Unusual film music ringtones

[Omen II 1,235]

I had a most unexpected surprise on my way home from work on Thursday this week. I was sitting on the train which was, as usual, very busy but also very quiet, with everybody complying with the unwritten rule of no conversation and no eye contact with strangers. Suddenly I was roused from my trance by the chilling whistling theme from Bernard Herrmann's score for Twisted Nerve! For an instant I thought I'd finally flipped for good and was hearing things, before I realised that it was somebody's mobile phone ringtone. The owner took the call and alighted at the next stop while still in conversation, so unfortunately I was unable to quiz him on whether he was a genuine Benny Herrmann fan or just someone who had once seen Kill Bill.

I suspect many of us will have a snippet of film music for a ringtone, but have you ever been surprised to hear an unusual selection of film or TV music such as this emanating from somebody's phone?

[Charlie Brigden 7]

It'd be cool if it was Twisted Nerve, but it's far more likely to be Kill Bill.

I don't usually hear odd ones, it's generally Gonna Fly Now or the Raiders March. I currently have the Star Trek TOS theme, and my wife has Tubular Bells.

[Datameister 2,055]

Someone should use that pizzicato passage from "In the Idol's Temple" for a ringtone.

[Marian Schedenig 8,227]

Ever since Kill Bill came out, I've been hearing Twisted Nerve ringtones everywhere.

[Richard Penna 3,715]

I used to use Balin's Tomb from the CR, starting from where the frantic strings begin.

I got bored of that, and also started panicking when listening to that cue normally (I generally dislike using phones for anything - I'm the online type) so I changed it to the opening theme to Prison Break.

[Quintus 5,399]

I've had some really obscure film music ringtones, but nowadays I just use the ringing sample. My last "tone" was the BTTF trumpet solo and strings, heard as the helicopter flies over, near the end of the movie.

[indy4 155]

My current ringtone is a section of the fourth movement of Symphony No. 3 Slavyanskaya.

[Trent B 337]

Well for myself personally for family members and girlfriend I've got actual song ring tones set for them so I know who is calling in. For example my dad I've got an excerpt from "Ghost Riders In The Sky" that the Blue Brothers sing.

For other non family callers as the main ring tone I have it set for an excerpt from "Chutes and Matter" from the recent Star Trek release.

[Morn 8]

I use arthurs theme from First Knight as a ringtone.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I had Twisted Nerve for awhile, as well as the Raiders March and A Fistful Of Dollars. Now I just use the standard cell phone ring on my phone. It's 90% on vibrate anyway.

[Ollie 1,059]

Most ringtones I hear are the standard ones that come with phones or a few select classical pieces. The rest consist of the dribble that passes for modern music these days.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Most ringtones I hear are the standard ones that come with phones or a few select classical pieces. The rest consist of the dribble that passes for modern music these days.

For Dave my phone plays Jerry Goldsmiths The Walton's Theme, on of the greatest tv themes of all time.

[Luke Skywalker 1,798]

IS the SNF theme obscure enough?

[soundwave 0]

IS the SNF theme obscure enough?

I use that for my iPhone ringtone as well.

[Red 75]

I've had "Binary Sunset" as my ringtone for quite a while now; over a year.

[Greg1138 3]

I have BTTF theme on my phone (Main Title for ringtone, final 6 notes of Main Title for Text Alert and original poster for wallpaper), and have several other custom themes including Conti's Karate Kid, Horner's Aliens (love the text alert on that!) and Elfman's Batman...

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

For years now my ringtone has been The Murder from Psycho.

[fommes 154]

And when you watch the shower scene, do you then reach for your phone?

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

the AT&T tune for me! lol

[Luke Skywalker 1,798]

Oh when receiving a message i have the 1st five notes of 'Wild signals'

[Ollie 1,059]

the AT&T tune for me! lol

Same for me.

[Maxxie 1]

My ringtone is Enterprising Young Men.

My Dad's is Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

[airmanjerm 78]

My ringtone itself is some stock crap, but my text message alert is the little flute thing that WIlly Wonka plays to summon the Oompa Loompas. (From the original film with Gene Wilder, of course! lol)

[Koray Savas 2,251]

That's awesome!

