Cool News
In A World... Where Don LaFontaine Has Passed Away...
Hey guys. Quint here with my thoughts on Don LaFontaine, who died Monday afternoon and the world of movie trailers will never be the same again. As someone who loves trailers, has a collection of them in 16mm and 35mm and still enjoys the previews as much as I did back when I was a kid this is a very sad day for me.
Don was famous as being “The Voice,” the same man you hear in damn near every trailer and ad. He recorded voice-overs for well over 5000 trailers in his life.
I can’t remember the first time I heard Don LaFontaine’s voice… It could be the FRIDAY THE 13TH trailer, which is still one of my favorite pieces from him. He totally had the voice horror.
But he did it all. Comedies, Sci-Fi, Adventure, Horror, Drama… In fact, he became so recognizable that he started spoofing himself and the oft-repeated trailer opening, “In a world…” became kind of a national in-joke with the movie geek crowd.
You might remember his GEICO commercial, which I particularly enjoyed. Check it out if you haven’t seen it:
He started on DR. STRANGELOVE, but not as a voice. He was a producer, editor and eventually fell into voice-over work, which became his profession for the last 40 years.
The man was a machine, said to have done around an average of 60 promotions a week, sometimes as many as 35 in a single day. His voice will always signify a period of cinema history, his baritone always remembered by people of my immediate generation as being a warm-up for the main feature.
I will include a sampling of Mr. LaFontaine’s work below to check at your leisure. I don’t think it’s simple nostalgia, but I can tell you that watching a lot of these trailers really get me itching to pop in these films. Mr. LaFontaine is a big part of that.
As always, my thoughts are with Mr. LaFontaine’s friends, family and fans.
Hey, everyone. “Moriarty” here.
Don LaFontaine is the trailer voice guy. He was an ubiquitous voice over talent whose death brings an era concretely to an end.
I know little about the man personally beyond the fact that he was 68 when he died this weekend of complications from pneumothorax. He has his own website, and the intro alone seems to demonstrate that he was not only well aware of what impact he'd had on pop culture, but he sort of relished it.
Our sympathies go out to his friends and family, and I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that his passing will leave a huge impact on the industry as a whole. Not many people make as big a mark without their personal story overshadowing things, and I doubt there will ever be another Don LaFontaine.
Drew McWeeny, Los Angeles
Drew McWeeny, Los Angeles
Readers Talkback
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Great voice over guy.
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He really was the man. True legend will be missed.
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Sorry to hear it. He made his own very unique contribution to the movie industry and to showbiz.
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despite what he's done for a lot of the big trailers we've seen
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Sad news. "Just When YOU THOUGHT you'd seen it all!!!" Terminator 2!!!! Great bit of throatiness that was.
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A great and genuinely nice guy whose impact on the industry will not be fully appreciated by the media. Rest in peace, Don - you will be missed.
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Sept. 2, 2008, 1:37 a.m. CST
A real shame. He was a huge part of my movie-going experience.
by 3D-Man
He could make dreck like STOP OR MY MOM WILL SHOOT sound like something I'd actually want to see. Thanks for all the memories, sir.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QPMvj_xejg
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FYI, Don was a Baha'i. <p> RIP Don.
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...he set the standard for movie trailers for the last couple of decades. It's going to be VERY difficult to find someone with the same kind of timbre and gravitas to replace him. We could possibly be seeing the reinvention of the cinema trailer now that he has passed on. Thanks for the memories...
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He loved his family greatly, and that is his most important legacy.
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Sept. 2, 2008, 1:59 a.m. CST
I just watched a trailer for a new doc about this dude
by Shock Corridor
I had a job interview a few days ago with this company in Austin and they're producing a documentary on all the popular voice artists everyone hears all the time. It's called the Voice Gods of Hollywood. I think they're still in production so I wonder what they're gonna do. The trailer's at www.megalomedia.com and it looks pretty cool.
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Bummer man. R.I.P.
