Thelma Todd
Born
July 29, 1906
Died
December 16, 1935 (29 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
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.
Known For
Buzzfeed Unsolved: True Crime
Self (archive footage) · (1 episode)
2016
Hollywood's Hidden Secrets
(archive footage)
1987
Yesterday and Today
(archive footage)
1953
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)
Self (archive footage)
1942
The Bohemian Girl
Gypsy Queen's Daughter
1936
An All American Toothache
Thelma Alice Todd
1936
Top Flat
Thelma Todd
1935
Hot Money
Miss Thelma Todd
1935
Twin Triplets
Thelma
1935
Two for Tonight
Lilly
1935
Slightly Static
Thelma
1935
After the Dance
Mabel Kane
1935
The Misses Stooge
Thelma Todd
1935
The Tin Man
Thelma Todd
1935
Sing Sister Sing
Thelma
1935
Treasure Blues
Thelma
1935
Bum Voyage
Thelma
1934
Lightning Strikes Twice
Judy Nelson
1934
Done in Oil
Thelma Todd aka Mlle. La Todd
1934
Opened by Mistake
Thelma
1934
Take the Stand
Miss Sally Oxford
1934
One-Horse Farmers
Thelma
1934
Three Chumps Ahead
Thelma Todd
1934
Cockeyed Cavaliers
Lady Genevieve
1934
I'll Be Suing You
Miss Todd
1934
Maid in Hollywood
Thelma
1934
Bottoms Up
Judith Marlowe
1934
Soup and Fish
Miss Thelma Todd
1934
The Poor Rich
Gwendolyn Fetherstone
1934
Babes in the Goods
Thelma Todd
1934
Hips, Hips, Hooray!
Miss Amelia Frisby
1934
Palooka
Trixie
1934
Counsellor at Law
Lillian La Rue
1933
Air Fright
Thelma
1933
Son of a Sailor
The Baroness
1933
Sitting Pretty
Gloria Duval
1933
Backs to Nature
Thelma
1933
You Made Me Love You
Pamela Berne
1933
Beauty and the Bus
Thelma
1933
Mary Stevens, M.D.
Lois Cavanaugh
1933
One Track Minds
Thelma Todd
1933
The Devil's Brother
Lady Pamela Rocburg
1933
Cheating Blondes
Anne Merrick / Elaine Manners
1933
The Bargain of the Century
Thelma
1933
Maids a la Mode
Miss Todd
1933
Asleep in the Feet
Thelma
1933
Air Hostess
Mrs. Sylvia C. Carleton
1933
Sneak Easily
Miss Thelma Todd - Attorney for the Defense
1932
Call Her Savage
Sunny De Lane
1932
Deception
Lola Del Mont
1932
The Soilers
Thelma
1932
Alum and Eve
Thelma
1932
Klondike
Klondike
1932
Show Business
Thelma
1932
Horse Feathers
Connie Bailey
1932
Speak Easily
Eleanor Espere
1932
The Old Bull
Thelma
1932
Strictly Unreliable
Miss Thelma Todd
1932
This Is the Night
Claire Mathewson
1932
Red Noses
Miss Todd
1932
The Nickel Nurser
Thelma Todd
1932
The Big Timer
Kay Mitchell
1932
Sealskins
Thelma Todd
1932
On the Loose
Thelma
1931
Corsair
Alison Corning
1931
War Mamas
Thelma
1931
The Pajama Party
Thelma
1931
Monkey Business
Lucille Briggs
1931
Catch-As Catch-Can
Thelma
1931
Broadminded
Gertie Gardner
1931
Let's Do Things
Thelma Todd
1931
The Maltese Falcon
Iva Archer
1931
Aloha
Winifred Bradford
1931
Rough Seas
Antoinette
1931
Love Fever
Thelma Todd
1931
The Hot Heiress
Lola
1931
The Pip from Pittsburg
Thelma
1931
Swanee River
Caroline
1931
Chickens Come Home
Mrs. Hardy
1931
Command Performance
Lydia
1931
No Limit
Betty Royce
1931
High C's
Antoinette
1930
Another Fine Mess
Lady Plumtree (uncredited)
1930
Looser Than Loose
Thelma, Charley's Fiancee
1930
Dollar Dizzy
Thelma Todd
1930
Follow Thru
Ruth Van Horn
1930
Her Man
Nelly
1930
The King
The Queen
1930
The Shrimp
Jim's Girlfriend
1930
All Teed Up
Thelma
1930
Whispering Whoopee
Miss Todd
1930
The Fighting Parson
The Blonde Dance Hall Girl
1930
The Real McCoy
Thelma
1930
The Head Guy
The Star
1930
Stepping Out
Charley's Wife
1929
Sky Boy
1929
Crazy Feet
Dancer
1929
Her Private Life
Mrs. Leslie
1929
Hotter Than Hot
1929
Look out Below
Thelma
1929
Snappy Sneezer
Mary White
1929
Careers
Hortense
1929
The Bachelor Girl
Gladys
1929
Hurdy Gurdy
Blondie
1929
Unaccustomed as We Are
Mrs. Kennedy
1929
House of Horror
Thelma
1929
Hal Roach Presents Harry Langdon
The Woman
1929
Trial Marriage
Grace Logan
1929
Seven Footprints to Satan
Eve
1929
Naughty Baby
Bonnie Le Vonne
1928
The Haunted House
The Nurse
1928
The Crash
Daisy McQueen
1928
Heart to Heart
Ruby Boyd
1928
Vamping Venus
Madame Vanezlos the Dancer / Venus
1928
The Noose
Phyllis
1928
The Shield of Honor
Rose aka Flora Fisher
1927
The Gay Defender
Ruth Ainsworth
1927
Nevada
Hettie Ide
1927
Fireman, Save My Child
(uncredited)
1927
Rubber Heels
Princess Aline
1927
God Gave Me Twenty Cents
Dance-Hall Girl (uncredited)
1926
Fascinating Youth
Lorraine Lane
1926