Bill Todman
Encyclopedia
William S. "Bill" Todman (July 31, 1916 – July 29, 1979) was an American
television
producer born in New York City
. He produced many of television's longest running shows with business partner Mark Goodson
.
for radio shows. According to radio historian J. David Goldin, among their early work together was the show Treasury Salute, a program syndicated by the Treasury Department which honored military members. They later collaborated in producing game show
s for radio, then moved into television, where they produced some of the longest-running game shows in history. Their many shows included Beat the Clock
, Match Game
, Password, The Price Is Right
, To Tell the Truth
and What's My Line?
. Though both men created the programs, Todman gradually became less involved with the day-to-day operations of the game show business and moved Goodson-Todman into a bigger business strategy. Todman was the genius behind diversifying Goodson-Todman into the newspaper
, radio and real estate
businesses. The television business was lucrative but not nearly as much as the other businesses in which Todman invested, which earned millions. Goodson continued to work on game shows while Todman expanded the company. It is believed that Goodson-Todman would never have survived the roller coaster of the television business, including the slow period for game shows in the late 1960s had Todman not been aggressive in expanding the company into other ventures.
, which premiered in 1982, was the first show to be billed as simply "A Mark Goodson Television Production."
Bill Todman's son, Bill Todman, Jr., is a successful film producer who has produced more than 20 major motion pictures.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
producer born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He produced many of television's longest running shows with business partner Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson was an American television producer who specialized in game shows.-Life and early career:...
.
Early life
Bill Todman was the son of the legendary and highly respected Wall Street accountant Frederick S. Todman, CPA. The Accounting firm was known as Frederick S. Todman & Co. and for many years was located at 111 Broadway, located next door to Trinity Church. Frederick S. Todman & Co represented some of the United States biggest companies, including The New York Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange, Polaroid, Eastman Kodak, Chase Manhattan Bank among many others. Frederick S. Todman lectured in post WWII Japan as part of that country's economic reconstruction and wrote several quintiseential books on Wall Street Accounting. Todman's brother Howard was Vice President and Treasurer for Goodson-Todman Productions.Game shows
Todman teamed up with Mark GoodsonMark Goodson
Mark Goodson was an American television producer who specialized in game shows.-Life and early career:...
for radio shows. According to radio historian J. David Goldin, among their early work together was the show Treasury Salute, a program syndicated by the Treasury Department which honored military members. They later collaborated in producing game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
s for radio, then moved into television, where they produced some of the longest-running game shows in history. Their many shows included Beat the Clock
Beat the Clock
Beat the Clock is a Goodson-Todman game show which has aired on American television in several versions since 1950.The original show, hosted by Bud Collyer, ran on CBS from 1950–1958 and ABC from 1958–1961. The show was revived in syndication as The New Beat the Clock from 1969–1974, with Jack Narz...
, Match Game
Match Game
Match Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
, Password, The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right is a television game show franchise originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, and created by Bob Stewart, and is currently produced and owned by FremantleMedia. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also includes merchandise such as video games, printed...
, To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth is an American television panel game show created by Bob Stewart and produced by Goodson-Todman Productions that has aired in various forms since 1956 both on networks and in syndication...
and What's My Line?
What's My Line?
What's My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game tasked celebrity panelists with questioning contestants in order to determine their occupations....
. Though both men created the programs, Todman gradually became less involved with the day-to-day operations of the game show business and moved Goodson-Todman into a bigger business strategy. Todman was the genius behind diversifying Goodson-Todman into the newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, radio and real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
businesses. The television business was lucrative but not nearly as much as the other businesses in which Todman invested, which earned millions. Goodson continued to work on game shows while Todman expanded the company. It is believed that Goodson-Todman would never have survived the roller coaster of the television business, including the slow period for game shows in the late 1960s had Todman not been aggressive in expanding the company into other ventures.
Death
Todman died two days before his 63rd birthday, on July 29, 1979 in New York City as a result of a heart condition. Goodson-Todman game shows that were still running at the time continued to be billed as "A Mark Goodson — Bill Todman Production". In the early 1980s, Goodson acquired the Todman heirs' share of the company. Child's PlayChild's Play (game show)
Child's Play is an American television game show in which adult contestants tried to guess words based on definitions given by children. The Mark Goodson-produced series debuted on CBS from September 20, 1982 at 10:30 AM Eastern/9:30 AM Central...
, which premiered in 1982, was the first show to be billed as simply "A Mark Goodson Television Production."
Bill Todman's son, Bill Todman, Jr., is a successful film producer who has produced more than 20 major motion pictures.