Thelma Todd
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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
Credits
The Devil's Brother (1933)
as Lady Pamela Rocburg
Her Man (1930)
as Nelly
Careers (1929)
as Hortense
Another Fine Mess (1930)
as Lady Plumtree (uncredited)
Monkey Business (1931)
as Lucille Briggs
Horse Feathers (1932)
as Connie Bailey
The Bohemian Girl (1936)
as Gypsy Queen's Daughter
Cockeyed Cavaliers (1934)
as Lady Genevieve
Call Her Savage (1932)
as Sunny De Lane
Air Hostess (1933)
as Mrs. Sylvia C. Carleton
Death In Hollywood (1990)
Actor
Counsellor at Law (1933)
as Lillian La Rue
This Is the Night (1932)
as Claire Mathewson
Her Private Life (1929)
as Mrs. Leslie
Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies (1988)
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Maltese Falcon (1931)
as Iva Archer
Unaccustomed as We Are (1929)
as Mrs. Kennedy
The Gay Defender (1927)
as Ruth Ainsworth
Mary Stevens, M.D. (1933)
as Lois Cavanaugh
The Fighting Parson (1930)
as The Blonde Dance Hall Girl
God Gave Me Twenty Cents (1926)
as Dance-Hall Girl (uncredited)
Opened by Mistake (1934)
as Thelma
Chickens Come Home (1931)
as Mrs. Hardy (uncredited)
Bottoms Up (1934)
as Judith Marlowe
Murderers, Mobsters, & Madmen: Volume 6: Hollywood Police Files (1992)
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hips, Hips, Hooray! (1934)
as Miss Amelia Frisby
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10) (1942)
as Self (archive footage)
Seven Footprints to Satan (1929)
as Eve
After the Dance (1935)
as Mabel Kane
Death Scenes (1989)
as Self (archive footage)
Palooka (1934)
as Trixie
Yesterday and Today (1953)
as (archive footage)
Maid in Hollywood (1934)
as Thelma
The Poor Rich (1934)
as Gwendolyn Fetherstone
The Pajama Party (1931)
as Thelma
Speak Easily (1932)
as Eleanor Espere
The Hot Heiress (1931)
as Lola
Son of a Sailor (1933)
as The Baroness
Rough Seas (1931)
as Antoinette
Broadminded (1931)
as Gertie Gardner
Cheating Blondes (1933)
as Anne Merrick / Elaine Manners
Lightning Strikes Twice (1934)
as Judy Nelson
Two for Tonight (1935)
as Lilly
Corsair (1931)
as Alison Corning
Alum and Eve (1932)
as Thelma
Slightly Static (1935)
as Thelma
Klondike (1932)
as Klondike
War Mamas (1931)
as Thelma
Fascinating Youth (1926)
as Lorraine Lane
Strictly Unreliable (1932)
as Miss Thelma Todd
The Soilers (1932)
as Thelma
Follow Thru (1930)
as Ruth Van Horn
Sitting Pretty (1933)
as Gloria Duval
Aloha (1931)
as Winifred Bradford
Hotter Than Hot (1929)
Actor
Murders of Hollywood (2003)
as Self (archive footage)
Asleep in the Feet (1933)
as Thelma
The Shield of Honor (1927)
as Rose aka Flora Fisher
Take the Stand (1934)
as Miss Sally Oxford
Rubber Heels (1927)
as Princess Aline
Whispering Whoopee (1930)
as Miss Todd
The Noose (1928)
as Phyllis
Babes in the Goods (1934)
as Thelma Todd
Crazy Feet (1929)
as Dancer
No Limit (1931)
as Betty Royce
The Tin Man (1935)
as Thelma Todd
One Track Minds (1933)
as Thelma Todd
The Crash (1928)
as Daisy McQueen
Looser Than Loose (1930)
as Thelma, Charley's Fiancee
Sneak Easily (1932)
as Miss Thelma Todd - Attorney for the Defense
The Head Guy (1930)
as The Star
Maids a la Mode (1933)
as Miss Todd
The Old Bull (1932)
as Thelma
Let's Do Things (1931)
as Thelma Todd
Dollar Dizzy (1930)
as Thelma Todd
One-Horse Farmers (1934)
as Thelma
The King (1930)
as The Queen
The Bachelor Girl (1929)
as Gladys
The Real McCoy (1930)
as Thelma
The Big Timer (1932)
as Kay Mitchell
Show Business (1932)
as Thelma
Vamping Venus (1928)
as Madame Vanezlos the Dancer / Venus
The Shrimp (1930)
as Jim's Girlfriend
Soup and Fish (1934)
as Miss Thelma Todd
Bum Voyage (1934)
as Thelma
House of Horror (1929)
as Thelma
All Teed Up (1930)
as Thelma
Air Fright (1933)
as Thelma
Heart to Heart (1928)
as Ruby Boyd
On the Loose (1931)
as Thelma
Snappy Sneezer (1929)
as Mary White
Sealskins (1932)
as Thelma Todd
The Pip from Pittsburg (1931)
as Thelma
An All American Toothache (1936)
as Thelma Alice Todd
Command Performance (1931)
as Lydia
Red Noses (1932)
as Miss Todd
The Misses Stooge (1935)
as Thelma Todd
High C's (1930)
as Antoinette
Treasure Blues (1935)
as Thelma
The Haunted House (1928)
as The Nurse
Trial Marriage (1929)
as Grace Logan
Sing Sister Sing (1935)
as Thelma
Love Fever (1931)
as Thelma Todd
You Made Me Love You (1933)
as Pamela Berne
Hot Money (1935)
as Miss Thelma Todd
Sky Boy (1929)
Actor
Top Flat (1935)
as Thelma Todd
Fireman, Save My Child (1927)
as (uncredited)
Nevada (1927)
as Hettie Ide
The Nickel Nurser (1932)
as Thelma Todd
Naughty Baby (1928)
as Bonnie Le Vonne
Twin Triplets (1935)
as Thelma
Hurdy Gurdy (1929)
as Blondie
Look out Below (1929)
as Thelma
Catch-As Catch-Can (1931)
as Thelma
Deception (1932)
as Lola Del Mont
Swanee River (1931)
as Caroline
I'll Be Suing You (1934)
as Miss Todd
Stepping Out (1929)
as Charley's Wife
Done in Oil (1934)
as Thelma Todd aka Mlle. La Todd
The Bargain of the Century (1933)
as Thelma
Backs to Nature (1933)
as Thelma
Three Chumps Ahead (1934)
as Thelma Todd
Beauty and the Bus (1933)
as Thelma
Hal Roach Presents Harry Langdon (1929)
as The Woman