"In a world where.." cliche, coined by Don LaFontaine?

[Mullins, Bill AMRDEC]

I doubt LaFontaine coined much of his voiceover work -- it is all scripted by ad copywriters.

It was a cliché, no doubt, when it started being used in movie ads, and I can find the phrase back into the 1890's without too much trouble.

See, for example, this ad for Sapolio (a cleanser??), which reads in its entirety:
"In a world where "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" no praise is too great for Sapolio"
Display Ad 9 -- No Title The Washington Post; Feb 6, 1895; pg. 3

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> From: American Dialect Society
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> Subject: "In a world where.." cliche, coined by Don LaFontaine?
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> Subject:      "In a world where.." cliche, coined by Don LaFontaine?
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> -----------------
>
> IN A WORLD WHERE--1,630,000 Google hits
> ...
> In a Geico commercial, "that announcer guy from the movies"
> (Don  LaFontaine= )=20
> announces: "In a world where both our cars were totally
> underwater..."
> ...
> Did Don LaFontaine coin this? Where and when? Jimmy Kimmel
> has a new tv =20 promo that also begins with "in a world..."
> ...
> ...
> ...
> _http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_LaFontaine_=20
> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_LaFontaine)=20
> ...
> Don LaFontaine (born _August 26_
> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_26) ,=20 _1940_
> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1940)  in _Duluth, Minnesota_=20
> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duluth,_Minnesota) )  is a
> _voice actor_=20
> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_actor)  famous for
> recording over 5,000=  _movie trailers_=20
> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movie_trailers) , _television
> commercials_=20
> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_commercials) ,
> network promotions,=20= and video=20 game trailers. His
> signature  voice is both ominous and sonorous. He is ofte=
> n=20 nicknamed "The King of Movie  Trailers", "Thunder
> Throat" or "The Voice of=20 God", and credited with helping
> to  create the modern movie trailer, includi= ng=20 clich=E9s
> such as "In a world where no  one can be trusted, one man
> will ris= k it=20 all." His favorite movie trailer that  he
> did a voice over for was the hit=20 slasher film _Friday the  13th_=20
> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th_(film)) .
> (...)
> Satire and other appearances =20
> His voice has been the subject of _parody_=20
> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parody)  and _satire_
> (http://en.wikipedia.org=
> /wiki/Satire) , as seen in a=20
> _Cartoon Network_
> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartoon_Network)   commercia=
> l for=20
> _The Powerpuff  Girls_
> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Powerpuff_Girls) ,=20=
> the=20 _stand-up comedy_
> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand-up_comedy)  of _Pablo=20
> Francisco_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Francisco) ,
> and on  the popu= lar=20 web-cartoon site _Homestar Runner_=20
> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestar_Runner) .
> Comedian-actress _Janeane=20= Garofalo_=20
> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janeane_Garofalo)   formerly
> performed "an imp=
> ression of every movie trailer ever=20
> made" with the  words, "In a WORLD!..." saying that every
> movie trailer seem= s to=20 begin with  LaFontaine saying,
> "In a world..." or "In a  town..."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
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>

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