Wars’ recent efforts have revived the Wilhelm Scream. It can be heard in two episodes of Star Wars Rebels and two episodes of The Book of Boba Fett. Furthermore, Star Wars: The Bad Batch includes the iconic sound effect in one of its episodes. This is without mentioning the various non-canon stories the Wilhelm Scream can be found in, as well as the various video games that take inspiration from Ben Burrtt’s recognizable sound effect from the very first Star Wars movie.

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope

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The film that began the Star Wars franchise, Episode IV – A New Hope tells the story of wistful Force-sensitive Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who longs to leave his home planet of Tatooine to fight the evil Empire. After inheriting his Jedi father’s weapon, a lightsaber, Luke sets off under the tutelage of Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) with smuggler Han Solo (Harrison Ford) to join the Rebellion and face the evil Darth Vader.

Release Date

May 25, 1977

Cast

Mark Hamill , Harrison Ford , Carrie Fisher , Alec Guinness , David Prowse , James Earl Jones , Frank Oz , Anthony Daniels , Kenny Baker , Peter Mayhew , Peter Cushing

Runtime

121 Minutes

Source: The Hollywood Reporter