Thelma Todd

Thelma Todd's Sidewalk Cafe, to John Shaw Todd, an upholsterer from Ireland, and later, a superintendent of streets, an alderman, and Lawrence's commissioner of health and charities in 1912 She had an elder brother, William, who died in an accident in 1910. She was a bright and successful student. Intending to become a schoolteacher, she enrolled at the Lowell Normal School (now University of Massachusetts, Lowell) after graduating from high school in 1923. As a student, she earned money as a model, entered beauty pageants in her late teens, gained the attention of Elks Lodge 65, was crowned 1925 Miss Lawrence, and won the title of 1925 Miss Massachusetts. in Astoria, Queens, New York City, at a time when Paramount Studios was training would-be-actors in acting, diction, athletics, and manners.

Todd became highly regarded as a capable film comedian, and Roach lent her to other studios to play opposite Wheeler & Woolsey, Buster Keaton, Joe E. Brown, and the Marx Brothers. She also successfully appeared in dramas, such as the original 1931 version of The Maltese Falcon starring Ricardo Cortez as Sam Spade, in which she played Miles Archer's treacherous widow. She appeared in around 120 feature films and shorts in her career.

Todd continued her short-subject series through 1935 and was featured in the full-length Laurel and Hardy comedy The Bohemian Girl. It was her last role before her untimely death at the age of 29. Although she had completed all of her scenes, producer Roach had them reshot, fearing negative publicity. He deleted all of Todd's dialogue and limited her appearance to one musical number.

Sidewalk Cafe Originally built in 1928 by architect Mark Daniels as the Castellammare housing tract business block, in August 1934, Todd opened, in partnership with Roland West and his wife, actress Jewel Carmen, Thelma Todd's Sidewalk Cafe and held parties in the adjacent, private nightclub named Joya (for Jewel Carmen) that took up the rest of the second floor. The third floor, hexagonally shaped, had a dance floor and bandstand. It attracted a diverse clientele of Hollywood celebrities, and many tourists.

Personal life Todd was briefly married to Pat DiCicco, who supposedly had ties to the mob. The relationship was volatile and DiCicco was abusive to Todd, resulting in her filing for divorce and changing her will to leave him only $1.

Death On the morning of Monday, December 16, 1935, Todd's body was discovered inside her chocolate-colored 1934 Lincoln Phaeton convertible. at the home of Jewel Carmen, wife of Roland West. Todd was wearing a mauve and silver gown, mink wrap, and expensive jewelry. Carmen's house was about a block from the topmost side of Todd's restaurant. Her death was determined to have been caused by carbon monoxide poisoning, though the garage door was raised roughly 3 to 4 inches. West is quoted in a contemporaneous newspaper account as having locked her out, which may have caused her to seek refuge and warmth in the car. Todd had a wide circle of friends and associates and a busy social life.

Police investigations revealed that she had spent the previous Saturday night (December 14) at the Trocadero, a popular Hollywood restaurant, at a party hosted by entertainer Stanley Lupino and his actress daughter Ida Lupino. She had a brief but unpleasant exchange there with her ex-husband, Pat DiCicco. However, her friends stated that she was in good spirits and were aware of nothing in her life that suggested a reason for her to commit suicide. She was driven home from the party in the early hours of December 15 by her chauffeur, Ernest O. Peters. Autopsy surgeon A. P. Wagner testified that there were "no marks of violence anywhere upon or within the body" with only a "superficial contusion on the lower lip." There are informal accounts of greater signs of injury. The jury ruled that the death appeared accidental, but recommended "further investigation to be made into the case, by proper authorities."

A grand jury probe was subsequently held to determine whether Todd was murdered. After four weeks of testimony, the inquiry concluded with no evidence of foul play. The case was closed by the Homicide Bureau, which declared the death "accidental with possible suicide tendencies." However, investigators found no motive for suicide, and Todd left no suicide note. The body was cremated. After her mother's death in 1969, Todd's remains were placed in her mother's casket and buried in Bellevue Cemetery in her hometown of Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Legacy For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Todd has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6262 Hollywood Blvd.

