1906-07-29 Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Thelma Alice Todd (July 29, 1906 – December 16, 1935) was an American actress. Appearing in about 120 pictures between 1926 and 1935, she is best remembered for her comedic roles in films such as Marx Brothers' Monkey Business and Horse Feathers, a number of Charley Chase's short comedies, and co-starring with Buster Keaton and Jimmy Durante in Speak Easily. She also had roles in Wheeler and Woolsey farces, several Laurel and Hardy films, the last of which (The Bohemian Girl) featured her in a part that was truncated by her suspicious death at the age of 29. During the silent film era, Todd appeared in numerous supporting roles that made full use of her beauty but gave her little chance to act. With the advent of the talkies, Todd was given opportunity to expand her roles when producer Hal Roach signed her to appear with such comedy stars as Harry Langdon, Charley Chase, and Laurel and Hardy. In 1931, Roach cast Todd in her own series of slapstick comedy shorts, running 17 to 27 minutes each. In an attempt to create a female version of Laurel and Hardy, Roach teamed Todd with ZaSu Pitts for 17 shorts, from "Let's do Things" (June 1931) through "One Track Minds" (May 1933). When Pitts left in 1933, she was replaced by Patsy Kelly, appearing with Todd in 21 shorts, from "Beauty and the Bus" (September 1933) through "An All American Toothache" (January 1936). These Roach shorts often cast Todd as a working girl having all sorts of problems, and trying her best to remain poised and charming despite the embarrassing antics of her sidekick. Todd also appeared successfully in such dramas as the original 1931 film version of The Maltese Falcon starring Ricardo Cortez as Sam Spade, in which she played Miles Archer's treacherous widow. During her career she appeared in 119 films although many of these were short films, and was sometimes publicized as "The Ice Cream Blonde." Todd continued her short-subject series through 1935, and was featured in the full-length Laurel and Hardy comedy The Bohemian Girl. This was her last film; she died after completing all of her scenes, but most of them were re-shot. Producer Roach deleted all of Todd's dialogue and limited her appearance to one musical number.
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Murders of Hollywood | Self (archive footage) | 2003-01-01 |
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Death Scenes | Self (archive footage) | 1989-01-01 |
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Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies | 1988-09-19 | |
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Yesterday and Today | (archive footage) | 1953-12-02 |
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Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10) | Self (archive footage) | 1942-01-01 |
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An All American Toothache | Thelma Alice Todd | 1936-01-25 |
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The Bohemian Girl | Gypsy Queen's Daughter | 1936-02-14 |
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Slightly Static | Thelma | 1935-09-07 |
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Top Flat | Thelma Todd | 1935-12-21 |
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After the Dance | Mabel Kane | 1935-06-25 |
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Hot Money | Miss Thelma Todd | 1935-11-16 |
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The Tin Man | Thelma Todd | 1935-03-30 |
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Two for Tonight | Lilly | 1935-09-12 |
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Treasure Blues | Thelma | 1935-01-26 |
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The Misses Stooge | Thelma Todd | 1935-04-20 |
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Twin Triplets | Thelma | 1935-10-12 |
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Sing Sister Sing | Thelma | 1935-03-02 |
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Opened by Mistake | Thelma | 1934-10-05 |
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One-Horse Farmers | Thelma | 1934-08-01 |
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Done in Oil | Thelma Todd aka Mlle. La Todd | 1934-11-10 |
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I'll Be Suing You | Miss Todd | 1934-06-23 |
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Soup and Fish | Miss Thelma Todd | 1934-03-30 |
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Maid in Hollywood | Thelma | 1934-05-19 |
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Bum Voyage | Thelma | 1934-12-15 |
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Babes in the Goods | Thelma Todd | 1934-02-10 |
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The Poor Rich | Gwendolyn Fetherstone | 1934-02-25 |
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Lightning Strikes Twice | Judy Nelson | 1934-12-07 |
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Hips, Hips, Hooray! | Miss Amelia Frisby | 1934-02-02 |
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Cockeyed Cavaliers | Lady Genevieve | 1934-06-29 |
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Palooka | Trixie | 1934-01-26 |
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Bottoms Up | Judith Marlowe | 1934-04-12 |
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Take the Stand | Miss Sally Oxford | 1934-08-07 |
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Three Chumps Ahead | Thelma Todd | 1934-07-14 |
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One Track Minds | Thelma Todd | 1933-05-20 |
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The Devil's Brother | Lady Pamela Rocburg | 1933-05-05 |
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Counsellor at Law | Lillian La Rue | 1933-12-25 |
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You Made Me Love You | Pamela Berne | 1933-10-01 |
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Maids a la Mode | Miss Todd | 1933-03-04 |
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Beauty and the Bus | Thelma | 1933-09-16 |
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Air Hostess | Mrs. Sylvia C. Carleton | 1933-01-15 |
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The Bargain of the Century | Thelma | 1933-04-08 |
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Asleep in the Feet | Thelma | 1933-01-21 |
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Son of a Sailor | The Baroness | 1933-11-29 |
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Backs to Nature | Thelma | 1933-11-14 |
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Air Fright | Thelma | 1933-12-23 |
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Sitting Pretty | Gloria Duval | 1933-11-23 |
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Mary Stevens, M.D. | Lois Cavanaugh | 1933-07-22 |
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Cheating Blondes | Anne Merrick / Elaine Manners | 1933-05-01 |
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The Soilers | Thelma | 1932-10-29 |
