Short Stuff: The Voice of God | STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

Hey, and welcome to the Short Stuff. I'm. Josh and there's Chuck and Jerry sitting. in for Dave. So, this is Short Stuff. Hit it, Chuck. >> In a world where two doofuses podcast. That's my imitation, everybody. Of Don LaFontaine and this is a bit of. tribute to the man that was known as the. voice of God. Don LaFontaine, the movie trailer guy. >> That's right. That's exactly what um a.

lot of people call him, the movie. trailer guy, because. he has to his credit, Chuck, this. eye-popping number. I'm going to take. this one, okay? >> Yeah, let's hear it. >> Over the course of his uh career, um he. recorded more than 5,000 film trailers. >> Oh, man. >> Previews, 5,000 previews. 750,000. television spots, like commercials and. promos and all that stuff. >> I bet Don LaFontaine, when he passed.

away in uh. >> 2008, I think. >> 2008, was a very, very rich man. >> I would think so. I would think so. >> And good for him. >> Sure. I mean, he did it with his own. hard work. I mean, by the end of his. life, he was working basically till the. end. >> Yeah. >> And by the end of his life, he um he had. built out a home office and was. averaging seven voice-overs a day. Which you If you don't do voice-overs,

you're probably like, "That doesn't seem. like that much. I'd knock that out in. like 15 minutes.". >> Yeah. >> No, you wouldn't, because it's actually. surprisingly difficult. And if you're. actually working with a professional. company, they will make you do that over. and over and over again. And it is quite. it's quite awful. I don't recommend it. for anybody who doesn't love voice-over. >> Yeah, we read our audio book and. uh it was not fun. And this is two guys. who talk for a living into a microphone. and it was it was pretty painstaking.

>> Yeah, and the the director was even. great. >> Yeah, no everyone did a great job. Everyone was awesome. It had nothing to. do with that. It was just very. monotonous. It It just wasn't for us, you know, we're very off the cuff. Yeah, obviously the way we do our show. and did not transfer over to uh. like. exact readings of things. >> Yeah, for sure. Like exact. It has to be. exact or you'll get yelled at. >> All right, so Don LaFontaine was born in. Duluth, Minnesota. Um he served in the.

military in the uh well, he's in the. army cuz he was in the United States. Army Band and Chorus uh and worked as a. recording engineer there. And once he got out he continued. engineering at the National Recording. Studios in New York City. And in 1962, he got hooked up with a producer radio. producer named Floyd Peterson. And. Peterson. uh just happened to be working with. Stanley Kubrick on Dr. Strangelove was. creating these kind of radio promos. >> Right. >> And.

uh. it was like really successful. So he and. LaFontaine hooked up and said, "All. right, we should like be like legit. partners from now on.". >> Yeah, they did legitimize it. They. formed Floyd L. Peterson Inc. Uh and I think this is the impression I. have is that initially Don LaFontaine. just kept doing his engineering thing. >> Yeah, yeah, I think so. >> It wasn't until 1965, a few years into. their partnership, that um. that I I guess there was some scheduling.

mix-up. And a voiceover actor. didn't show up on time or for their um. slot. So Don LaFontaine had to step in. and record some radio spots for The. Gunfighters of Casa Grande. Uh for MGM. And MGM said, "Brother, we. are just going to buy this whole thing. outright. This proof of concept is done. You you invented the plane with the seat. back trays and everything right out of. the gate. >> Yeah, they're like, "Hey you with the.

perfect voice, give this a shot.". >> Exactly. >> this was at a time when um. film production and uh promotion were. all kind of done in-house. Uh like you made the movie and then you. didn't go to a different company to like. cut the trailer or whatever. Like they. did it all themselves. >> Right. >> And they were like, "Hey, I think we can. uh disrupt this tradition.". And they I don't know why that was. funny. Um. why was that funny? >> Uh. disruptors, disruption, it's just such. like a 2013.

horrible Silicon Valley. horror show word to me. >> of it in the terms of disruptors, but. they literally disrupted. But yeah, you're right. >> Yeah. But no, no, I mean I wasn't. laughing at you, Chuck. >> I know. You're laughing at people that. use the word disruptors with a straight. face. >> Yeah, and the disruptors themselves. >> Yeah, yeah, sure. Uh all right, so they were disruptors, straight-faced. And they said they they kind of. developed the modern movie trailer as we. know it together. Um.

it was you know it was uh it was a very. creative time for them and they were the. first to create these like catchphrases. that are now uh very ubiquitous across. the trailer industry. Um and you know, this example I think this came from uh. the New York Times obituary or maybe. SAG-AFTRA or don lafontaine.com. But um. they they listed some of these sort of. catchphrases that are now just all over. the place like a one-man army or nowhere. to run, nowhere to hide, and no way out.

