Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-03-23
By MARY MeGRORY
Star star Writer

in this generation there was nc
Snowman like Snowman Mike
Todd.
He was an impresario in the
great tradition, a truly theatre
cal personality, lavish-spending
free-talking and limelight-lov-
ing.
A highly successful Broadway
entrepreneuer before he stormeo
Hollywood a few years ago, he
scored an international movie
triumph with Around the
World in 80 Days" This mil
lion dollar celebrity-crammec
recounting of the Phileas Foge
saga was filmed in a special
cinematic process patented BY
him and known as Todd-A-O.
When he came here for the
Washington premiere last April,
he told The Stars drama critic,
Jay Carmody, MY philosophy
is showmanship."
Wed Miss Taylor in 1857
Mr.. Todd's third marriage
to the glalnorous movie queen
Elizabeth Taylor, 90 years his
junior, was steadily reported
in headlines which publicized
spats, reconciliations and mag
nificient gifts.
On their wedding day, Feb
ruary 3, 1857, he gave her two
theaters. He said they would
be known as His" and Hers.
Since then he has lavished
cars and jewels on her. He re-
ferred to Elizabeth Taylor as
my old lady" or Miss
Schwarzkopf." She frequently
complained to the press that he
talked too much.
1t was said to be. a happy
marriage. They had one child.
Elizabeth Frances Todd, who
was born prematurely last
August.
At the time of his death
Todd was planning to film Don
Quixote" with an all-star cast.
Not long ago he told an in
terviewer that he expected to
gross 500 million from around
the World"
He celebrated the first an
niversary of the film with an
intimate" gathering for a
"few'-18,0 00-friends in Mad
ison Square Garden. 1t was
televised and criticized by some
guests. 1t was slightly smaller
than a 100000 fete he ar
ranged in London to mark the
launching of the picture. For
that affair he hired a fleet of
barges to transport his guests
across the Thames. He also
rented a whole amusement park
to entertain them.
Called wild, Brash. Noisy"
Nov about money" he told
a bemused British reporter who
was trying to count the cost
beforehand, IF you have money
you gotta spread a little sun
shine with it."
wild and wonderful, brash
and noisy" a London paper
called the evening.
Last September, Mr.. Todd
sought a reputation in a new
field-that of art collecting.
He and Miss Taylor loaned
100000 worth Of paintings to
the Los Angeles County Art
Museum.
A reporter asked him how he
got started as a patron of the
arts. He replied. deadpan:
MY governeSS got me started
OF course. I only collected hot
postage stamps at first"
Actually. Todd came up the
hard way. Born Avron Hirsch
Goldbogen in Minneapolis on
June %, 1907, he was the son
of an impoverished rabbi, who
ran a little general store.
At the age of 9. prophetically.
he was hired by a carnival
pitchman. Three years later the
family moved to Chicago. He
became the youngest apprentice
pharmacist in Illinois. In high
school, he was already a real
estate agent.
The Chicago Worlds Fair in
1888 found him on the midway,
represented by the exotic Flame
Dance. He pressed on to Broad
way, where he master-minded
two flops. He recouped, how
ever, with "The Hot Mikado."
He figured largely in the New
York Worlds Fair Of 1939-40.
He had a long string of sue
cesses thereafter: "Star and
Carter" Mexican Hayride"
and up in Central Park, "
among them.
Has Son 20 Years Old
During the war, working with
the Army, he Unexpectedly gave
the GIs Maurice Evans stream
lined Hamlet" which was a
great hit. Back in civilian life,
he produced las the Girls CO.
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concern about his eventual
future.
HE just made himself one