MPSE Wavelength

M OT I O N P I CTU R E S O U N D E D I TO R S I 63 were beginning to pick it up as well. Gary Rydstrom and Chris Boyes have used it in such films as Toy Story (1995), Hercules (1997), and Pirates of the Caribbean (2003). Gary also included it prominently in the first Pixar short he directed: Lifted (2007). In the late '90s, when this thing called "THE INTERNET" was gaining popularity… I created the website Hollywood Lost and Found. The featured article there was a piece about Wilhelm. Included was a list of all the films I had verified it was in. And the list grew and grew. (Although I have neglected it for quite a while … the site is still there.) Little did I know that publishing its history on the internet would cause the dam to break. Wilhelm had basically turned into a film sound Easter egg for everyone. Not just sound people, but film fans everywhere who started to recognize it, find the article, and share the link. The scream's appearances exponentially increased. EVERYONE wanted in on it. It started appearing in many television shows. It was in episodes of The X-Files, Angel, and Family Guy. It has found its way into commercials for Dell Computers, Comcast, fast-food restaurants, and candy bars. It was even in a few theme park attractions and video games. The response was not always one of amusement. Many criticized the scream for being a "gratuitous gag," and "taking them out of the movie." I had already realized I'd be an accessory to creating a monster. But when ABC News and Showtime called me for an interview, that's when it really hit me. I called Ben and apologized. This was essentially his thing he started… and I pretty much ruined it. When I talked to Ben, I paraphrased William Shatner from his infamous "Get a Life" sketch on Saturday Night Live: "I turned a little thing you did as a lark into a colossal waste of time." "Yeah, you basically started a cult, didn't you?" Ben said. I could tell he was a bit upset over what had happened. But luckily, he forgave me. "It's okay. I'm not really using it anymore anyway… I'm using the now… And if you write about that, I'll kill you!" Around the time Ben Burtt was finishing sound chores on the Star Wars prequels, he made another trip to Warner Bros., where he found another piece of the puzzle to Wilhelm's history. He discovered a memo regarding post- production work on Distant Drums, documenting the recording session with several actors to provide incidental vocals for the film. Ben studied the list of names … and one of them stood out in his mind. Sheb Wooley was a musician and character actor who appeared in many Westerns—but is probably most famous for the song "Purple People Eater," which in 1958, spent six weeks at number one and sold 3 million copies. He played one of the four gunslingers that stalked Gary Cooper in the classic High Noon (1953), and starred on the hit TV series Rawhide as scout Pete Nolan. He also appeared in Giant (1956), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), Silverado (1985), and even the film adaptation of his song "Purple People Eater" (1988). In Distant Drums, Sheb played the uncredited role of Private Jessup ... and after careful consideration, Ben strongly believed he performed those infamous screams during that fateful session. Sadly, we never had the chance to confirm this theory with him directly. Sheb Wooley died of leukemia in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2003. He was 82. Although many people on the internet and in the news media started writing about Wilhelm after I first reported its story in the early '90s … after I updated the site with this new information from Ben around 2005, things really got crazy. I was fielding calls from around the world. But there was one benefit to the media frenzy. One particular interview actually led me to another clue that helped convince us that Ben's conclusion was probably the correct one. A reporter in London, Jack Malvern, put me in contact with Sheb's widow—Linda Dotson-Wooley. Jack and Ben both interviewed her. She was thrilled to share the information that her late husband was fond of saying how he often was asked to perform laughs, screams, and dying vocals for films. Although all these clues seem to fit—there is, unfortunately, no way to definitively confirm Sheb Wooley is Wilhelm. But in a way, it adds another level to the story of this legendary, or rather infamous, sound effect. There are quite a few sounds that are notorious for being used over-and-over, a few of them arguably even MORE prolific than the Wilhelm. But because of the scream's infamy, it does bring attention to film sound, which—I believe, anyway—is ultimately beneficial for generating interest in the craft. A final note... One of Wilhelm's last "official" Star Wars appearances is at the Disney Parks, within the new attraction "Rise of the Resistance" ... and it's used in an absolutely perfect place. When we're all able to visit again, hopefully soon … check it out. Keep listening. Sheb Wooley

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