research by burtt shows that actor and singer sheb wooley, best known for his song "flying purple people eater" in 1958, is likely to have been the voice actor who first performed the scream. this has been supported by an interview in 2005 with linda dotson, wooley's widow. burtt discovered records at warner brothers from the editor of "distant drums". these records include a short list of names of actors scheduled to record lines of dialogue for roles in the movie. wooley played the uncredited role of private jessup in "distant drums." he was one of the few actors used for the recording of more vocal parts for the movie. wooley performed more sound effects, including the screams for a man being bitten by an alligator. dotson confirmed that it was wooley's scream that had been in so many westerns, adding, "he always used to joke about how he was so great about screaming and dying in films."