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Sneak Easily | Miss Thelma Todd - Attorney for the Defense | 1932-12-10 |
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The Nickel Nurser | Thelma Todd | 1932-03-12 |
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Strictly Unreliable | Miss Thelma Todd | 1932-04-30 |
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The Big Timer | Kay Mitchell | 1932-03-10 |
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This Is the Night | Claire Mathewson | 1932-04-08 |
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Call Her Savage | Sunny De Lane | 1932-11-24 |
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Deception | Lola Del Mont | 1932-11-04 |
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Speak Easily | Eleanor Espere | 1932-08-13 |
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Horse Feathers | Connie Bailey | 1932-08-19 |
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Red Noses | Miss Todd | 1932-03-18 |
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Klondike | Klondike | 1932-08-29 |
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Alum and Eve | Thelma | 1932-09-24 |
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Show Business | Thelma | 1932-08-20 |
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The Old Bull | Thelma | 1932-06-04 |
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Sealskins | Thelma Todd | 1932-02-06 |
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Let's Do Things | Thelma Todd | 1931-06-06 |
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Aloha | Winifred Bradford | 1931-04-26 |
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Swanee River | Caroline | 1931-03-15 |
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Love Fever | Thelma Todd | 1931-04-11 |
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Monkey Business | Lucille Briggs | 1931-09-19 |
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Catch-As Catch-Can | Thelma | 1931-08-22 |
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Corsair | Alison Corning | 1931-11-28 |
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The Pip from Pittsburg | Thelma | 1931-03-21 |
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No Limit | Betty Royce | 1931-01-15 |
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The Hot Heiress | Lola | 1931-03-28 |
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Rough Seas | Antoinette | 1931-04-24 |
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Broadminded | Gertie Gardner | 1931-08-01 |
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The Maltese Falcon | Iva Archer | 1931-05-23 |
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War Mamas | Thelma | 1931-11-14 |
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On the Loose | Thelma | 1931-12-26 |
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Chickens Come Home | Mrs. Hardy | 1931-02-21 |
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Command Performance | Lydia | 1931-01-19 |
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The Pajama Party | Thelma | 1931-10-03 |
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Looser Than Loose | Thelma, Charley's Fiancee | 1930-11-15 |
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Another Fine Mess | Lady Plumtree (uncredited) | 1930-11-29 |
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Whispering Whoopee | Miss Todd | 1930-03-08 |
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All Teed Up | Thelma | 1930-04-16 |
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Her Man | Nelly | 1930-09-21 |
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Dollar Dizzy | Thelma Todd | 1930-10-03 |
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The Head Guy | The Star | 1930-01-11 |
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The Fighting Parson | The Blonde Dance Hall Girl | 1930-02-06 |
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The Shrimp | Jim's Girlfriend | 1930-05-03 |
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High C's | Antoinette | 1930-12-27 |
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The Real McCoy | Thelma | 1930-02-01 |
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Follow Thru | Ruth Van Horn | 1930-09-26 |
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The King | The Queen | 1930-06-14 |
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Careers | Hortense | 1929-06-02 |
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The Bachelor Girl | Gladys | 1929-05-20 |
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Sky Boy | 1929-10-05 | |
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Trial Marriage | Grace Logan | 1929-03-10 |
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Her Private Life | Mrs. Leslie | 1929-08-25 |
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Crazy Feet | Dancer | 1929-09-07 |
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Stepping Out | Charley's Wife | 1929-11-02 |
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Snappy Sneezer | Mary White | 1929-07-29 |
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Hal Roach Presents Harry Langdon | The Woman | 1929-04-01 |
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Hurdy Gurdy | Blondie | 1929-05-10 |
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Unaccustomed as We Are | Mrs. Kennedy | 1929-05-04 |
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Seven Footprints to Satan | Eve | 1929-01-27 |
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Hotter Than Hot | 1929-08-17 | |
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Look Out Below | Thelma | 1929-08-17 |
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House of Horror | Thelma | 1929-04-28 |
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The Haunted House | The Nurse | 1928-11-04 |
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The Noose | Phyllis | 1928-01-29 |
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The Crash | Daisy McQueen | 1928-10-07 |
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Vamping Venus | Madame Vanezlos the Dancer / Venus | 1928-05-13 |
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Heart to Heart | Ruby Boyd | 1928-07-22 |
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Naughty Baby | Bonnie Le Vonne | 1928-12-16 |
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Nevada | Hettie Ide | 1927-08-01 |
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The Gay Defender | Ruth Ainsworth | 1927-12-10 |
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Rubber Heels | Princess Aline | 1927-06-11 |
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Fireman, Save My Child | (uncredited) | 1927-08-01 |
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The Shield of Honor | Rose aka Flora Fisher | 1927-12-10 |
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Fascinating Youth | Lorraine Lane | 1926-03-17 |
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God Gave Me Twenty Cents | Dance-Hall Girl (uncredited) | 1926-11-20 |
