Thelma Todd

Known for ActingBorn 1906-07-29Died 1935-12-16Lawrence, 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.Read more

Movies & web series

Hot Money

The Misses Stooge

Soup and Fish

Three Chumps Ahead

Hotter Than Hot

House of Horror

Careers

Trial Marriage

Treasure Blues

Slightly Static

Maid in Hollywood

I'll Be Suing You

Done in Oil

Buzzfeed Unsolved: True Crime

Swanee River

The Gay Defender

God Gave Me Twenty Cents

Fascinating Youth

Murderers, Mobsters, & Madmen: Volume 6: Hollywood Police Files

Babes in the Goods

An All American Toothache

Sing Sister Sing

Twin Triplets

The Poor Rich

One-Horse Farmers

Opened by Mistake

Sitting Pretty

Beauty and the Bus

Sneak Easily

War Mamas

Let's Do Things

Aloha

The Fighting Parson

The Crash

Fireman, Save My Child

Two for Tonight

The Noose

Follow Thru

Red Noses

Deception

Death In Hollywood

The Tin Man

Yesterday and Today

You Made Me Love You

Top Flat

Hips, Hips, Hooray!

One Track Minds

Monkey Business