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FUCKING SUCK FUCKING SUCKFUCKING SUCKFUCKING SUCKFUCKING SUCKFUCKING SUCKFUCKING SUCKFUCKING SUCKFUCKING SUCKFUCKING SUCKFUCKING SUCKFUCKING SUCKFUCKING SUCKFUCKING SUCKFUCKING SUCK
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evanier posted last week that he had been hospitalized, but i thought he would pull through...trailers will never be the same...i hope that disaster movie wasnt his last gig...and by all accounts...he was one of the most generous people in the biz
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That guy was an original.
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He'll be missed.
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This extremely sad news is completely shocking to me. I remember watching "five voice over artists in a limo" video and thinking how awesome those guys are. Don, I hope you're in a better place right now riding in a limo and serving as the voice of God. Rest in peace.
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With him AND Ernie Anderson gone, we are truly at the end of an era in VO. Won't be the same without them.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQRtuxdfQHw
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Don's health scare in November is likely related to what caused his death: blogs.voices.com/voxdaily/2007/12/don_lafontaine.html
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and now he's fighting for the one thing he belives in....... You'll be missed, forever an icon.
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For real. So my tribute is as follows.<br><br>In a World...where things flutter in the night, and terror is around every corner...<br><br>Only one cat can save mankind...ATHENA, the small, white, cow-colored cat. <br><b>Ah, I guess it dodn't work the way I wanted it to. Anyways, sad news, indeed. But my cat ate a moth, and not only that, SHE SWALLOWED IT WHOLE!!! I could hear it fluttering in her stomach. Pretty cool! I wonder how DOn LAFontaine would actually say that? Terrible news though...
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"In a world, where moths flutter trapped in the stomach of a cat..."
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Fuck..........FUCK!!
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QPMvj_xejg&feature=related rest in peace
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQRtuxdfQHw Death.. for some.. man's last great .. adventuuure... but for ONE MAN... a chance... at Immortaliteeeey. RIP Don.
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His voice will be missed. Now we just got comedy guy's voice. LaFontaine could make anything sound cool.
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Rest in Peace. You really had an impressive voice and we will all miss it.
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First Percy Rodriguez(the guy who did the original Jaws trailer...and now Don. What other Baritones are left? Vin Diesel?
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Don't know if it's already been mentioned, but this is his all-time best trailer. http://www.apple.com/trailers/miramax/index_abc.html (hit the Comedian link, duhh) Man I'll miss this guy, how the hell are they ever going to replace him, he made most trailers better than the bloody movie themselves.
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There's going to be a huge vacuum in the VO market, many imitators but there was only one Don, incredibly versatile (which is often overlooked) more than just barritone velvet gravel blockbustin tag lines, he could do the lot.
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Even lended his talents for MGS4. RIP Mr. Voice.
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A true loss for the movie industry and to film geeks everywhere. <p> R.I.P.
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There's something almost mythic in the fact that he died from pneumonia, of all things.
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...BY THE GUY WHO SCREAMS DURING THOSE OXY CLEAN COMMERCIALS, EVEN THOUGH THE CAMERA IS THREE FEET AWAY FROM HIM.<BR><BR>Sorry for the all-caps. Even sorrier to hear about Mr. LaFontaine's passing.
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In a world without Don Lafontaine, the movies will be a poorer experience for us all. A legend lost.
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Gone to the great voice-gig in the sky.
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Simply awful news. Pray dear Lord Jesus (Buddah, Muhammad, Allah...pick your God) that they don't get Ryan Seacrest to start doing them...because you know that white bread, mayonaise, cracker ass publicity cunt would do them (badly) in a second. <p> Godspeed!
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http://tinyurl.com/ydfkgv. Don you will be missed.
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All Hollywood trailers will now officially suck. This man had a God given talent. He could make the crappiest movies sound interesting. I loved how he poked fun at himself in the Geico commercial, and years earlier in a Hollywood Video commercial
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by the end of the day.
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It's funny to see how movie trailers sucked back then
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and by extension, "movie-going" will never, ever be the same.
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Pablo Francisco?
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But back then it was Don who always hooked us into showing up Friday night. He WAS the marketing dept and a one man hype machine back in the day. None better. RIP and thanks for the memories.
