Her performances have gotten howling reviews.
"As I got out of the car arriving I got the most gorgeous wolf whistle from somebody, and I thought, 'Huh! This is going to be alright!'"
— WAAF Mary "Bubbles" Moore, Death by Moonlight.
Let a hot, sexy woman stroll through a crowd of males and one or more of them will emit this classic sound, guaranteed. (It's most accurately transcribed as "Wheet-WHOO!", although a simple "Whoooo!" might also suffice.) The Wolf Whistle is a staple of old films and cartoons of the '30s and '40s, most notably the works of Tex Avery. The Wolf would acknowledge the presence of Red with this whistle.
It should be noted that the Wolf Whistle isn't restricted to men, on occasion women will use it to express approval of the new stud in the environment, and can even be used for objects. A brand new sports car, for example, can also prompt a whistle about the "hot ride".
This was noted the most common Wolf Whistle, usually approval of thought to find a person sexily attractive. A slightly different version of the Wolf Whistle involves a single, lower-pitched elongated tone, usually while the character stares at the person/object in question. It's more commonly used today than the classic whistle.
Variations include the "wolf howl", the "purr", the "growl", and the "dog pant". Note that carnivorous mammals always seem to be referenced.
May also have the whistler become an actual wolf, or have a wolf head. Not to be confused with a wolf fifth.
Related to Construction Catcalls, with the difference that this trope is always used for comedy, never for drama except as an intentional subversion, due to the Grandfather Clause induced by the Tex Avery cartoons that made the Wolf Whistle way too characteristic of parodic cartoons to be taken seriously as anything else.
Examples:
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Advertising
- A 1970's commercial for Playtex cross-your-heart bras has a woman about to take off her blouse to show her friend said product, until she hears a wolf whistle.
- The trailer for The Seven Year Itch dubs this over the scene where a breeze blows the Girl's skirt upwards.
Anime & Manga
- Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Kamina whistles appreciatively when he sees his love interest Yoko for the first time. Partly because of her good looks, partly because she just dropped in through the roof and knocked back a huge gunman with her sniper rifle.
- In Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds, Crow lets one out when Aki enters the room in her form-fitting Riding Duel outfit.
Asian Animation
- Happy Heroes: Referenced in Season 6 episode 21, when Big M. lets out a whistle to alert his monster to come out and attack the Supermen. Unfortunately, his whistle happens to be timed right when a woman is passing by him, and she mistakes it for him being attracted to her and slaps him.
Comic Books
- Wonder Woman Vol 1: Marya is rather amused by the men trying out pick up lines on her while she's acting as a lifeguard, one of whom is shown giving a wolf whistle as he spots her. She doesn't actually respond to any of them as she's on the clock, but does check them out to pick out the cute ones, mentally commenting that American men are a tease, implying that her attempts to follow up on their flirting have led to dead ends.
Fan Works
- Dungeon Keeper Ami: From Beryl's Plan: Some people in the audience of a striptease make some:
the crazy dark elf undulating to goblin music and slowly doffing her clothes, accompanied by wolf whistles
- In a Fan Vid called "Hornblower Spoof" which is an Affectionate Parody of Horatio Hornblower with slashy interpretation, the trope is mentioned by name when Horatio is having a shower on deck and other officers approve of his hotness. See it here.
- RWBY: Epic of Remnant: Angra Mainyu lets one out when he meets Salem, whom he says is really sexy.
- In Chapter 38 of Whispers In The Night, Tonks shows off her new wand holster on her thigh, encouraging wolf-whistles from the guys.
- Rocketship Voyager. The crew of Voyager change out of their regulation coveralls when they have a chance to go on space station leave, and Tom Paris gives an appreciative wolf-whistle when B'Elanna Torres shows some leg while stepping down from the shuttleboat in a civilian dress.
Films — Animation
- In Batman: Mask of the Phantasm when gangster Salvatore Valestra and his gang stop by to collect Carl Beaumont’s debt to him, his henchman who would later become The Joker whistles at his daughter Andrea.
