Every so often, I recognize a sound element in a movie, that I KNOW I've heard before. For example, the Huns in the woods at the beginning of the movie Gladiator are actually voicing a Zulu chant from the movie Zulu - set a continent and a half away, and a millenium and a half later! Always figured that sound guys in the studios were utiizing sound bites from a "library", just the way stock footage is used sometimes for visuals (especially for things like African wildlife, which isn't easy or cheap to just go out and film anew, if you are sitting in 'Hollywood').

Well, I had no idea that one sound has been used in at least 136 different movies, including many (most?) of the all-time biggest blockbusters! Here's the story of the Wilhelm scream, for anyone else interested in such things:

http://www.hollywoodlostandfound.net/wilhelm/

Here's a list of films it has been used in:
http://www.hollywoodlostandfound.net/wilhelm.html

Sheb Wooley in Star Wars and Raider of the Lost Ark. Too cool.

Interesting stuff. First time it was used was in 1951 in Distant Drums and the most current usage in 2007, Transformers and Shrek the Third.

I'm gonna look forward to hearing Wilhem scream...again.

Ahhhhhuuuhhhh!!!!