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.
126 acting credits
Acting · 126
Buzzfeed Unsolved: True Crime
2016
The Bohemian Girl
1936
Corsair
1931
The Devil's Brother
1933
Aloha
1931
Horse Feathers
1932
Maid in Hollywood
1934
Broadminded
1931
Monkey Business
1931
Bottoms Up
1934
Fascinating Youth
1926
Chickens Come Home
1931
Palooka
1934
Mary Stevens, M.D.
1933
The Maltese Falcon
1931
Show Business
1932
Naughty Baby
1928
Call Her Savage
1932
Crazy Feet
1929
Counsellor at Law
1933
Cockeyed Cavaliers
1934
Another Fine Mess
1930
Speak Easily
1932
Dollar Dizzy
1930
Command Performance
1931
The Noose
1928
Follow Thru
1930
Whispering Whoopee
1930
Slightly Static
1935
Death In Hollywood
1990
Son of a Sailor
1933
War Mamas
1931
No Limit
1931
Take the Stand
1934
The Soilers
1932
Death Scenes
1989
The Poor Rich
1934
Sing Sister Sing
1935
The Shield of Honor
1927
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)
1942
Unaccustomed as We Are
1929
Let's Do Things
1931
The Nickel Nurser
1932
On the Loose
1931
Hurdy Gurdy
1929
God Gave Me Twenty Cents
1926
Rubber Heels
1927
Babes in the Goods
1934
Hot Money
1935
The Hot Heiress
1931
The King
1930
Cheating Blondes
1933
Klondike
1932
Yesterday and Today
1953
Nevada
1927
Murders of Hollywood
2003
Trial Marriage
1929
Seven Footprints to Satan
1929
Murderers, Mobsters, & Madmen: Volume 6: Hollywood Police Files
1992
After the Dance
1935
The Tin Man
1935
Her Man
1930
One Track Minds
1933
Rough Seas
1931
This Is the Night
1932
Two for Tonight
1935
The Pajama Party
1931
Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies
1988
An All American Toothache
1936
Air Fright
1933
The Big Timer
1932
Asleep in the Feet
1933
The Fighting Parson
1930
Lightning Strikes Twice
1934
The Crash
1928
Careers
1929
Deception
1932
Hips, Hips, Hooray!
1934
Soup and Fish
1934
Air Hostess
1933
The Old Bull
1932
One-Horse Farmers
1934
Strictly Unreliable
1932
The Haunted House
1928
Sneak Easily
1932
Fireman, Save My Child
1927
Catch-As Catch-Can
1931
Red Noses
1932
The Pip from Pittsburg
1931
Looser Than Loose
1930
Three Chumps Ahead
1934
Hotter Than Hot
1929
Maids a la Mode
1933
Alum and Eve
1932
Heart to Heart
1928
The Real McCoy
1930
All Teed Up
1930
The Shrimp
1930
Sealskins
1932
The Gay Defender
1927
Swanee River
1931
Hal Roach Presents Harry Langdon
1929
The Head Guy
1930
Stepping Out
1929
Love Fever
1931
Vamping Venus
1928
The Bachelor Girl
1929
Her Private Life
1929
Sitting Pretty
1933
Top Flat
1935
Bum Voyage
1934
Snappy Sneezer
1929
House of Horror
1929
Opened by Mistake
1934
Treasure Blues
1935
The Bargain of the Century
1933
You Made Me Love You
1933
Beauty and the Bus
1933
Backs to Nature
1933
The Misses Stooge
1935
I'll Be Suing You
1934
Done in Oil
1934
Twin Triplets
1935
Look out Below
1929
High C's
1930
Sky Boy
1929