- The Little Mermaid (1989): After Ariel turns into a human, she uses an old sail as a dress, and Scuttle wolf-whistles at her.
Scuttle: (whistles) You look great, kid. You look sensational.
- Mulan: In the middle of the song "A Girl Worth Fighting For," Mushu whistles at a group of girls harvesting rice and then hides, tricking the girls into thinking Mulan whistled at them. She hides her face in embarrassment.
- Robin Hood (1973) has Robin and Little John disguise themselves as Romani women as part of a scheme to swindle Prince John. Little John, being the larger of the pair, comes off looking like a Big Beautiful Woman with colossal breasts, on account of the fact that he's hiding a pile of gold coins in his fake cleavage, and one of the prince's guards wolf-whistles in his direction.
- Space Jam has a wolf whistle coming from the audience upon Lola Bunny entering the arena for the game.
- Turning Red: While running back home from school in her red panda form, Mei briefly stops by the Daisy Mart to ogle her Precocious Crush Devon, complete with thumping her foot and shouting "AWOOGA!!" before coming to her senses. Devon, for the most part, just gives a tired but confused "huh?" when he turns around.
- Jessica Rabbit receives several throughout Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Films — Live-Action
- Batman Returns: At Gotham City's tree-lighting ceremony, someone in the crowd lets one out when the Ice Princess slips off her fur coat, revealing she's wearing only a one-piece underneath.
- Tippi Hedren's character receives one of these from a little boy at the beginning of The Birds.
- In Brooklyn, Tony takes Eilis to Coney Island to celebrate her finishing her bookkeeping course with top grades. After she changes into her bathing suit, he stares at her for several seconds before putting his fingers to his lips and whistling his appreciation.
- Daredevil: Upon seeing Elektra for the first time, In a pair of skin-tight leather pants and crop top, Bullseye gives a wolf whistle. Elektra isn't flattered by this at all, seeing as he murdered her father.
- Forbidden Planet. When the officers have talked to Morbius and his beautiful daughter Altaira for a while, Chief Quinn calls up to check they're alright. To confirm he's not speaking under duress, The Captain pans around a small camera attached to his communicator, and when it passes over Altaira we hear the Chief giving a loud wolf whistle, to his captain's embarrassment.
- The Fifth Element: When Ruby Rhod sees the sexy stewardess he intents on wooing, the background music of his radio show turns into a wolf howling.
- In The Girl Can't Help It, a paperboy does this after seeing Jerri (Jayne Mansfield).
- Hercules Returns. When Lisa turns up to apply for the publicist job, one of the painters renovating the Picture Palace theatre gives her a wolf whistle. She punches him without breaking stride; McBain and Sprocket decide to hire her at once.
- In It's a Wonderful Life, young adult George whistles at young adult Violet the first time he (and we) see her. "That's some dress you got on, Violet."
- Marvel Cinematic Universe: In Black Widow, Melina whistles at seeing Alexei wearing his old Red Guardian uniform (which barely even fits him anyway). Natasha is not impressed.
- The Living Daylights: A rare dramatic invocation. James Bond is given a keychain that includes an explosive device with two modes that depend on what he whistles. "Rule Britannia" sets off a tear gas bomb. A wolf whistle sets off a regular explosive. Sure enough, the last thing The Dragon hears on this Earth (other than the big boom) is Bond's wolf whistle.
- The Mask: It's actually brought up in the film that hero Stanley Ipkiss is a huge fan of Tex Avery's cartoons. After donning Loki's mask, he goes to see Tina Carlyle at the Coco Bongo Club and pays tribute to Red Hot Riding Hood by transforming into a green wolf, complete with whistle.
- After losing a hand of poker in the 1998 version of The Parent Trap, Hallie makes Annie skinny dip in the lake. One of the spectators wolf-whistles at her.