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This is fucked up news to start one's day off with. As someone who always forced his friends to get to the movies early so we could sit through trailers, I enjoyed his work immensely - I always pointed out his voice to my friends, and I was very happy when Seth MacFarlane put him on "Family Guy". Still gotta say that he was wonderful in his little bit from the "Hitchhiker's Guide" trailer, where he kinda took the piss out of himself... Rest in peace, Don.
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He didn't do "Hitchhiker's"... damn it!
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Remember that American Dad spoof of 007 films where Roger is a film producer called Tearjerker and he creates a flick call Oscar Gold that LaFontaine did the voiceover for? That was the funniest thing I have ever heard.
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...and Godspeed.
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For the guy that mentioned that trailer....than wasn't Don.
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I think he did all the intros and outros on NFL on Fox too. :The NFL on Fox is brought to you by Penzoil Motor Oil. And by Just Friends 2, coming to theaters this fall." Bummer.
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He was the guy in the comedian trailer. And he's just as good IMO.
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..both of the terminator trailers gave me chills...God i can't wait to play mgs4...staying on this sad topic, even though there is some voice talent still doing the trailers I wonder how his death is gonna affect movie marketing. Even with previews relying on mostly technical pizzaz nowadays, it was still great plugging that voice in to turn it up a notch...R.I.P. Mr. Lafontaine
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I think Don himself realized his voice was being overused. That's why much of his stuff in recent years was self-parody rather than "serious" trailer work.
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I've always enjoyed Don's voice work since I was a little kid. He will be missed, and I do think his passing will probably mark the end of an era of film trailers.
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I've always enjoyed Don's voice work since I was a little kid. He will be missed, and I do think his passing will probably mark the end of an era of film trailers.
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Don was such a master! Such an iconic voice that became deeply embedded in pop culture. He will be very missed by movie fans. I just want to say Kudos to Ain't it Cool. I've seen nothing about Don's passing on mainstream sources like MSN or CNN. Thanks for being there for the geeks! :-)
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No doubt.
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RIP sir
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That was another line of his that eventually became kind of a cliche, if you will. Sometimes when I watch the trailers before the film begins, I would wonder to myself "what in the world will the studios do after Mr. Movie Voice retires?" But I never thought he'd pass away so soon. I'm sad that it's the end of era. I grew up with his voice. Well, I hope whoever the studios get to d othe voiceovers now, they don't get some soundalike. It won't be the same.
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...who will do the voice-overs now?
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Sept. 2, 2008, 9:58 a.m. CST
Woah woah woah, lets not bring Seacrest into this, Kentucky Colo
by dr sauch
Seacrest is talented, True Story!
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my ears are sad
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R.I.P.
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character actor from the 80s, at least that was his prime, has done some great voiceover work for upcoming television episodes. I don't think I can picture his voice doing movie trailers though.
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What a gift that guy had, and even better, that he was hip enough to have fun with it too. "Payback! THIS time, its FOR REAL!" Why bother having voiceovers on trailers anymore if you can't have this guy.
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Met him briefly at some silly promotional event or another. Not a celebrity in any sense of the word. Just a real nice guy you'd be lucky to have as a neighbor and fortunate to have as a friend.<p> He was, without a doubt, our generation's Rod Serling.
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Badass voice. Badass name. Movie trailers will never be the same.
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thanks for that link.
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Take it easy with the LaFontaine impressions today - I feel like I've been repeatedly raped in the throat.
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Sept. 2, 2008, 10:52 a.m. CST
Was he the voice of the Disney World Monorail system also?
by Ye Not Guilty
Every time I got on that monorail I thought that was his voice.
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He will truly be missed.
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I was producing promos 10 years ago and at that time Don drove from sound studio to sound studio in a limo, and was always on a very tight schedule. He arrived for my session and there was a technical delay, which could really piss him off. This was my first ever meeting with him, so I tried some small talk to ease the tension: "Hey Don, how long you been doing VO's?" He stared at me somewhat perturbed and said "Since 1964. In other words, your whole fucking life!" Yes! Belittled by the King! I wore that as a badge of honor! Rest in peace, you will be missed.
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And thank you for sparking in us so many moments of sheer giddy enthusiasm for so many films. You and your immeasurable talent will be missed.
