Tarzan yell

The Tarzan yell is the distinctive, ululating yell of the character Tarzan, as portrayed by actor Johnny Weissmuller in the films based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, starting with Tarzan the Ape Man (1932). The yell was a creation of the movies, based on what Burroughs described in his books as simply "the victory cry of the bull ape."

History and origin of the yell

Weissmuller's yell, notated.

Although the (RKO) version of the Tarzan yell ostensibly was that of Weissmuller, different stories exist as to how the Tarzan Yell was created. Many speculate that a man by the name of Lloyd Thomas Leech was the original voice behind the (MGM) Tarzan Yell. He was an Opera singer during the 40's and 50's and some in the 60's. He won the Chicagoland Music Festival on August 17, 1946. He went on to sing throughout the U.S. touring with several Opera companies. There are recordings of him recalling his account of how the Tarzan yell was created. His story is supported by his children and grandchildren. According to the newspaper columnist L. M. Boyd (circa 1970), "Blended in with that voice are the growl of a dog, a trill sung by a soprano, a note played on a violin's G string and the howl of a hyena recorded backward." According to Bill Moyers, it was created by combining the recordings of three men: one baritone, one tenor, and one hog caller from Arkansas. Another widely published notion concerns the use of an Austrian yodel played backwards at abnormally fast speed. But Weissmuller claimed that the yell was actually his own voice. His version is supported by his son and by his Tarzan co-star, Maureen O'Sullivan.

The sound itself has received a trademark registration, owned by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. The official description of the yell is:

The mark consists of the sound of the famous Tarzan yell. The mark is a yell consisting of a series of approximately ten sounds, alternating between the chest and falsetto registers of the voice, as follow -

1. a semi-long sound in the chest register,
2. a short sound up an interval of one octave plus a fifth from the preceding sound,
3. a short sound down a Major 3rd from the preceding sound,
4. a short sound up a Major 3rd from the preceding sound,
5. a long sound down one octave plus a Major 3rd from the preceding sound,
6. a short sound up one octave from the preceding sound,
7. a short sound up a Major 3rd from the preceding sound,
8. a short sound down a Major 3rd from the preceding sound,
9. a short sound up a Major 3rd from the preceding sound,
10. a long sound down an octave plus a fifth from the preceding sound.

Despite these efforts, the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) in late 2007 determined that such attempts by the estate of Burroughs to maintain such trademark must fail legally, reasoning that "[w]hat has been filed as a graphic representation is from the outset not capable of serving as a graphic representation of the applied-for sound," said the OHIM ruling. "The examiner was therefore correct to refuse the attribution of a filing date."

The Tarzan yell is often used for comic effect in later, unrelated movies, particularly when a character is swinging on vines or doing other "Tarzanesque" things. The sound clip used in the Weissmuller films has also been exclusively used for animated series appearances of Tarzan, and in the Tarzan television series (1966 - 1968), which starred Ron Ely, rather than having the actor providing Tarzan's voice for the series attempt to imitate the trademark yell. It was even used in the widely panned 1981 Bo Derek vehicle Tarzan, the Ape Man. The yell is heard at Carolina Hurricanes home games. Comedienne Carol Burnett would do the yell on request.

Other Tarzan yells

The first ever version of the yell can be found in the part-sound serial Tarzan the Tiger (1929). This version is described as a "Nee-Yah!" noise.

In the 1932 Tarzan radio serial with James Pierce, the yell sounds like "Taaar-maan-ganiii". In the ape language mentioned in the Tarzan novels, "Tarmangani" means "White Ape".

A very similar cry was used for Burroughs' own Tarzan film, The New Adventures of Tarzan (1935), shot concurrently with the MGM Weismuller movies in Central America with Herman Brix as a cultured Tarzan. The yell can best be described as a "Mmmmm-ann-gann-niii" sound that gradually rises ever higher in pitch.

In The Three Stooges 1936 episode Disorder in the Court, Larry Fine, the middle stooge, performs a Tarzan yell after successfully removing gum off Moe Howard's nose when he stands on a chair. Moe says to him "Hey, you're in a court not in the woods Tarzan". Moe then slaps him.

The yell was frequently heard on The Carol Burnett Show; Burnett would demonstrate her version of this yell during the show's weekly audience Q&A session.

In Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the Wookiee Chewbacca performs a Tarzan yell while swinging from a vine. In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, another Wookie utters the yell during the battle of Kashyyyk.

A modified, melodic form of the Tarzan yell is used in the 1985 hit song, Tarzan Boy, by the Italy-based group, Baltimora.

Pee-wee Herman performed this yell when using the gadgets on his bike when driving through the set of a jungle at Warner Bros. Studios while being chased by security guards in Pee-wee's Big Adventure.

Weissmuller's Tarzan yell is one of the sound effects on a record player in the 1987 comedy film Ernest Goes to Camp.

On the episode of Cyberchase "Fortress of Attitude" Jackie did a Tarzan yell while swinging from a vine and saying "No way Hacker" to beat up the Hacker.

In the 1999 animated Disney version, Tarzan's adult yell was provided by Brian Blessed, who voiced Clayton, the film's antagonist, and his younger yell by Alex D. Linz.

This yell was performed on The Backyardigans episode "The Heart Of The Jungle".

Weissmuller's Tarzan yell comes out of Gonzo's trumpet at the end of "The Muppet Show Theme" in the 2011 film The Muppets.

See also

• Wilhelm scream
• Goofy holler
• Castle thunder

External links

• The Tarzan Yell
• The Radio Symphony Orchestra of Vienna plays the Tarzan Yell (German)