- The Suicide Squad. When Amanda Waller walks Bloodsport and Peacemaker through the female wing of Belle Reve to Ratcatcher 2's cell, all the inmates whistle and applaud the appearance of two Mr Fanservices in their midst.
- In one short from The Three Stooges, Larry is describing to Moe the wonders of camping. One such wonder is the call of the wolf, to which Curly whistles and says, "Hiya, babe!"
- Tickles the Clown: As Princess Kali Divine is walking down a prison hallway in one scene, prisoners can be heard making this noise.
- Famously done in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not: Lauren Bacall instructs Bogey: "You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow." When she's gone, he tries it, and produces a wolf whistle.
Literature
- The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. Manny's reaction when he's introduced to Wyoh, who just gives a curt nod in acknowledgement as she gets at lot of that. Luna society is very polite, especially towards women due to gender-imbalance; manhandling a woman would get you thrown out the airlock, but wolf whistles are acceptable behaviour.
- The Takers by Jerry Ahern. There's a Running Gag of Mary-Frances Mulrooney's skirt has a blowing up, providing everyone with a Panty Shot. This happens while she's boarding a nuclear submarine leading to the expected reaction. A naval officer tells off the seaman responsible, then mentions that none of the women who boarded earlier got a whistle like that.
Live-Action TV
- Blake's 7. In "City At The Edge Of The World", Vila is fiddling with an electronic lockpicking device when a previously leather-clad Action Girl enters having cleaned herself up and changed into a dress. The device promptly makes an appreciative electronic sound.
- In the pilot episode of Deep Space Nine, even Commander Sisko can't restrain a whistle of appreciation at Jadzia Dax. The irony being that when he last knew 'her' he was Curzon Dax, an elderly man.
- Our Miss Brooks: At the end of "Wake Up Plan", Mr. Boynton falls asleep on a chair in the hall. Miss Brooks doesn't wake him up, but sits beside him. Mr. Boynton whistles in his sleep!
- Person of Interest. When Root (played by Amy Acker) tasers the guards on a prison bus and steps onto it to free one of the cons, the other cons show their verbal appreciation including this trope. Root takes it in stride, casually tasering one man with an Offhand Backhand when he gets too annoying.
- The Professionals. In "Man Without A Past", Bodie thinks he's being followed, so does a handbrake turn, screeches to a halt in the middle of the street and jumps out brandishing a pistol. There's no sign of his pursuer, and a line of people waiting at a nearby bus stop proceed to clap and wolf whistle.
- Saturday Night Live: In Weekend Update for Season 47 episode 5*, Colin Jost says the International Handball Federation says that female players can wear biking shorts instead of bikini bottoms, but the referees will have to whistle with a Wolf Whistle.
- Starsky & Hutch: A "massage parlor" in "Gillian" sells novelty whistles that make this sound.
- Superman, The Adventures of Superman: In "Jimmy the Kid'', a crime boss trying to retrieve evidence kidnaps Jimmy Olsen and sneaks in a Criminal Doppelgänger, "Kid" Collins, in his place. "Kid" doesn't impersonate his target well; for instance, he whistles at Lois when she says good morning, much to her indignation.
Magazines
- A cartoon◊ George Booth did for The New Yorker shows a young guy sitting on some steps silently watching a woman stroll past on the sidewalk. He, in turn, is being watched by two older women, one of whom says "Whistle, you dumb bastard!"
Music
- The Black Keys invoke even if not employing it in "Howlin' For You".
- In the Four Lads' hit version of "Standing on the Corner", a specific line in the choruses are punctuated with whistles thusly: "Watchin' all the girls, watchin' all the girls, watchin' all the girls... [whistle] go by"
- Steve Miller Band's "The Joker" features a few of them, with the guitarist making the sound on the guitar. It was famously covered by Tom Petty as "I'm a Joker."
- The guys from Mötley Crüe do this at the end of "Girls, Girls, Girls" upon seeing the approach of one of the strippers.