But of course, in a world was was the. money slogan. And LaFontaine just he kind of. crystallized it when he was like, "It's. just a very rapid way to set the scene. when you can say in a world where uh. where violence rules." Like that that. kind of says it all in just a handful. words about what kind of movie you're. about to see. >> Yeah, because. if a 90-minute movie is ideal. to have like a nice steady crisp clip, >> Yeah. >> a trailer has to be even crisper even at.

a steadier clip. You have to be able to. yeah, surmise a bunch of stuff from just. a few words and that was a I mean that. was a great innovation. I I saw it. basically everywhere that he's the one. that came up with that. He's certainly. credited with it. >> Yeah. >> I get the impression no Hollywood. historian has actually gone to the. trouble of identifying that yes, he. definitely was the one who pioneered it. Everybody's like, yeah, it was Don. LaFontaine. >> Yeah. All right, uh. nice caveat and we'll be back right. after this with more on the voice of.

God. >> [music]. [music]. [music]. >> All right, so in a world is the kind of.

thing that has been parodied many many. times over the years like once it became. so ubiquitous every comedian latched on. to it. They were in Geico commercials. Uh. The Simpsons movie like used Don. LaFontaine and at the end like Homer was. talking back to Don LaFontaine as the. voice of God and that was kind of fun. So obviously that's the kind of thing. that's going to be parodied but as far. as his real career goes, we can go back. to 1976. when he started his own production. company Don LaFontaine Associates.

and his first assignment out of the gate. was Godfather Part II and two years. later Paramount Pictures said, "Hey, why. don't you just come work for for and run. our trailer department. >> Yeah. And he said, "Cha-ching, I'll be. right there." I always loved your. mountain logo. >> Yeah, me too. >> That was a That was such a great thing. at the beginning of Raiders of the Lost. Ark, where it dissolves from the. Paramount logo into the actual mountain. >> I knew you were going to say that. I. just saw Disclosure Day, the new.

Spielberg, and I highly recommend it. >> Okay, good. I saw Backrooms in the. theater twice within 3 days. >> Oh, wow. >> I really liked it a lot. >> Yeah, all right. Did you see it twice. just cuz you wanted to, or you're like, "Oh, I got to take Yumi back and see. this?". >> Both of those. >> Okay, cool. >> Yeah. >> That's fun. >> Um yeah. So, but yes, I recommend that. as well. I'll go see Disclosure Day. You're the second group of people who. recommended it. >> I'm a group. >> You are. >> Amazing. >> That's how important you are.

>> All right, so he worked at Paramount for. just a few years, left in '81, moved to LA, which is ironically where. Paramount is. And there was an agent named Steve. Tischerman who said, "Hey, you should. really like" Like he wasn't the voice of. God, the voice of God yet in 1981. He. were like, "You should really just. concentrate on this cuz you're so good. at it.". >> Sure. >> And that was it. That's when he really. cemented his legacy as just the. voiceover guy. >> Yeah, real quick question, Chuck. Um. why does Steve Tischerman's name sound. familiar? I did not get a chance to look.

him up, but. >> I don't know. >> Is he like a legendary agent? >> I have no idea, actually. It didn't ring. familiar to me. >> Okay, it did for me for some reason. I. don't know, you know. Um but yes, um Don LaFontaine did become. the king of voiceovers, the voice of. God, after about that time, starting in. the '80s. Um he became the like the. in-house, I guess, voice for um. all four of the networks in America, plus the overlooked fifth one, UPN.

