These are sound effects of air whistling through incoming ordanance in Warner Bros. movies, best known for being used in Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies. None of them should be confused with SKYWALKER, WHISTLE - LONG, DESCENDING WHISTLE nor CINESOUND BOMB WHISTLE 01 due to sounding very similar.
Owner: Warner Bros. (1941-1990), Montery Post/DigiPost TV (1990-2020)
Origin: United States
Year Debut: July 5, 1941
First Heard: The Heckling Hare (a Looney Tunes short)
Area Used: TBA
There are 14 different variations of this sound all made by WB around the early 40's. Their early use in the Looney Tunes was in the 1941 Bugs Bunny cartoon "The Heckling Hare." Since then, they used the sounds as their trademark Looney Tunes falling whistle sound up to 1967 in the Daffy and Speedy cartoon "Daffy's Diner." In the 60's, the sounds were later used as DePatie-Freleng Enterprises' trademark falling sound in their animated projects from 1964-1980, the Peanuts first used the sounds since the mid to late-1960's up to the early 80's (although It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown! was the final use of the sound), and were also used in Chuck Jones' animated projects during those times. WB eventually got back to using the sounds by the late-70's in the Looney Tunes compilation films and TV specials, but hauled their frequent use of the sounds by the early-90's. They were only heard in a few shows and movies since then, and were never available on sound effect libraries.
This sound seems scarcely used these days, but DigiPost.TV projects tend to use it (the company has gone defunct as of 2020 and relocated to Atlas Oceanic Sound and Picture). Some Skywalker Sound projects use it as well where applicable, namely select ones involving Ben Burtt.
Trivia[]
Trivia
The sound was made 9 months after MGM made Sound Ideas, WHINE, CARTOON - SHELL SCREAMING WHINE DOWN on December 9, 1939. MGM would later copy WB with their falling sound since 1955 after the release of the Oscar nominated cartoon "Good Will To Men."
Teen Titans (Used in "Only Human" when Cyborg falls; in "Fractured", actually heard by Raven, when Robin and Larry fall from the sky above her; and in "Don't Touch That Dial" when Beast Boy falls ala Wile E. Coyote.)
The Tom and Jerry Show (Heard once sped-up normal pitch in "Gravi-Tom" when Napoleon is pushed off of a table, unless confused with a very similar whistle.)
Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (Heard twice in "Attack of the Hawkmen," once in "Love's Sweet Song," and numerous times in "Tales of Innocence." Also heard at the beginning of "Treasure of the Peacock's Eye;" some of these whistles may be identical to the Warner Bros. whistles.)
Garfield: His 9 Lives (1988) (1st take heard briefly as fireworks launch over Garfield after he tries out lasagna, captioned as "[FIREWORKS WHISTLING]")
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) (First, one take heard in the beginning for overshot debris flying out of an explosion, read on MTV's captions as "missile whining". Various takes used in lower quality for the Vulture Droid missiles.)