American entertainment in the middle of the twentieth century was shaped by the contributions of master showman Mike Todd (1907-1958), a Broadway producer turned Hollywood movie mogul. Todd pioneered 70-millimeter film, the wide-screen movie spectacular, and the use of major stars in cameo roles.

Todd became widely known for producing the Oscar-winning star vehicle Around the World in 80 Days. He made possible many other films for which he got no formal credit. He popularized Cinemascope and Cinerama, trade names for wide-screen film processes, and he invented the "Todd-AO" system of synchronizing multiple sound tracks on 70-millimeter film. Married to Elizabeth Taylor, he was at the height of his fame when he died tragically.

Show Business Impresario

Like many other American show business personalities of the early twentieth century, Mike Todd changed his name to disguise his ethnic heritage. He was born Avron Hirsch Goldenbogen (by some accounts, Golbogen...