>> That's right. And TNT and TBS, Cartoon. Network. >> Yeah. >> Uh I mean, you can hardly name a brand. without, you know, mentioning Don LaFontaine having voiced. for them. >> You're not going to say all these. brands? >> That's funny. Uh, and then, you know, he was sort of. the in-show announcer for award shows, for the Academy Awards at times. And. just, you know, it was a heck of a career in a I love it. when someone can find a niche like that. and just.

like dominate it to to that degree. It's. really kind of fun. >> He definitely did dominate it. And not. just dominate it, but also make fun of. yourself, too. >> Oh, yeah, he had a great sense of humor, I feel like. >> Yeah, that uh, Geico commercial, I went. back and watched it, the one from 2005. >> Yeah. >> It is so cute. There's this real Geico. customer telling about like this story. where they had to like, you know, call. Geico and, you know, I guess make a claim. That's the word. I'm looking for. >> Sure. >> And it was just an average everyday. story, so they hired Don LaFontaine to.

kind of, um, movie it up. And so, she he was. translating what the the woman was. saying. And it was it was very cute. >> Yeah, I bet he made some good scratch. from them, too. >> I hope so, man. He definitely deserved. it. And by the way, if you are were if you work in. advertising for Geico, you guys have. been killing it for. the the the the entire century so far. >> Yeah, I think they always put out a. pretty fun spot.

>> Remember the Geico caveman? >> Those were great. >> Did you know that there was a. short-lived TV show featuring them? Do. you remember that? >> Yeah, did it actually come out? I. remember it was a thing. Okay, yeah, I. didn't know if they actually made it to. air, but I knew it was it was a thing. >> It was rough. >> Yeah, I mean, that probably wasn't. Some. things are best left as 30-minute or. 30-second ads, you know. >> Right. Right. >> Like most things, probably. >> Yeah, America is very fickle. >> Uh, so, this is well, I don't know if. it's surprising or not, cuz he kind of.

had that deep baritone, but he was. uh an on-and-off smoker um for a lot of. his life. And he had quit though for two solid. decades. He did the right thing um. before he was admitted to Cedars-Sinai. um very sadly in 2008 um with a. pulmonary embolism. Uh was in critical. condition uh the week after that and his. family was like, "Let's pray for Don.". You know, like he needs to hear from. everybody. And on September 1st, 2008 uh. he passed at the age of uh 68 about 10.

days into his hospitalization and he is. interred at the uh fantastic legendary. Hollywood Forever Cemetery, which is. great. >> Which we did a whole short stuff on. itself. Oh, yeah, that's right. Yeah. Um apparently his last final performance. was in a Phineas and Ferb episode. I'm. pretty sure I I know it's a cartoon. I'm. pretty sure it's Nickelodeon cartoon. Uh the episode is The Chronicles of Meep. if you want to go hear him. His final. line was, "In a world, there, I said it. Happy.".

>> That's funny. >> final line. Uh and they put a little. short tribute to him at the end of the. episode. So, good for them. >> I wonder if he has a star on the. Hollywood Walk of Fame because he. totally should. >> If he doesn't, then the Walk of Fame. needs to get their act together. >> Yeah. Uh I'm looking that up real quick. because that was something that I meant. to look up earlier. >> Well, hold on. While you're looking that. up, let me mention there's a 2013. uh movie written and directed by Lake. Bell. >> Oh, yeah. >> called In a World and it's about like.

the voiceover um world, I guess. >> Yeah, yeah, she's great. >> Yeah. I haven't seen it. Is it Have you. seen it? >> I have not seen that movie, but I I'm a. fan of Lake Bell from Childrens. Hospital. >> Mhm. >> Uh and I just learned, and of course. uh. >> [laughter]. >> I don't know if this is right or not. The AI overviews are so bad, it's. hysterical sometimes. >> Let me just make something up. >> Because that says no, but then I'm. seeing a picture of him with a star. So. maybe yes. Yesterday I asked uh.

whatever the stupid assistant in my. house is. uh. cuz I wasn't sure if I Ireland had made. the World Cup this year and uh I said is. Ireland in the World Cup? And it said. no, Ireland is in Ireland. >> [laughter]. >> I swear to god. >> Wow. >> Yeah, not a joke. >> Wow. >> Pretty unbelievable. >> At least it acknowledged that Ireland. exists. >> Yeah, I mean I mean every it's making. everything better, right? >> [laughter]. >> Sure. Yeah. But but like by the second.

>> All right, so I'll do some real research. and see if he has that star on the Walk. of Fame and uh I'll report back later. >> Yeah, because ironically the AI. assistant could be right because another. AI program created a fake picture of him. on the. >> [music]. >> with the star. >> Yeah. >> What a time to be alive. >> I know. >> Uh that's it I guess. Short Stuff's out, right? >> Short Stuff's out. >> Stuff You Should Know is a production of. iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from. iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app,

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