- Steve Vai does one near the beginning of David Lee Roth's "Yankee Rose".
- Spike Jones features a wolf whistle (among many other sound effects he was known to sprinkle into songs) in "Laura," everytime the woman's name is sung.
- 3OH!3 released a song in 2009 called Starstrukk that features wolf whistles heavily in between lyrics describing how attractive women are. It went memetic for a time with edits that replaced the whistling with another sound, one that either also sounds like whistling or comically doesn't.
Pinballs
- Bally's Playboy and Stern Pinball's Playboy play a whistle when starting a new game.
- Picking up Lola in Williams' Taxi results in a melodic version being played.
Theatre
- In "We Are What We Are" from La Cage aux folles, one of the choruses incorporates both the wolf-whistle and the "hey, taxi!" whistle.
- In "There Is Nothing Like a Dame" from South Pacific, there is a break in which the sailors wolf-whistle at attractive women.
Theme Parks
- Disney Theme Parks: In The Enchanted Tiki Room, Pierre, a French parrot, does a call that sounds like a wolf-whistle before apologizes to the ladies in the audience, saying it was actually for his friend Fritz.
Video Games
- Only a wolf whistle is seen in the top caption after Locke has stolen and then worn the clothes from enemies in the SNES version of Final Fantasy VI.
- The Pokémon Lopunny has a digitized cry that has the same distinct note progression as a wolf whistle. It's a rabbit creature with a strikingly feminine physique. Take that how you will.
- In the University expansion of The Sims 2, this is one of the actions a Sim can do to turn another one on.
- In Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 4: The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood, during the second charge against Guybrush, Bosun Kathryn Krebbs jumps up and sits atop the witness stand, making the crowds wolf-whistle as she shows them the scar on her leg.
- There's an optional sidequest in Tales of Vesperia in which Flynn will do this upon seeing Yuri in a soldier's uniform.
Web Animation
- Captain Distraction: The pharmacist whistles as he hears the female power company worker on their three-way call.
- In DEATH BATTLE!, Dante whistles when he first lays eyes on Bayonetta.
Web Original
- Whateley Universe: Used a few times, such as here:
- ''Who Dun It?: After Hive walks out of the shower, she gets one from Carmilla:
I washed my hair, got out, and dried my hair and myself. Slipping back into my bedroom, I heard a wolf whistle from the living room, then, "My, my, I didn't know toes could blush." I continued into the bedroom and got dressed in my jeans and flannel shirt.
- The Devil's Dance (Part 1): Hippolyta Does Not Like Men, and has a bad reaction to hearing a wolf whistle at her Halloween costume:
Her golden hair was obviously windswept and seemed to bode hell for brushing it out later. Her outfit was fur; light violet in color and well, it covered the "important" bits. Dimly I recognized her as being dressed as a character from a video game, Chrono Trigger's Ayla. Not to be confused with the quiet-spoken Ayla of Team Kimba, Hippy is um, loud, outspoken and "rash".
"Oh My God!" said Mercy with a wide-eyed expression, "Who talked her into that?"
"That would be telling," replied the Fuub with a smirk.
I cringed as Hippy directed her seeming ire on someone whose wolf whistle was louder than the music in the background. "Oh shit, she is gonna moider him," I pointed to the suddenly moving Hippy and the crowd that dispersed around Akira, who it seemed was coming as Tenchi too, along with the rest of the Power Rangers.
- ''Who Dun It?
Web Videos
- In Obscure Game Theatre's Let's Play of Brain Dead 13, Frankomatic does this when Vivi is first introduced.
Western Animation
- American Dad!: In "Daddy Queerest", Stan whistles at a woman passing by. However, this still doesn't convince Terry's horribly homophobic father that Stan isn't gay.
Tank: Yeah, whistle a show tune, YA DRAG QUEEN!
- Animaniacs: Yakko and Wakko's call of "Helllooooo Nurse" uses the same cadence even though it isn't technically a whistle. Dot's response to her brothers' actions is always the same: "Boys..."
