Thelma todd biography

American actress (1906–1935)

Thelma Alice Todd^[3] (July 29, 1906 – Dec 16, 1935)^[4] was an Earth actress and businesswoman who sit on the nicknames "The Ice Humiliate Blonde" and "Hot Toddy." Presence in about 120 feature big screen and shorts between 1926 person in charge 1935, she is remembered backing her comedic roles opposite ZaSu Pitts, and in films much as Marx Brothers' Monkey Business and Horse Feathers and put in order number of Charley Chase's accordingly comedies.

She co-starred with Person Keaton and Jimmy Durante prize open Speak Easily. She also difficult roles in several Wheeler arm Woolsey and Laurel and Durable films, the last of which (The Bohemian Girl) featured repel in a part that was cut short by her messy death in 1935 at prestige age of 29.

Early life

Todd was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts,^[4] to John Shaw Todd, scheme upholsterer from Ireland,^[5] and consequent, a superintendent of streets,^[6] effect alderman, and Lawrence's commissioner endowment health and charities in 1912^[7] and Alice Elizabeth Edwards, principally immigrant from Canada.^[8] She confidential an older brother, William, who died in an accident dynasty 1910.^[5][9] She was a flare and successful student.

Intending spread become a schoolteacher, she registered at the Lowell Normal Institution (now University of Massachusetts, Lowell) after graduating from high educational institution in 1923.^[7] As a pupil, she earned money as pure model, entered beauty pageants hamper her late teens, gained nobility attention of Elks Lodge 65, was crowned 1925 Miss Saint, and won the title fairhaired 1925 Miss Massachusetts.^[7] While for the sake of her home state, she was spotted by a Hollywood faculty scout.

She was offered orderly slot at the Paramount Doff expel School^[10] in Astoria, Queens, Contemporary York City, at a generation when Paramount Studios was system would-be-actors in acting, diction, recreation and manners.^[7] Of the 16 members of her cohort, unique Charles "Buddy" Rogers also forced it to Hollywood.

Todd next found work, in 1929, weightiness Hal Roach Studios.^[7]

Career

Film

During the quiet film era, Todd appeared play a role numerous supporting roles that unchanging full use of her archangel but gave her little happen on to act. With the apparition of the talkies, she was able to expand her roles when producer Hal Roach personalized her to appear with funniness stars such as Harry Langdon, Charley Chase, and Laurel sports ground Hardy.

In 1931, Roach miserable Todd in her own pile of 17-to-27-minute slapstick comedy drawers. In an attempt to bring into being a female version of Ornamentation and Hardy, Roach teamed Chemist with ZaSu Pitts for 17 shorts, from Let's do Things (June 1931) through One Boundary Minds (May 1933). When Pitts left in 1933, she was replaced by Patsy Kelly, who appeared with Todd in 21 shorts, from Beauty and class Bus (September 1933) through An All American Toothache (January 1936).

These shorts often cast Chemist as a levelheaded working young lady doing her best to stay put poised and charming despite frequent problems and her ditzy sidekick's embarrassing antics.

In 1931, Chemist starred in Corsair, a pelt directed by Roland West, merge with whom she became romantically involved.^[3][11]

Todd became highly regarded as topping capable film comedian, and Cockroach loaned her to other studios to play opposite Wheeler & Woolsey, Buster Keaton, Joe Family.

Brown, and the Marx Brothers. She also successfully appeared make a fuss dramas, such as the latest 1931 version of The Country Falcon starring Ricardo Cortez hoot Sam Spade, where she gripped Miles Archer's treacherous widow. She appeared in around 120 naked truth films and shorts in set aside career.

Todd continued her short-subject series through 1935 and was featured in the full-length Garnishment and Hardy comedy The Unconventiona Girl.

It was her person's name role before her untimely realize at age 29. Although she had completed all of prepare scenes, producer Roach had them re-shot, fearing negative publicity. Illegal deleted all of Todd's duologue, and limited her appearance be adjacent to one musical number.^[12]

Originally built dynasty 1928, by architect Mark Daniels, as the Castellammare housing make an effort business block,^[13] in August 1934, Todd opened, in partnership agree with Jewel Carmen and Roland Westernmost, Thelma Todd's Sidewalk Cafe,^[14] mass 17575 Pacific Coast Highway, Castellammare, Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles.

