1906-07-29 ( 118 years old ) in 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.
Movies
Hollywood's Hidden Secrets
1987-01-01
Yesterday and Today
1953-12-02
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)
1942-01-01
The Bohemian Girl
1936-02-14
An All American Toothache
1936-01-25
Top Flat
1935-12-21
Hot Money
1935-11-16
Twin Triplets
1935-10-12
Two for Tonight
1935-09-12
Slightly Static
1935-09-07
After the Dance
1935-06-25
The Misses Stooge
1935-04-20
The Tin Man
1935-03-30
Sing Sister Sing
1935-03-02
Treasure Blues
1935-01-26
Bum Voyage
1934-12-15
Lightning Strikes Twice
1934-12-07
Done in Oil
1934-11-10
Opened by Mistake
1934-10-05
Take the Stand
1934-08-07
One-Horse Farmers
1934-08-01
Three Chumps Ahead
1934-07-14
Cockeyed Cavaliers
1934-06-29
I'll Be Suing You
1934-06-23
Maid in Hollywood
1934-05-19
Bottoms Up
1934-04-12
Soup and Fish
1934-03-30
The Poor Rich
1934-02-25
Babes in the Goods
1934-02-10
Hips, Hips, Hooray!
1934-02-02
Palooka
1934-01-26
Counsellor at Law
1933-12-25
Air Fright
1933-12-23
Son of a Sailor
1933-11-29
Sitting Pretty
1933-11-23
Backs to Nature
1933-11-14
You Made Me Love You
1933-10-01
Beauty and the Bus
1933-09-16
Mary Stevens, M.D.
1933-07-22
One Track Minds
1933-05-20
The Devil's Brother
1933-05-05
Cheating Blondes
1933-05-01
The Bargain of the Century
1933-04-08
Maids a la Mode
1933-03-04
Asleep in the Feet
1933-01-21
Air Hostess
1933-01-15
Sneak Easily
1932-12-10
Call Her Savage
1932-11-24
Deception
1932-11-04
The Soilers
1932-10-29
Alum and Eve
1932-09-24
Klondike
1932-08-29
Show Business
1932-08-20
Horse Feathers
1932-08-19
Speak Easily
1932-08-13
The Old Bull
1932-06-04
Strictly Unreliable
1932-04-30
This Is the Night
1932-04-08
Red Noses
1932-03-18
The Nickel Nurser
1932-03-12
The Big Timer
1932-03-10
Sealskins
1932-02-06
On the Loose
1931-12-26
Corsair
1931-11-28
War Mamas
1931-11-14
The Pajama Party
1931-10-03
Monkey Business
1931-09-19
Catch-As Catch-Can
1931-08-22
Broadminded
1931-08-01
Let's Do Things
1931-06-06
The Maltese Falcon
1931-05-23
Aloha
1931-04-26
Rough Seas
1931-04-24
Love Fever
1931-04-11
The Hot Heiress
1931-03-28
The Pip from Pittsburg
1931-03-21
Swanee River
1931-03-15
Chickens Come Home
1931-02-21
Command Performance
1931-01-19
No Limit
1931-01-15
High C's
1930-12-27
Another Fine Mess
1930-11-29
Looser Than Loose
1930-11-15
Dollar Dizzy
1930-10-03
Follow Thru
1930-09-26
Her Man
1930-09-21
The King
1930-06-14
The Shrimp
1930-05-03
All Teed Up
1930-04-16
Whispering Whoopee
1930-03-08
The Fighting Parson
1930-02-06
The Real McCoy
1930-02-01
The Head Guy
1930-01-11
Stepping Out
1929-11-02
Sky Boy
1929-10-05
Crazy Feet
1929-09-07
Her Private Life
1929-08-25
Look out Below
1929-08-17
Hotter Than Hot
1929-08-17
Snappy Sneezer
1929-07-29
Careers
1929-06-02
The Bachelor Girl
1929-05-20
Hurdy Gurdy
1929-05-10
Unaccustomed as We Are
1929-05-04
House of Horror
1929-04-28
Hal Roach Presents Harry Langdon
1929-04-01
Trial Marriage
1929-03-10
Seven Footprints to Satan
1929-01-27
Naughty Baby
1928-12-16
The Haunted House
1928-11-04
The Crash
1928-10-07
Heart to Heart
1928-07-22
Vamping Venus
1928-05-13
The Noose
1928-01-29
The Shield of Honor
1927-12-10
The Gay Defender
1927-12-10
Nevada
1927-08-01
Fireman, Save My Child
1927-08-01
Rubber Heels
1927-06-11
God Gave Me Twenty Cents
1926-11-20
Fascinating Youth
1926-03-17
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