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I have the "Gunbarrel" from A View to a Kill on mine.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

I have a standard office phone ring sound. I haven't had a musical ringtone since the beginning of

a few years ago.

[Jay 37,433]

On my last phone I had the sound of the phones from CTU (24) as my ringer. But since getting the iphone I've just used the one that sounds like a old phone as my ringer and some simple beeps for text messages.

[fommes 154]

I wouldn't even know how to put a ringtone on my cellphone (other than the standard ones).

[Ollie 1,059]

It's something I've been meaning to do. I just don't know what to use.

[Wojo 2,453]

I bought a program to do it, but it uploaded it to the internet from my computer, and wants me to download it from my phone. I don't use the internet on my phone, so unless I can reverse text message it from email, I may be SOL until I get a new cellphone, which I've actually been meaning to do anyways.

[Trent B 337]

My Droid Eris allows me to connect the phone directly to the computer since the cord has a USB end to it. I can upload anything I want from my computer to my phone, with ease of transfer using Windows Explorer. It's actually a nice feature to have.

[stewdog1 50]

I use Vangelis' "The Bounty" theme as my ringtone. When I get a new Droid phone later in the year, I plan on getting real creative with my ringtones. I really like the idea of the using the Willy Wonka loompa flute that someone is using above. That's awesome.

[Wojo 2,453]

As do I. Another fun one would be the bosun's whistle from Star Trek TOS.

[airmanjerm 78]

I bought a program to do it, but it uploaded it to the internet from my computer, and wants me to download it from my phone. I don't use the internet on my phone, so unless I can reverse text message it from email, I may be SOL until I get a new cellphone, which I've actually been meaning to do anyways.

I'm not one to promote other websites (and I hope this doesn't violate some sort of Commandment), but if you want to create your own ring tones for free and send them to your phone for free, go to:

http://www.myxer.com

You can upload a sound file, select the portion you want to use for your ringtone, and it sends that to your phone as a link within a text message. It's how I made the Oompa Loompa text tone. (If anybody wants that one, let me know and I can send it to you.) Just make a free account on there and it's completely legit. (NO fees, I promise! lol)

They have lots of tones on there for purchase, but I just avoid that and either make my own or look in the FREE section.

I will add that the world of "ringtones" has made it pretty darn near IMPOSSIBLE to look up single tracks of anything on Google! So, just to keep this from seeming like some sort of SPAM posting, I'll throw this in just for kicks:

JOHN WILLIAMS DANNY ELFMAN JERRY GOLDSMITH HANS ZIMMER JAMES HORNER ALAN SILVESTRI JAMES NEWTON HOWARD MICHAEL GIACCHINO ENNIO MORICONE BERNARD HERRMANN MAX STEINER ERIC KORNGOLD!!!

See...no Spam here, right? lol

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

the AT&T tune for me! lol

Same for me.

I had wanted to put something on my phone, but my laptop has no Bluetooth capability so I couldn't connect. I then ordered a bluetooth adaptor finally a few weeks ago, but broke my phone before it arrived. I then cheaped out and bought the cheapest GO phone I could find and of course it has no bluetooth. So AT&T it was and still is.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,489]

Phone is on vibrate all the time since I find ring tones to be obnoxious.

I used to have a sound clip of Princess Leia saying "Help me, Obi-Wan...", but yeah. Embarrassing and obnoxious. And any of you guys that have texted one of these girls nowadays...let me just say, I wanted to murder Princess Leia.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

I don't get why people do the vibrate all the time thing. I have friends who do that and they are extremely hard to get a hold of immediately simply because...wait for it...they don't hear their freaking phone ringing in their pants!

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,489]

I don't know man, the vibrations of my phone are downright violent. The only way I wouldn't notice is if I was operating a jackhammer or something.

[Joe Brausam 215]

I have Yakety Sax for my ringtone and one of the chariot race fanfares from Ben-Hur for my text sound.

[Datameister 2,055]

I don't get why people do the vibrate all the time thing. I have friends who do that and they are extremely hard to get a hold of immediately simply because...wait for it...they don't hear their freaking phone ringing in their pants!

