Todd-AO: A History

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Publisher: SMPTE
Doc Type: Journal Article
Article Type: research-article
Abstract: Using 65mm camera film, specially designed wide-angle lenses, and six-track stereo magnetic sound, the Todd-AO system was first used to film Oklahoma, which was released in 1955. The success of this and a handful of subsequent Todd-AO films led to the introduction and establishment of a new wide-film standard of 70mm, which survives today as a major format for motion-picture presentation in the theater. This article reviews the development of the Todd-AO technology from the special wide-angle lenses designed by Dr. Brian O'Brien (former Professor of Optics at the University of Rochester), the 65 mm Mitchell camera, the Philips Todd-AO dual (35/70mm) projector, and the Altec six-track magnetic sound reproducer to the system's “corrected printing technique,” which eliminated distortion when wide-film images were projected onto a deeply curved screen from a high projection angle.
Publication Date: 1990-06-01
DOI: 10.5594/J03857
Link: https://doi.org/10.5594/J03857
Author(s): John Belton

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John Belton; Todd-AO: A History, SMPTE Journal ( Volume: 99, Issue: 6, June 1990); SMPTE, 1990. Available at https://doi.org/10.5594/J03857

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John Belton; Todd-AO: A History, SMPTE Journal ( Volume: 99, Issue: 6, June 1990); SMPTE, 1990. Available at https://doi.org/10.5594/J03857

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John Belton; Todd-AO: A History, SMPTE Journal ( Volume: 99, Issue: 6, June 1990); SMPTE, 1990. Available at https://doi.org/10.5594/J03857

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<span class="citation">John Belton; <cite>Todd-AO: A History</cite>, SMPTE Journal ( Volume: 99, Issue: 6, June 1990); SMPTE, 1990. Available at <a href="https://doi.org/10.5594/J03857" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://doi.org/10.5594/J03857</a></span>

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John Belton; Todd-AO: A History, SMPTE Journal ( Volume: 99, Issue: 6, June 1990); SMPTE, 1990
doi: 10.5594/J03857
url: https://doi.org/10.5594/J03857

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John Belton; <cite id="bib-10-5594-j03857">Todd-AO: A History</cite>, SMPTE Journal ( Volume: 99, Issue: 6, June 1990); SMPTE, 1990
<span class="doi">10.5594/J03857</span>
</li>