Acting
123
Woman
Jul 29, 1906
Dec 16, 1935 (29)
Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA
Thelma Todd
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.
Year | Movie / TV show / Other | Role |
---|---|---|
2016 | Buzzfeed Unsolved: True Crime | Self (archive footage) |
1987 | Hollywood's Hidden Secrets | (archive footage) |
1953 | Yesterday and Today | (archive footage) |
1942 | Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10) | Self (archive footage) |
1936 | The Bohemian Girl | Gypsy Queen's Daughter |
1936 | An All American Toothache | Thelma Alice Todd |
1935 | The Tin Man | Thelma Todd |
1935 | Two for Tonight | Lilly |
1935 | Sing Sister Sing | Thelma |
1935 | After the Dance | Mabel Kane |
1935 | Top Flat | Thelma Todd |
1935 | Hot Money | Miss Thelma Todd |
1935 | Twin Triplets | Thelma |
1935 | Treasure Blues | Thelma |
1935 | The Misses Stooge | Thelma Todd |
1935 | Slightly Static | Thelma |
1934 | Palooka | Trixie |
1934 | Hips, Hips, Hooray! | Miss Amelia Frisby |
1934 | Cockeyed Cavaliers | Lady Genevieve |
1934 | Lightning Strikes Twice | Judy Nelson |
1934 | Bottoms Up | Judith Marlowe |
1934 | Babes in the Goods | Thelma Todd |
1934 | Take the Stand | Miss Sally Oxford |
1934 | Bum Voyage | Thelma |
1934 | The Poor Rich | Gwendolyn Fetherstone |
1934 | Maid in Hollywood | Thelma |
1934 | Soup and Fish | Miss Thelma Todd |
1934 | One-Horse Farmers | Thelma |
1934 | Opened by Mistake | Thelma |
1934 | Three Chumps Ahead | Thelma Todd |
1934 | I'll Be Suing You | Miss Todd |
1934 | Done in Oil | Thelma Todd aka Mlle. La Todd |
1933 | The Devil's Brother | Lady Pamela Rocburg |
1933 | Counsellor at Law | Lillian La Rue |
1933 | Mary Stevens, M.D. | Lois Cavanaugh |
1933 | You Made Me Love You | Pamela Berne |
1933 | Cheating Blondes | Anne Merrick / Elaine Manners |
1933 | Air Hostess | Mrs. Sylvia C. Carleton |
1933 | Sitting Pretty | Gloria Duval |
1933 | The Bargain of the Century | Thelma |
1933 | Son of a Sailor | The Baroness |
1933 | Asleep in the Feet | Thelma |
1933 | Backs to Nature | Thelma |
1933 | Maids a la Mode | Miss Todd |
1933 | One Track Minds | |
1933 | Beauty and the Bus | Thelma |
1933 | Air Fright | Thelma |
1932 | Horse Feathers | Connie Bailey |
1932 | Speak Easily | Eleanor Espere |
1932 | Call Her Savage | Sunny De Lane |
1932 | This Is the Night | Claire Mathewson |
1932 | Klondike | Klondike |
1932 | The Soilers | Thelma |
1932 | The Big Timer | Kay Mitchell |
1932 | Show Business | Thelma |
1932 | Strictly Unreliable | Miss Thelma Todd |
1932 | Alum and Eve | Thelma |
1932 | Sealskins | Thelma Todd |
1932 | The Nickel Nurser | Thelma Todd |
1932 | The Old Bull | Thelma |
1932 | Red Noses | Miss Todd |
1932 | Sneak Easily | Miss Thelma Todd - Attorney for the Defense |
1932 | Deception | Lola Del Mont |
1931 | Monkey Business | Lucille Briggs |
1931 | The Maltese Falcon | Iva Archer |
1931 | Chickens Come Home | Mrs. Hardy |
1931 | On the Loose | Thelma |
1931 | Corsair | Alison Corning |
1931 | Broadminded | Gertie Gardner |
1931 | No Limit | Betty Royce |
1931 | Command Performance | Lydia |
1931 | The Hot Heiress | Lola |
1931 | The Pip from Pittsburg | Thelma |
1931 | Love Fever | Thelma Todd |
1931 | Catch-As Catch-Can | Thelma |
1931 | The Pajama Party | Thelma |
1931 | Rough Seas | Antoinette |
1931 | War Mamas | Thelma |
1931 | Let's Do Things | Thelma Todd |
1931 | Aloha | Winifred Bradford |
1931 | Swanee River | Caroline |
1930 | Another Fine Mess | Lady Plumtree (uncredited) |
1930 | Her Man | Nelly |
1930 | Whispering Whoopee | Miss Todd |
1930 | Follow Thru | Mrs. Van Horn |
1930 | The King | The Queen |
1930 | Dollar Dizzy | Thelma Todd |
1930 | The Head Guy | The Star |
1930 | All Teed Up | Thelma |
1930 | High C's | Antoinette |
1930 | Looser Than Loose | Thelma, Charley's Fiancee |
1930 | The Real McCoy | Thelma |
1930 | The Fighting Parson | The Blonde Dance Hall Girl |
1930 | The Shrimp | Jim's Girlfriend |
1929 | Unaccustomed as We Are | Mrs. Kennedy |
1929 | Seven Footprints to Satan | Eve |
1929 | Look out Below | Thelma |
1929 | Her Private Life | Mrs. Leslie |
1929 | Hurdy Gurdy | Blondie |
1929 | Snappy Sneezer | Mary White |
1929 | Hotter Than Hot | |
1929 | House of Horror | Thelma |
1929 | Careers | Hortense |
1929 | The Bachelor Girl | Gladys |
1929 | Trial Marriage | Grace Logan |
1929 | Crazy Feet | Dancer |
1929 | Sky Boy | |
1929 | Stepping Out | Charley's Wife |
1929 | Hal Roach Presents Harry Langdon | The Woman |
1928 | Naughty Baby | Bonnie Le Vonne |
1928 | Fashion News | Self (1929) |
1928 | Heart to Heart | Ruby Boyd |
1928 | The Noose | Phyllis |
1928 | The Crash | Daisy McQueen |
1928 | Vamping Venus | Madame Vanezlos the Dancer / Venus |
1928 | The Haunted House | The Nurse |
1927 | The Shield of Honor | Rose aka Flora Fisher |
1927 | Nevada | Hettie Ide |
1927 | Rubber Heels | Princess Aline |
1927 | Fireman, Save My Child | (uncredited) |
1927 | The Gay Defender | Ruth Ainsworth |
1926 | God Gave Me Twenty Cents | Dance-Hall Girl (uncredited) |
1926 | Fascinating Youth | Lorraine Lane |