- In the Family Guy episode "The Perfect Castaway", Peter says that he used to be a construction worker in New York, but he never got the catcalling right. Cue to Peter working on a construction site with three other guys while an attractive woman walks by:
First worker: [whistles]
Second worker: Yeah, baby!
Third worker: I want a piece of that!
Peter: You suck! - The Legend of Zelda (1989): In "The Ringer," Link sees Zelda out on the balcony below his and wolf-whistles at her while commenting "Looking good, Princess! Especially from this angle!" It earns him a punch in the face from her later.
Zelda: Don't you ever whistle at me again!
Link: [rubbing his bruised jaw] I may never whistle again, period! - Looney Tunes:
- The Merrie Melodies "Stage Door Cartoon" had Elmer Fudd's face briefly turn into a wolf while whistling at the Chorus Girls' legs.
- Porky in Wackyland: When the monster terrorizing Porky Pig suddenly says "Boo!" to him and trundles off effeminately, a wolf whistle can be heard.
- In "Rhapsody Rabbit", Bugs Bunny flips his book of sheet music and stops on a pin-up girl. A wolf whistle emits from the audience, and an embarrassed Bugs flips the book further.
- Bugs gives a teasing one to Elmer upon discovering he's wearing a girdle. (This was during the brief period in time Elmer was drawn chubby).
- In Hollywood Steps Out, a selection of Hollywood hunks (e.g., Wallace Beery, Ronald Colman, Errol Flynn, William Powell, Aubrey Smith, and Spencer Tracy), while watching "bubble dancer" Sally Rand, wolf-whistle and go, "Baaaby!"
- At the end of "Broom-Stick Bunny", Witch Hazel accidentally drinks a beauty potion. When she asks the genie in her magic mirror if she's still "the ugliest one of all", the genie growls lustily and lunges at her.
- Tex Avery MGM Cartoons: Red Hot Riding Hood. About ten examples in the first minute alone, by a literal wolf. Grandma did this joke once to him in the cartoon too.
- The Ren & Stimpy Show does this when Ren takes off his fur for a coat and lets out the Whistle.
- Rocko's Modern Life has the main character go get a drink while being naked. There his friends take a photo of him naked and he is wolf-whistled by a tease.
- In SpongeBob SquarePants "Grandma's Kisses", SpongeBob thinks Patrick would be right when he says, "Don't be a baby!" Patrick asks, "Have I ever not been right?" Note, he is always giving out wrong advice to SpongeBob by the last part of the show, while being tainted to be too sexy in their black suits. It happens again a few more times of a joke, in the later series.
- Raphael once did this in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987) episode "Michelangelo The Sacred Turtle" when he saw April in the maid servant outfit Professor Tut was forcing her to wear which showed her legs.
- Tiny Toon Adventures:
- A guy with a jackhammer does this when he sees Fifi Le Fume in the episode "Aroma Amore". However, he freaks out as soon as he realizes she's a skunk.
- Monty does this upon seeing Mitzi in "Prom-ise Her Anything".
- The Batman: In the episode “Two of a Kind”, this is Joker’s reaction the first time he sees Harleen Quinzel in her full Harley Quinn ensemble.
- Justice League. In "The Savage Time", the League travel back in time to World War 2. They save a company of G.I.'s, one of whom pauses to wolf whistle at the sight of Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman in their Stripperiffic outfits, before Sgt. Rock shoves him back into line.
- Tom and Jerry: In "The Bodyguard," Tom sees an attractive female cat and whistles at her, but Spike, who's far away, mistakes the sound for a summoning whistle and promptly pummels Tom.
Real Life
- The screaming piha, a bird from South America, makes a call that sounds nigh identical to one of these. It's one of the loudest birds in the Amazon, too.
- Prostitutes in Ancient Rome were called lupa (she-wolves), apparently due to the wolf-like howl they used to attract the attention of clients.