We do it to avoid annoying ourselves and others with our ringtones...simple as that! I don't know about you, but I've never had a cell phone with a single non-annoying ringtone on it, and I don't really feel like fuzting with custom ringtones that'll only become annoying by repetition, too. With it on vibrate, I never have to worry about disturbing others in class, at work, etc. Anyway, I usually feel my phone vibrate, and I check it frequently enough to catch any that I've missed if I happened to be walking or whatever. What's not to get?

[Trent B 337]

I'm going to be in an office like a doctor's office, or at cardiac rehab, I'll have my phone on vibrate so I don't annoy everyone else with my ring tones and such. However, when I am home and out and about I will have my ringer volume up about mid way, as all the way up is way too loud for my phone. Oh and if my phone is on vibrate at the two places I listed I"ll have my phone in hand with me just in case I get a call or a text.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

I don't know man, the vibrations of my phone are downright violent. The only way I wouldn't notice is if I was operating a jackhammer or something.

Well perhaps for ppl with more gentle phones then. I just know a few too many people where phoning them means them not answering, and then getting a return call 15 to 20 minutes later. Its bloody regression thats what it is!

Don't even get me started on the absent minded ones who regularly misplace their phones, while on vibrate of course.

I don't get why people do the vibrate all the time thing. I have friends who do that and they are extremely hard to get a hold of immediately simply because...wait for it...they don't hear their freaking phone ringing in their pants!

We do it to avoid annoying ourselves and others with our ringtones...simple as that! I don't know about you, but I've never had a cell phone with a single non-annoying ringtone on it, and I don't really feel like fuzting with custom ringtones that'll only become annoying by repetition, too. With it on vibrate, I never have to worry about disturbing others in class, at work, etc. Anyway, I usually feel my phone vibrate, and I check it frequently enough to catch any that I've missed if I happened to be walking or whatever. What's not to get?

I don't know about you, but I do get annoyed whenthe very likely reason a person isn't answering is because their phone is on perma-vibrate. Especially when you need to get ahold of them like, instantly and not 20 minutes later.

Yes I do understand the need for the vibrate function but definitely not all the freaking time!

[indy4 155]

I don't know man, the vibrations of my phone are downright violent. The only way I wouldn't notice is if I was operating a jackhammer or something.

Well perhaps for ppl with more gentle phones then. I just know a few too many people where phoning them means them not answering, and then getting a return call 15 to 20 minutes later. Its bloody regression thats what it is!

That's annoying...especially when they don't listen to the voicemail you left them and just call you right away, expecting you to repeat everything you said a few minutes ago.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

I don't know man, the vibrations of my phone are downright violent. The only way I wouldn't notice is if I was operating a jackhammer or something.

Well perhaps for ppl with more gentle phones then. I just know a few too many people where phoning them means them not answering, and then getting a return call 15 to 20 minutes later. Its bloody regression thats what it is!

That's annoying...especially when they don't listen to the voicemail you left them and just call you right away, expecting you to repeat everything you said a few minutes ago.

I don't even bother with voicemail lol. But yea...every time that happens I internally rant 'you have a cellphone mate, not a fucking pager!'

I once got stranded in the rain for a good half an hour outside a friend's apartment because she fell asleep while I was on the way to her place and a vibrating phone on her coffee table wasn't quite loud enough to wake her up. Ugh its just not worth it.

[Datameister 2,055]

I once got stranded in the rain for a good half an hour outside a friend's apartment because she fell asleep while I was on the way to her place and a vibrating phone on her coffee table wasn't quite loud enough to wake her up. Ugh its just not worth it.

Well, yeah, if you're going to be asleep or physically apart from your phone, take it off of vibrate, sure! But if I'm just sitting at my desk or something, I'm not going to undergo the horror of listening to a ringtone when the vibrate function is just as easily detected.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I tend to ignore calls at times So vibrate is good so I don't have to listen to it ring for 30 seconds. But since I use my phone as an alarm clock, it's always off vibrate during the night. Sometimes if I'm just around the house it'll be off vibrate as well.