Owner: Warner Bros. (1941-1990), Monterey 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 Warner Bros. around the early 1940's. Their earliest 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 to 1980; the Peanuts specials used these sounds from the mid to late-1960's to the early 1980's (although It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown! was the final use of the sound), and they were also used in Chuck Jones' animated projects during those times. Warner Bros. eventually started using the sounds by the late-70's in the Looney Tunes compilation films and TV specials, but halted their frequent use of the sounds by the early 1990's. They were heard in only few shows and movies since then, and were never available on sound effect libraries.
The sound was made 9 months after Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer made WHINE, CARTOON - SHELL SCREAMING WHINE DOWN on December 9, 1939. It is possible that MGM later copied Warner Bros. with their falling sounds since 1955 after the release of the Oscar nominated cartoon "Good Will To Men."
Teen Titans (Heard 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 in "Auntie Social", "Hula Whoops!", "Suitable for Framing", and "Piñata Yadda Yadda"; sped-up normal pitch heard once in "Gravi-Tom" when Napoleon is pushed off of a table, unless confused with Rich Danhakl Falling Sound. Another very similar whistle is heard twice in "Sleep Disorder".)
Tom and Jerry Tales (Heard mostly in Season 2, though, in Season 1, one take is also used once in "Feeding Time" and "Tin Cat of Tomorrow", and a reverse edit of another take is heard once in "Polar Peril" and "Din-O-sores". Sped-up edit heard once in "Adventures in Penguin-Sitting".)
Garfield: His 9 Lives (1988) (1st take; heard briefly as fireworks launch over Garfield after he tries out lasagna, captioned as "[FIREWORKS WHISTLING]")
Attack! Battle of New Britain (1944) (One of the takes is used twice in reverse from bombs dropping; both precede the entire FAMOUS STUDIOS CARTOON FALL SOUND)
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) (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.)