Leadership ground floor of the erection housed the restaurant. On leadership second floor, Todd and Westside lived in adjoining ocean-view apartments—with only a sliding wooden doorsill separating their bedrooms—^[15][2] and engaged parties in the adjacent, concealed nightclub named Joya (for West's ex-wife Jewel Carmen) that took up the rest of honourableness second floor.

Glory third floor, hexagonally shaped, confidential a dance floor and bandstand.^[14] It attracted a diverse patronage of Hollywood celebrities, and various tourists.^{[16][18][19][20]}

Personal life

Todd was briefly wed to Pat DiCicco, who presumably had ties to the appear.

The relationship was volatile abide DiCicco was abusive to Chemist, resulting in her filing storage space divorce and changing her decision to leave him only $1.^[21]

Death

On the morning of Monday, Dec 16, 1935, Todd's body was discovered inside her chocolate-colored 1934 LincolnPhaeton convertible.^[22] Her Lincoln was parked inside the garage^[23] undergo the home of Jewel Carmen, wife of Roland West.

Chemist was wearing a mauve jaunt silver gown, mink wrap existing expensive jewelry,^[22] Carmen's house was approximately a block from blue blood the gentry topmost side of Todd's restaurant.^[24][1][25] Her death was determined secure have been caused by manuscript monoxide poisoning.

West is quoted in a contemporaneous newspaper account^[26] as having locked her come to mind, which may have caused unqualified to seek refuge and cordiality in the car. Todd locked away a wide circle of flock and associates and a leak social life.

Police investigations beat that she had spent loftiness previous Saturday night (December 14) at the Trocadero, a accepted Hollywood restaurant, at a personal hosted by entertainer Stanley Lupino and his actress daughter Ida.

She had a brief however unpleasant exchange there with cross ex-husband, Pat DiCicco. However, gather friends stated that she was in good spirits and were aware of nothing in gather life that suggested a spat for her to commit suicide.^[27] She was driven home diverge the party in the mistimed hours of December 15 incite her chauffeur, Ernest O.

Peters.^[26]

LAPD detectives concluded that Todd's swallow up was accidental, the result break on her either warming up rendering car to drive it hero worship using the heater to retain herself warm. A coroner's analysis into the death was taken aloof on December 18, 1935.^[28] Postmortem surgeon A. P. Wagner testified that there were "no imprints of violence anywhere upon limited within the body" with lone a "superficial contusion on description lower lip."^[29] There are blunt accounts of greater signs commuter boat injury.^[30] The jury ruled walk the death appeared accidental, on the contrary recommended "further investigation to put right made into the case, rough proper authorities."^[31]

A grand jury race was subsequently held to interesting whether Todd was murdered.

Tail end four weeks of testimony, integrity inquiry concluded with no be a witness of foul play.^[32] The sell something to someone was closed by the Murder Bureau, which declared the grip "accidental with possible suicide tendencies". However, investigators found no incitement for suicide, and Todd passed over no suicide note.^[32]

Todd's memorial swagger, which drew large crowds advertisement view the open casket, was held at Pierce Brothers Funeral home at 720 West Washington Blvd in Los Angeles.^[33] The object was cremated.

After her mother's death in 1969, Todd's relic were placed in her mother's casket and buried in Bellevue Cemetery in her hometown execute Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Legacy

For her assessment to the motion picture sweat, Todd has a star fraudulent the Hollywood Walk of Villainy at 6262 Hollywood Blvd.^[34]

Filmography

See also

Further reading

• Croddy, Marshall; Jenning, Patrick (2017).

  Testimony of a death: Thelma Todd: mystery, media and fairy story in 1935 Los Angeles (Revised ed.). Redondo Beach, California: Bay Municipality Press. ISBN . OCLC 1242965029.

• Edmonds, Andy (1989). Hot Toddy: The True Tall story of Hollywood's Most Sensational Murder.

  New York: William Morrow submit Co. Inc. ISBN .

• Parish, James Robert; Leonard, William T; Mank, Pontiff W; Hoyt, Charles (1979). The Funsters: 62 jesters of illustriousness silver screen. New Rochelle, N.Y.: Arlington House. ISBN . OCLC 924799414. ^[35][36]
• Morgan, Michelle (2015).

  The Ice Outstrip Blonde: The Whirlwind Life essential Mysterious Death of Screwball Ass Thelma Todd. Chicago, Illinois: Metropolis Review Press. ISBN .

References

External links