Thelma Todd

Birthday: 1906-07-29
Deathday: 1935-12-16
Birthplace: Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA
Gender: Female
Owned By: Unowned

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.

Credits

Year Title Character
1936-02-14 The Bohemian Girl Gypsy Queen's Daughter
1936-01-25 An All American Toothache Thelma Alice Todd
1935-12-21 Top Flat Thelma Todd
1935-11-16 Hot Money Miss Thelma Todd
1935-10-12 Twin Triplets Thelma
1935-09-12 Two for Tonight Lilly
1935-09-07 Slightly Static Thelma
1935-06-25 After the Dance Mabel Kane
1935-04-20 The Misses Stooge Thelma Todd
1935-03-30 The Tin Man Thelma Todd
1935-03-02 Sing Sister Sing Thelma
1935-01-26 Treasure Blues Thelma
1934-12-15 Bum Voyage Thelma
1934-12-07 Lightning Strikes Twice Judy Nelson
1934-11-10 Done in Oil Thelma Todd aka Mlle. La Todd
1934-10-05 Opened by Mistake Thelma
1934-08-07 Take the Stand Miss Sally Oxford
1934-08-01 One-Horse Farmers Thelma
1934-07-14 Three Chumps Ahead Thelma Todd
1934-06-29 Cockeyed Cavaliers Lady Genevieve
1934-06-23 I'll Be Suing You Miss Todd
1934-05-19 Maid in Hollywood Thelma
1934-04-12 Bottoms Up Judith Marlowe
1934-03-30 Soup and Fish Miss Thelma Todd
1934-02-25 The Poor Rich Gwendolyn Fetherstone
1934-02-10 Babes in the Goods Thelma Todd
1934-02-02 Hips, Hips, Hooray! Miss Amelia Frisby
1934-01-26 Palooka Trixie
1933-12-25 Counsellor at Law Lillian La Rue
1933-12-23 Air Fright Thelma
1933-11-29 Son of a Sailor The Baroness
1933-11-23 Sitting Pretty Gloria Duval
1933-11-14 Backs to Nature Thelma
1933-10-01 You Made Me Love You Pamela Berne
1933-09-16 Beauty and the Bus Thelma
1933-07-22 Mary Stevens, M.D. Lois Cavanaugh
1933-05-20 One Track Minds Thelma Todd
1933-05-05 The Devil's Brother Lady Pamela Rocburg
1933-05-01 Cheating Blondes Anne Merrick / Elaine Manners
1933-04-08 The Bargain of the Century Thelma
1933-03-04 Maids a la Mode Miss Todd
1933-01-21 Asleep in the Feet Thelma
1933-01-15 Air Hostess Mrs. Sylvia C. Carleton
1932-12-10 Sneak Easily Miss Thelma Todd - Attorney for the Defense
1932-11-24 Call Her Savage Sunny De Lane
1932-11-04 Deception Lola Del Mont
1932-10-29 The Soilers Thelma
1932-09-24 Alum and Eve Thelma
1932-08-29 Klondike Klondike
1932-08-20 Show Business Thelma
1932-08-19 Horse Feathers Connie Bailey
1932-08-13 Speak Easily Eleanor Espere
1932-06-04 The Old Bull Thelma
1932-04-30 Strictly Unreliable Miss Thelma Todd
1932-04-08 This Is the Night Claire Mathewson
1932-03-18 Red Noses Miss Todd
1932-03-12 The Nickel Nurser Thelma Todd
1932-03-10 The Big Timer Kay Mitchell
1932-02-06 Sealskins Thelma Todd
1931-12-26 On the Loose Thelma
1931-11-28 Corsair Alison Corning
1931-11-14 War Mamas Thelma
1931-10-03 The Pajama Party Thelma
1931-09-19 Monkey Business Lucille Briggs
1931-08-22 Catch-As Catch-Can Thelma
1931-08-01 Broadminded Gertie Gardner
1931-06-06 Let's Do Things Thelma Todd
1931-05-23 The Maltese Falcon Iva Archer
1931-04-26 Aloha Winifred Bradford
1931-04-24 Rough Seas Antoinette
1931-04-11 Love Fever Thelma Todd
1931-03-28 The Hot Heiress Lola
1931-03-21 The Pip from Pittsburg Thelma
1931-03-15 Swanee River Caroline
1931-02-21 Chickens Come Home Mrs. Hardy
1931-01-19 Command Performance Lydia
1931-01-15 No Limit Betty Royce
1930-12-27 High C's Antoinette
1930-11-29 Another Fine Mess Lady Plumtree (uncredited)
1930-11-15 Looser Than Loose Thelma, Charley's Fiancee
1930-10-03 Dollar Dizzy Thelma Todd
1930-09-26 Follow Thru Mrs. Van Horn
1930-09-21 Her Man Nelly
1930-06-14 The King The Queen
1930-05-03 The Shrimp Jim's Girlfriend
1930-04-16 All Teed Up Thelma
1930-03-08 Whispering Whoopee Miss Todd
1930-02-06 The Fighting Parson The Blonde Dance Hall Girl
1930-02-01 The Real McCoy Thelma
1930-01-11 The Head Guy The Star
1929-11-02 Stepping Out Charley's Wife
1929-10-05 Sky Boy
1929-09-07 Crazy Feet Dancer
1929-08-25 Her Private Life Mrs. Leslie
1929-08-17 Look out Below Thelma
1929-08-17 Hotter Than Hot
1929-07-29 Snappy Sneezer Mary White
1929-06-02 Careers Hortense
1929-05-20 The Bachelor Girl Gladys
1929-05-10 Hurdy Gurdy Blondie
1929-05-04 Unaccustomed as We Are Mrs. Kennedy
1929-04-28 House of Horror Thelma
1929-04-01 Hal Roach Presents Harry Langdon The Woman
1929-03-10 Trial Marriage Grace Logan
1929-01-27 Seven Footprints to Satan Eve
1928-12-16 Naughty Baby Bonnie Le Vonne
1928-11-04 The Haunted House The Nurse
1928-10-07 The Crash Daisy McQueen
1928-07-22 Heart to Heart Ruby Boyd
1928-05-13 Vamping Venus Madame Vanezlos the Dancer / Venus
1928-01-29 The Noose Phyllis
1927-12-10 The Shield of Honor Rose aka Flora Fisher
1927-12-10 The Gay Defender Ruth Ainsworth
1927-08-01 Nevada Hettie Ide
1927-08-01 Fireman, Save My Child (uncredited)
1927-06-11 Rubber Heels Princess Aline
1926-11-20 God Gave Me Twenty Cents Dance-Hall Girl (uncredited)
1926-03-17 Fascinating Youth Lorraine Lane