Todd-AO
Todd-AO is an American post-production company founded in 1953 by Mike Todd and Robert Naify, providing sound-related services to the motion picture and television industries. For more than five decades, it was the worldwide leader in theater sound. The company retains one facility, in the Los Angeles area.
Todd-AO is also the name of the widescreen, 70 mm film format that was developed by Mike Todd and the Naify brothers, owners of United Artists Theaters in partnership with the American Optical Company in the mid-1950s. Todd-AO had been founded to promote and distribute this system.
1953: , the Naify brothers and the American Optical Company form a joint venture called Todd-AO for the purpose of developing and distributing a large film format presentation system which incorporates a wide, curved screen with multi-channel sound.
Mike Todd
1955 & 56: Mike Todd produced two films which feature the new Todd-AO system.
1958: Mike Todd is killed in a plane crash.
1960s and 1970s: Although several blockbuster films were produced using the Todd-AO or Panavision versions of the 5-perf 70 mm format, market penetration of the Todd-AO system lost momentum, and is overtaken by the development of IMAX in the 1970s.
1986: Acquired .
Glen Glenn Sound
1987: Acquired the Trans/Audio sound studio in New York City
1994: Acquired Film-Video Masters, Inc.
1995: Purchased Chrysalis Television Facilities and its satellite transmission from the
Chrysalis Group
1996: Acquired which brought specialization in the production of film, title, and optical special effects as well as digital services for motion pictures
Pacific Title and Art
1996: Acquired Editworks, which specialized in commercial advertising in Atlanta, expanded Todd-AO’s geographic connections
1997: Acquired International Video Conversions in Burbank
1997: Purchased Hollywood Digital Company
1998: Acquired Pascal Video to address the potential market in Digital Versatile Disk (DVD) technology. Todd-AO Video Services DVD, Inc. was created for the conversion of film and video content to DVD format
1999: Acquired SoundOne Corporation in New York City
1999: Purchased 50% of 103 Estudio in Barcelona
1999: Todd-AO acquired by Liberty Media Group, a division of , and became part of its Liberty Livewire entity.
AT&T
2002: Liberty Livewire renamed Ascent Media Group.
2005: Ascent Media Group spun-off from owner, Liberty Media, into .
Discovery Holding Company
2007: Discovery Holding Company announced a restructuring plan where it intended to spin-off its interest in Ascent Media and combine Discovery Communications with Advance/Newhouse Communications into a new holding company. The reorganization was completed on September 17, 2008.
[14]
2007: The Todd-AO Scoring Stage closed.
[15]
2008: "Creative Sound Services" division of Ascent Media Group was spun-off from Discovery Holding Company to create CSS Studios, LLC, to become a wholly owned subsidiary of . This transaction included the assets of Todd-AO, Soundelux, Sound One, POP Sound, Modern Music, Soundelux Design Music Group and The Hollywood Edge.[16]
Discovery Communications
2012: CSS Studios, LLC is acquired by Empire InvestmentHoldings, which files bankruptcy for Todd Soundelux in May 2014.
2014: (May) Todd Soundelux files for bankruptcy, closing its Hollywood and Santa Monica facilities.
[4]
2014: (November) Sounddogs acquires the Todd-Soundelux Trademarks (Todd AO and Soundelux) and Copyrights (Sound Effects Library)
[5]
(1955) – 30 frame/s (also photographed in CinemaScope for conventional distribution)
Oklahoma!
(1956) – 30 frame/s (also photographed in Todd-AO 24 frames/s and reduction-printed for conventional CinemaScope distribution)
Around the World in Eighty Days
The Miracle of Todd-AO (1956) – 30 frame/s; short subject
(1958) – this and all subsequent were 24 frame/s
South Pacific
The March of Todd-AO (1958) – short subject
(1959)
Porgy and Bess
(1960)
Can-Can
(1960)
The Alamo
(1960) – credited as Todd 70
Scent of Mystery
(1963)
Cleopatra
(1964) – NYC World's Fair short subject
Man in the 5th Dimension
(1965)
The Sound of Music
(1965)
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
(1965)
The Agony and the Ecstasy
(1966) – Dimension 150 variant
The Bible: In the Beginning
(1967)
Doctor Dolittle
(1968)
Star!
(1969)
Hello, Dolly!
(1969) – selected scenes (see Super Panavision 70) – presented in 70 mm Cinerama
Krakatoa, East of Java
(1970)
Airport
(1970) – Dimension 150 variant
Patton
(1971)
The Last Valley
(1992)
Baraka
(films photographed in Todd-AO 35 not included)
70 mm film
(the theater projector developed as part of the Todd-AO system)
Philips DP70
Cinerama
Glen Glenn Sound
List of 70 mm films
List of film formats
Super Panavision 70
Super Technirama 70
Ultra Panavision 70
Todd-AO official site
Internet Movie Database listing of films shot in Todd-AO
Todd-AO information from in70 mm.com
WideScreen Museum history of Todd-AO
Todd: "Cinerama outa one hole"
on page 19: