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 | 2003-01-01 | |
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Death Scenes | 1989-01-01 | |
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Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies | 1988-09-19 | |
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Hollywood's Hidden Secrets | (archive footage) | 1987-01-01 |
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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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Hot Money | Miss Thelma Todd | 1935-11-16 |
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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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Sing Sister Sing | Thelma | 1935-03-02 |
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Treasure Blues | Thelma | 1935-01-26 |
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Slightly Static | Thelma | 1935-09-07 |
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Twin Triplets | Thelma | 1935-10-12 |
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The Misses Stooge | Thelma Todd | 1935-04-20 |
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Two for Tonight | Lilly | 1935-09-12 |
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The Tin Man | Thelma Todd | 1935-03-30 |
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One-Horse Farmers | Thelma | 1934-08-01 |
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Opened by Mistake | Thelma | 1934-10-05 |
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Cockeyed Cavaliers | Lady Genevieve | 1934-06-29 |
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Soup and Fish | Miss Thelma Todd | 1934-03-30 |
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Bum Voyage | Thelma | 1934-12-15 |
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Palooka | Trixie | 1934-01-26 |
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Bottoms Up | Judith Marlowe | 1934-04-12 |
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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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Three Chumps Ahead | Thelma Todd | 1934-07-14 |
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Babes in the Goods | Thelma Todd | 1934-02-10 |
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Maid in Hollywood | Thelma | 1934-05-19 |
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Take the Stand | Miss Sally Oxford | 1934-08-07 |
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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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You Made Me Love You | Pamela Berne | 1933-10-01 |
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Sitting Pretty | Gloria Duval | 1933-11-23 |
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Cheating Blondes | Anne Merrick / Elaine Manners | 1933-05-01 |
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Air Fright | Thelma | 1933-12-23 |
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Maids a la Mode | Miss Todd | 1933-03-04 |
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Air Hostess | Mrs. Sylvia C. Carleton | 1933-01-15 |
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Backs to Nature | Thelma | 1933-11-14 |
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Asleep in the Feet | Thelma | 1933-01-21 |
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Beauty and the Bus | Thelma | 1933-09-16 |
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Son of a Sailor | The Baroness | 1933-11-29 |
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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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The Bargain of the Century | Thelma | 1933-04-08 |
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Mary Stevens, M.D. | Lois Cavanaugh | 1933-07-22 |
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Speak Easily | Eleanor Espere | 1932-08-13 |
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The Old Bull | Thelma | 1932-06-04 |
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Horse Feathers | Connie Bailey | 1932-08-19 |
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Sneak Easily | Miss Thelma Todd - Attorney for the Defense | 1932-12-10 |
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Alum and Eve | Thelma | 1932-09-24 |
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The Soilers | Thelma | 1932-10-29 |
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Deception | Lola Del Mont | 1932-11-04 |
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Klondike | Klondike | 1932-08-29 |
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Strictly Unreliable | Miss Thelma Todd | 1932-04-30 |
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This Is the Night | Claire Mathewson | 1932-04-08 |
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The Nickel Nurser | Thelma Todd | 1932-03-12 |
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Sealskins | Thelma Todd | 1932-02-06 |
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Show Business | Thelma | 1932-08-20 |
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The Big Timer | Kay Mitchell | 1932-03-10 |
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Call Her Savage | Sunny De Lane | 1932-11-24 |
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Red Noses | Miss Todd | 1932-03-18 |
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The Hot Heiress | Lola | 1931-03-28 |
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The Pip from Pittsburg | Thelma | 1931-03-21 |
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On the Loose | Thelma | 1931-12-26 |
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No Limit | Betty Royce | 1931-01-15 |
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Rough Seas | Antoinette | 1931-04-24 |
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Swanee River | Caroline | 1931-03-15 |
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The Maltese Falcon | Iva Archer | 1931-05-23 |
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The Pajama Party | Thelma | 1931-10-03 |
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Chickens Come Home | Mrs. Hardy | 1931-02-21 |
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Let's Do Things | Thelma Todd | 1931-06-06 |
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Love Fever | Thelma Todd | 1931-04-11 |
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Aloha | Winifred Bradford | 1931-04-26 |
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Command Performance | Lydia | 1931-01-19 |
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Broadminded | Gertie Gardner | 1931-08-01 |
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Catch-As Catch-Can | Thelma | 1931-08-22 |
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War Mamas | Thelma | 1931-11-14 |
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Corsair | Alison Corning | 1931-11-28 |
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Monkey Business | Lucille Briggs | 1931-09-19 |
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All Teed Up | Thelma | 1930-04-16 |
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Looser Than Loose | Thelma, Charley's Fiancee | 1930-11-15 |
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The Fighting Parson | The Blonde Dance Hall Girl | 1930-02-06 |
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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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High C's | Antoinette | 1930-12-27 |
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Whispering Whoopee | Miss Todd | 1930-03-08 |
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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 Real McCoy | Thelma | 1930-02-01 |
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The Head Guy | The Star | 1930-01-11 |
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Another Fine Mess | Lady Plumtree (uncredited) | 1930-11-29 |
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The Shrimp | Jim's Girlfriend | 1930-05-03 |
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Crazy Feet | Dancer | 1929-09-07 |
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Trial Marriage | Grace Logan | 1929-03-10 |
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The Bachelor Girl | Gladys | 1929-05-20 |
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Hal Roach Presents Harry Langdon | The Woman | 1929-04-01 |
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Her Private Life | Mrs. Leslie | 1929-08-25 |
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Unaccustomed as We Are | Mrs. Kennedy | 1929-05-04 |
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Stepping Out | Charley's Wife | 1929-11-02 |
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Sky Boy | 1929-10-05 | |
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Careers | Hortense | 1929-06-02 |
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Snappy Sneezer | Mary White | 1929-07-29 |
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Seven Footprints to Satan | Eve | 1929-01-27 |
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Hurdy Gurdy | Blondie | 1929-05-10 |
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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 Crash | Daisy McQueen | 1928-10-07 |
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Naughty Baby | Bonnie Le Vonne | 1928-12-16 |
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Vamping Venus | Madame Vanezlos the Dancer / Venus | 1928-05-13 |
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The Noose | Phyllis | 1928-01-29 |
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The Haunted House | The Nurse | 1928-11-04 |
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Heart to Heart | Ruby Boyd | 1928-07-22 |
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The Shield of Honor | Rose aka Flora Fisher | 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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Nevada | Hettie Ide | 1927-08-01 |
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The Gay Defender | Ruth Ainsworth | 1927-12-10 |
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God Gave Me Twenty Cents | Dance-Hall Girl (uncredited) | 1926-11-20 |
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Fascinating Youth | Lorraine Lane | 1926-03-17 |
