“Almost like a real web site”
 

IN7OMM.COM
Search | Contact
News | e-News
Rumour Mill | Stories
Foreign Language
Auf Deutsch

WHAT'S ON IN 7OMM?

7OMM FESTIVAL
Karlsruhe | Gentofte
Krnov | Varnsdorf
Banská Bystrica
Oslo | Bradford

TODD-AO PROCESS
Films | Premiere
People | Equipment
Library | Cinemas
Distortion Correcting
DP70 / AAII Projector
 

VISION, SCOPE & RAMA
1926 Natural Vision
1929 Grandeur
1930 Magnifilm
1930 Realife
1930 Vitascope
1952 Cinerama
1953 CinemaScope
1953 Panavison
1954 VistaVision
1955 Todd-AO
1955 Circle Vision 360
1956 CinemaScope 55
1957 Ultra Panavision 70
1958 Cinemiracle
1958 Kinopanorama
1959 Super Panavision 70
1959 Super Technirama 70
1960 Smell-O-Vision
1961 Sovscope 70
1962
Cinerama 360
1962 MCS-70
1963 70mm Blow Up
1963 Circarama
1963 Circlorama
1966 Dimension 150
1966
Stereo-70
1967 DEFA 70
1967 Pik-A-Movie
1970 IMAX / Omnimax
1974 Cinema 180
1974 SENSURROUND
1976 Dolby Stereo
1984 Showscan
1984 Swissorama
1986 iWERKS
1989 ARRI 765
1990 CDS
1994 DTS / Datasat
2001 Super Dimension 70
2018 Magellan 65

Various Large format | 70mm to 3-strip | 3-strip to 70mm | Specialty Large Format | Special Effects in 65mm | ARC-120 | Early Large Format
7OMM Premiere in Chronological Order

7OMM ON EARTH

Australia | Brazil | Canada | China | Denmark | England | France | Germany | Holland | India | Iran | Israel | Ireland | Mexico | Norway | Poland |  Russia | Spain | Sweden | Turkey | USA |

LIBRARY
7OMM Projectors
People | Eulogy
65mm/70mm Workshop
The 7OMM Newsletter
Back issue | PDF
Academy of the WSW

7OMM NEWS
• 2026 | 2025 | 2024
2023 | 2022 | 2021
2020 | 2019 | 2018
2017 | 2016 | 2015
2014 | 2013 | 2012
2011 | 2010 | 2009
2008 | 2007 | 2006
2005 | 2004 | 2003
2002 | 2001 | 2000
1999 | 1998 | 1997
1996 | 1995 | 1994
 

in70mm.com Mission:
• To record the history of the large format movies and the 70mm cinemas as remembered by the people who worked with the films. Both during making and during running the films in projection rooms and as the audience, looking at the curved screen.
in70mm.com, a unique internet based magazine, with articles about 70mm cinemas, 70mm people, 70mm films, 70mm sound, 70mm film credits, 70mm history and 70mm technology. Readers and fans of 70mm are always welcome to contribute.

Disclaimer | Updates
Support us | Staff
Testimonials
Table of Content
 

 
 
Extracts and longer parts of in70mm.com may be reprinted with the written permission from the editor.
Copyright © 1800 - 2070. All rights reserved.

Visit biografmuseet.dk about Danish cinemas

 

Todd-AO Process Shown At MGM Studio

Read more at
in70mm.com
The 70mm Newsletter
Published by: American Optical magazine "The Reflector", Brattleboro, VT. Friday, August 20, 1954. Article supplied by Dick Whitney (AO Heritage Museum), and re-typed by Anders M. Olsson (Sweden). Date: 10.07.2012
The first showing to the press of the Todd-AO process took place on June 22, on Sound Stage 2, at the Metro-Goldwyn studio in Los Angeles. This, followed by a second showing in the evening to people prominent in the Hollywood motion picture industry, resulted in "rave" notices in Hollywood and Los Angeles papers, as well as feature stories in the New York Times and Variety -- the "Bible" of the show world. These all gave full credit to Dr. Brian O'Brien, Vice President for Research, and the staff of scientists in Southbridge and Buffalo who have contributed to the development of Todd-AO.

The sound stage had been converted into a simple theater arrangement to provide a work room for the viewing of rush or daily work prints in the filming of "Oklahoma!" "Looping or dubbing in," the process in which sound is added to certain scenes which are more easily filmed silent, was used during the greater part of this first showing. Although Sound Stage 2 is just a work room, and nothing but work prints of test scenes were available, the press reaction was enthusiastic to the point that Whitney Williams, reporting in "Hollywood Daily Variety," headlined his two-column story "Big Screen's New Click" and "The Hollywood Reporter" reported with: "Move Over, All Scopes! Todd-AO Bigger and Wider" and led off with the statement:
 
More in 70mm reading:

in70mm.com's Todd-AO Page

"Oklahoma!" - The First Movie Produced By Todd-AO

Todd-AO How It All Began

Internet link:

Dick Whitney's Todd-AO Page

 
"Wraps were finally taken off the new Todd-AO widescreen process at a press demonstration at MGM yesterday, with the consensus being that only Cinerama, among the current techniques, can compare to its value in the audience participation sense. But it surpasses Cinerama in that it requires only one camera to photograph the subject; uses only one machine to project it; and gets around the "seamed" screen of Cinerama with a continuous, deep-curved screen...

"...The demonstration proved amazing full-screen clarity, which was not diminished from positions up close at the sides of the screen, indicating there will be little, if any, loss of seats in theaters showing Todd-AO productions.

"This has strictly big-time road-show possibilities for pictures having sufficient quality for long, long runs."

The more conservative New York Times gave the preview complete coverage in its June 23 issue, and special feature treatment in its Sunday, June 25, theatrical section.

When Dr. O'Brien was asked for his comment on this Hollywood preview of the new process which he developed, he told: "There seems to be no doubt that the Todd-AO system was received with enthusiasm by the people who attended this first showing to the press.

"I think that this success is a great credit to the American Optical Company, and specifically, to the more than one hundred men and women at Southbridge and in the Instrument Division at Buffalo who have taken part in creating the Todd-AO system. I, for one, am very proud to be associated with such a group."
 
 
   
Go: back - top - back issues - news index
Updated 28-07-24