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That's like taking any object that makes a specific sound and all of a sudden it won't make that sound anymore. It's something taken for granted and sadly missed when gone. I bet this news will resonate something in most people when they hear of it. At least for anyone who has watched their fair share of movies. Incidentally Pneumothorax is what you get when you suffer a collapsed lung. Not very pleasant, particularly the procedure needed to fix it. RIP Don LaFontaine.
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but more of a tribute on You Tube. You may have seen his routine on Comedy Central for years.
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RIP, Don. If Will Arnett needs a career change, maybe this is his chance.
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i've noticed miguel ferrer doing a lot of nice voiceover work in recent years.
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...possibly the only promo rap video ever made: http://tinyurl.com/56fr5o He thought it was funny.
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NYC'ers will get this reference.
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Can some of the many, MANY douchebags in hollywood start dying soon?
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I was actually just thinking of changing my voicemail to a parody, now it will be a tribute... RIP
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I sure will miss THAT voice.
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Ernie Anderson and now LaFontaine. His baritone was just so perfect, I'll miss it as much as Anderson's accented "on the LOOOOVE Boat". Classics, the both of 'em. I only hope that Hal Douglas and Peter Cullen will be with us for a long time to come, because they're all that's left to carry the torch.
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Best voice ever! But we still have James Earl Jones, yay
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Trailers will never be the same again.... never!
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Sept. 2, 2008, 1:59 p.m. CST
A Robot Renegade Cop in a Land Before Time on the Edge of Space
by Squashua
[A neatly dressed bearded man (JACK) comes into a recording studio, sits down, preparing to do a voiceover. His seat faces the technicians and director, who also face him. Glass separates them. Mainly the camera focuses on JACK. Everything JACK says has a dramatic majesty about it, he uses his very resonate voice.] <br><br> JACK <br> Whoa, feedback. <br> <br> DIRECTOR <br> All right, let's try this. It's the voice-over for Comedian movie trailer: take one. <br> <br> JACK <br> In a World, where Laughter was King.. <br> <br> DIRECTOR <br> [hits button] Uh, no "In a world," Jack.. <br> <br> JACK <br> What do you mean, "No 'In a World'".. <br> <br> DIRECTOR <br> It's not that kind of movie.. <br> <br> JACK <br> Oh? Okay. In a Land that— <br> <br> DIRECTOR <br> [hits button] No 'In a land' either. <br> <br> JACK <br> In a Time— <br> <br> DIRECTOR <br> Nah, I don't think so. <br> <br> JACK <br> In a Land Before Time— <br> <br> DIRECTOR <br> [hits button] It's about a comedian, Jack. <br> <br> JACK <br> One Man— <br> <br> DIRECTOR <br> No.. <br> <br> JACK <br> When your Life is no longer your Own— <br> <br> DIRECTOR <br> Wha—What does that mean— <br> <br> JACK <br> When everything you Know is Wrong— <br> <br> DIRECTOR <br> That's wrong— <br> <br> JACK <br> In an Outpost— <br> <br> DIRECTOR <br> No— <br> <br> JACK <br> On the Edge of Spaccce— <br> <br> DIRECTOR <br> There's no Space— <br> <br> JACK <br> A Girl— <br> <br> DIRECTOR <br> No.— <br> <br> JACK <br> Two Girrrls— <br> <br> DIRECTOR <br> No. <br> <br> JACK <br> Now— <br> <br> DIRECTOR <br> —no— <br> <br> JACK <br> —More than Ever— <br> <br> DIRECTOR <br> Stop it— <br> <br> JACK <br> A Renegade Cop— <br> <br> DIRECTOR <br> —I hate you— <br> <br> JACK <br> A Robot Renegade Cop— <br> <br> DIRECTOR <br> You're Fired. <br> <br> JACK <br> You're Fired. <br> <br> DIRECTOR <br> No, you're actually Fired. <br> <br> JACK <br> I'm Fired. <br> <br> DIRECTOR <br> Get out of the booth, Jack. <br> <br> JACK <br> No. I Like it in here. <br> <br> [Black screen with white letters: "comedian. a film about comedy with jerry seinfeld. only in theaters this fall. jerry seinfeld. comedian."]
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...may Don LaFontaine rest in peace.
