Overview of Short Stuff: The Voice of God
This episode is a tribute to Don LaFontaine, the legendary movie trailer narrator often called “the voice of God.” The hosts trace how he helped define the modern trailer style, popularized iconic phrasing like “In a world…”, and became one of the most recognizable voices in entertainment history.
Who Don LaFontaine Was
- Born in Duluth, Minnesota
- Served in the U.S. Army Band and Chorus
- Worked as a recording engineer before moving into voiceover
- Partnered in the early 1960s with producer Floyd Peterson, forming Floyd L. Peterson, Inc.
How He Changed Movie Trailers
A lucky break turned into a career
- In 1965, when a voice actor missed a session, LaFontaine stepped in to record radio spots for MGM’s The Gunfighters of Casa Grande.
- MGM liked the result enough to buy the work outright, helping launch his trailer career.
Defining the modern trailer voice
- LaFontaine and his collaborators helped create the style of the modern movie trailer:
- dramatic pacing
- big, memorable taglines
- rapid scene-setting narration
- He is especially associated with the now-famous trailer opener: “In a world…”
Why He Became So Famous
- He recorded more than 5,000 film trailers
- He also voiced around 750,000 TV spots and promos
- His voice became the default for major TV networks and channels, including:
- the four major U.S. networks
- UPN
- TNT
- TBS
- Cartoon Network
- He later worked as the in-house trailer voice for Paramount Pictures
Pop Culture Legacy
- His “In a world…” style became a comedy staple and was widely parodied
- He appeared in ads, including memorable Geico spots
- He was referenced in The Simpsons Movie
- His career became a shorthand for epic, over-the-top trailer narration
Final Years and Death
- LaFontaine was a longtime smoker, though he had reportedly quit for about two decades before his final illness
- He was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai in 2008 with a pulmonary embolism
- He died on September 1, 2008, at age 68
- He is buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
- His reported final line was: “In a world. There, I said it. Happy?”
- He also received a tribute in a Phineas and Ferb episode near the end of his life
Main Takeaways
- Don LaFontaine didn’t just narrate trailers — he helped invent the modern movie-trailer voice
- His style became so influential that it was endlessly copied and parodied
- Despite his iconic status, he was also known for having a good sense of humor about his own persona
- His work remains one of the most recognizable audio signatures in entertainment history