BROOKE GLADSTONE:
Even a third-rate film still has one last chance to be first-rate entertainment, in the preview. If nothing else, there’s got to be at least two minutes in there somewhere.
[CLIP]:
[DRUMS ROLLS]
DON LaFONTAINE:
John Rambo was innocent.
SYLVESTER STALLONE AS RAMBO:
I didn't do anything!
[DRUMS]
DON LaFONTAINE:
They pushed him too far.
SYLVESTER STALLONE AS RAMBO:
I’m starting to dislike you, a lot.
[DRUMS]
DON LaFONTAINE:
One man who'll never give up.
[END CLIP]
BROOKE GLADSTONE:
Don LaFontaine died this week at the age of 68. You may not know his name, but I know you know his voice. For 33 years, LaFontaine owned those two minutes of gut-shaking, tightly-edited highlights. It was his gravelly, ignore-me-at-your-peril delivery that made every movie preview sound like this [CLIP]:
DON LaFONTAINE:
The good –
[SOUNDS OF WIND AND A HORN]
The bad –
[SOUND OF A FLUTE]
The ugly.
[THUMPING/SCREAM]
[END CLIP]
BROOKE GLADSTONE:
In some 5,000 previews and countless commercials, LaFontaine intrigued you, beguiled you, scared you a little, because suddenly you were -
[CLIP]:
DON LaFONTAINE:
In a world of danger.
[END CLIP]
BROOKE GLADSTONE:
Or –
[CLIP]:
DON LaFONTAINE:
In a world where change is often frightening.
[END CLIP]
BROOKE GLADSTONE:
Or even -
[CLIP]:
DON LaFONTAINE:
In a world of falafel and pizza -
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE/MUSIC]
- stand in the line -
[MUSIC]
- for the best sabich in the universe.
[END CLIP]
BROOKE GLADSTONE:
In a brief video tribute, the inventor of “in a world” explains that his extraordinary magic sprang from a pretty ordinary place.
[CLIP]:
DON LaFONTAINE:
When I was 13 years old, my voice changed in the middle of a sentence. [HIGH VOICED] Mom, [DEEP VOICED] I'll help you with the dishes. Literally. And for a while there, it really upset me, but then I discovered that I could be everybody’s dad. [DEEP-VOICED] Jimmy can't come to school today because he’s not feeling very well.
[END CLIP]
BROOKE GLADSTONE:
He valued his gift and he shared it. For years, he recorded answering machine messages for any stranger who asked. Once, on NPR’s Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me!, when he failed to win a listener Carl Kasell’s voice on their machine, he offered to do it himself.

In a world where unique talent deserves recognition, we salute you, Don LaFontaine. Also, we have a special respect, envy, really, for anyone who can enthrall with only the sound of his voice.
[MUSIC UP AND UNDER]
BOB GARFIELD:
That's it for this week's show. On the Media was produced by Megan Ryan, Jamie York, Mike Vuolo, Mark Phillips and Nazanin Rafsanjani, and edited – by Brooke. We had technical direction from Jennifer Munson, engineering help from Zach Marsh and more help from Michael Bernstein. Our webmaster is Amy Pearl.
BROOKE GLADSTONE:
Katya Rogers is our senior producer and John Keefe our executive producer. Bassist/composer Ben Allison wrote our theme. This is On the Media from WNYC. I'm Brooke Gladstone.
BOB GARFIELD:
[DEEP-VOICED, A LA DON LAFONTAINE] In world where co-hosts say their last line -
BROOKE GLADSTONE:
Give it up, Bob.
BOB GARFIELD:
And I'm Bob Garfield.