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But it makes me chuckle. <br><br> Someone post the link to the video with all the announcers getting into a limo together.
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Ah, forget you guys, I'll do it myself. <br><br> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQRtuxdfQHw
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... or at least read the earlier posts.
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"In A World... Where Don LaFontaine Has Passed Away..."<p>Stupid.<p>AICN almost ALWAYS has crappy headlines for their stories. I don't think I have ever seen one that would be considered good or clever. Some are somewhat disrespectful. Like this one. Sorta. I mean, the guy dies and they give him THAT headline? CNN's was similar but not as tasteless as AICN.
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perfect example with "Castaway". WHAT THE FUCK?!?! It's like, well, thanks assholes. I WAS planning on seeing this movie with a clean slate but not anymore. This happens WAY too often doesn't it? Of course, I saw Castaway when it was first released on DVD but you get my point.
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of this guy for years - better hang that up for a while. Did he do the Original Star Wars trailer voice over - cos that was awesome
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The man was a legend in Redneck Cinema! Give some props to the Snowman!
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No kidding... every time some assistant sound editor from the 40's dies, this site covers it like it was the lunar landing but Jerry Reed = Crickets
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Movie trailers will never be the same... the end of an era.
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The man could do anything. He was distinctive yet always in service to the film he was promoting.
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thank god for that. not that I have anything against this guy, but can we get some diversity? I'm sick of the old guy's voice saing "in a world; where blah blah blah". how about a woman? or how about a professional writer?
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What a great loss to the movie world
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when I was a little kid, I once asked my mom why all the announcers in the previews sounded the same. she told me it was actually one guy who did about 90% of them. i didn't believe her. talk about a guy who affects movie-goers of all shapes and sizes, but has nearly zero name recognition. he will be missed.
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His voice is one of the best things about going to the movies. He will be missed.
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There was a 60 minute segment about him years ago.... He seemed very concieted at the time...... I think he loosened up quite a bit......
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I laughed at what you said and it is true. LOL at the lunar landing comment : ) That was great!
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That guy Killed it everytime,that's a shame.
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I love that trailer you embedded of Don's.<br> It's like a Sesame Street bit from hell.
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...of the movie trailers he actually did per year.<br> It seems like he did do the overwhelming majority. I know he certainly stood out the most.<br> I used to wonder who the hell it was that did those trailers. Back then there was no internet to speak of to look it up on. I heard his voice on some "making-of" documentary and made sure to check the credits to see who did the narration, and that's how I found out his name.<br> I'm glad he got a little bit of recognition from the public in his final days.
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Don had a one of a kind voice that made you want to go see the movies. He was the ultimate promotion for a film. Unfortunately, most of the films couldn't live up to the excitement his trailers generated. So in tribute......In A World.....where movie tickets cost more than a new car.......who will convince the public to spend mass amounts of money to see a film in theatres that they can buy on DVD in a year for 10 dollars?
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...created by one man...a world where every movie seemed worth seeing because of his commanding voice. In a world where the voice could make year heart valves pump steam waiting to see the movie that he introduces...the same world feels the pain of monumental loss. Don was a world onto himself, part of the movie experience my whole life. Heaven has a new voice over artist, and our world has been darkend. RIP Don, thanks for the decades of entertainment!
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Awesome trailer voice guy, RIP.
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A fan of his work since... forever. Well, since I knew of him, which is I'd like to say circa 1999. That's almost a decade of fandom. Incredible.
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I was just talking about him the over day. Can't believe he did that many movies. He will be missed. I was getting excited to spot his voice in some upcoming trailer. I wonder if anyone knows what the last AD he did was.
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Quint, if you were half the movie fan you clearly envision yourself as, you would have able to tell instantly that the Man doing the V.O. for The Terminator trailer(part 1) is not Don LaFontaine. You should know better. LaFontaine deserves better.
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Peter Cullen could fill the legacy. Just a thought.
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...but there are actually a plethora of voiceover professionals who do the same work for a multitude of trailers/spots [film/tv]. Case in point the man behind the villain Malak in 'Knights of the Old Republic' has done work in this arena... and he's pretty bad ass at it too. But Don has helped jumpstart this style of promotion, and we cannot forget this fact.
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