The Wilhelm scream began to become popular when Benjamin Burtt Jr. found the original recording ( which he found labeled as `` Man being eaten by alligator '' ) and put it into a scene in Star Wars Episode IV : A New Hope . The Wilhelm scream 's revival came from motion picture sound designer Benjamin Burtt Jr. , who discovered the original recording ( which he found as a studio reel labeled `` Man being eaten by alligator '' ) and incorporated it into a scene in Star Wars Episode IV : A New Hope .