Selected filmography + Film Year Title Role Co-stars Notes 1926 Fascinating Youth Lorraine Lane Charles "Buddy" Rogers Lost film God Gave Me Twenty Cents Dance-Hall Girl Lois Moran Lya De Putti Uncredited Lost film 1927 Rubber Heels Princess Anne Ed Wynn Chester Conklin Lost film Fireman, Save My Child Wallace Beery Uncredited Nevada Hettie Ide Gary Cooper William Powell The Gay Defender Ruth Ainsworth Richard Dix Lost film The Shield of Honor Rose aka Flora Fisher Neil Hamilton Dorothy Gulliver 1928 Phyllis Richard Barthelmess Abie's Irish Rose Charles "Buddy" Rogers Nancy Carroll Part-talkie Vamping Venus Madame Vanezlos the Dancer / Venus Charles Murray Louise Fazenda Lost film Heart to Heart Ruby Boyd Mary Astor Lloyd Hughes Louise Fazenda The Crash Daisy McQueen Milton Sills The Nurse Larry Kent Lost film Naughty Baby Bonnie Le Vonne Alice White Jack Mulhall 1929 Seven Footprints to Satan Eve Martin Creighton Hale Produced as both a silent film and part-talkie Trial Marriage Grace Logan Norman Kerry Sally Eilers House of Horror Thelma Louise Fazenda Chester Conklin Produced as both a silent film and part-talkie Lost film Unaccustomed As We Are Mrs. Kennedy Stan Laurel Oliver Hardy Edgar Kennedy Mae Busch Short The Bachelor Girl Gladys William Collier Jr. Jacqueline Logan Lost film Careers Hortense Billie Dove Antonio Moreno Her Private Life Mrs. Leslie Billie Dove Walter Pidgeon First full length talkie 1930 Her Man Nelly Helen Twelvetrees Phillips Holmes Another Fine Mess Lady Plumtree Stan Laurel Oliver Hardy Short, Uncredited Follow Thru Mrs. Van Horn Charles "Buddy" Rogers Nancy Carroll 1931 No Limit Betty Royce Clara Bow Norman Foster Command Performance Lydia Neil Hamilton Una Merkel Chickens Come Home Mrs. Hardy Stan Laurel Oliver Hardy Short, Uncredited Swanee River Caroline Grant Withers Lost film The Hot Heiress Lola Ben Lyon Ona Munson Walter Pidgeon Aloha Winifred Bradford Ben Lyon Raquel Torres Iva Archer Bebe Daniels Ricardo Cortez Dudley Digges Una Merkel Alternative title: Dangerous Female Broadminded Gertie Gardner Joe E. Brown Ona Munson The Pip from Pittsburg Thelma Charley Chase Short Monkey Business Lucille Briggs Marx Brothers Corsair Alison Corning Chester Morris Credited as Alison Loyd On the Loose Thelma ZaSu Pitts Short 1932 Kay Mitchell Ben Lyon Constance Cummings This Is the Night Claire Mathewson Lili Damita Charles Ruggles Roland Young Horse Feathers Connie Bailey Marx Brothers Speak Easily Eleanor Espere Buster Keaton Jimmy Durante Klondike Klondike Lyle Talbot Deception Lola Del Mont Leo Carrillo Nat Pendleton Call Her Savage Sunny De Lane Clara Bow Gilbert Roland 1933 Air Hostess Sylvia C. Carleton Evalyn Knapp James Murray Cheating Blondes Anne Merrick / Elaine Manners Ralf Harolde Fra Diavolo Lady Pamela Rocburg Stan Laurel Oliver Hardy Alternative titles: Bogus BanditsThe Devil's Brother Mary Stevens, M.D. Lois Cavanaugh Kay Francis Lyle Talbot You Made Me Love You Pamela Berne Stanley Lupino Sitting Pretty Gloria Duval Jack Oakie Jack Haley Ginger Rogers Son of a Sailor The Baroness Joe E. Brown Jean Muir Counsellor at Law Lillian La Rue John Barrymore Bebe Daniels Doris Kenyon 1934 Palooka Trixie Jimmy Durante Lupe Velez Alternative titles: Joe PalookaThe Great Schnozzle Hips, Hips, Hooray! Amelia Frisby Bert Wheeler Robert Woolsey Dorothy Lee Ruth Etting The Poor Rich Gwendolyn Fetherstone Edward Everett Horton Edna May Oliver Bottoms Up Judith Marlowe Spencer Tracy Pat Paterson Cockeyed Cavaliers Lady Genevieve Bert Wheeler Robert Woolsey Dorothy Lee Take the Stand Sally Oxford Jack LaRue Gail Patrick Lightning Strikes Twice Judith 'Judy' Nelson Ben Lyon 1935 After the Dance Mabel Kane Nancy Carroll George Murphy Two for Tonight Lilly Bing Crosby Joan Bennett 1936 Gypsy queen's daughter Stan Laurel Oliver Hardy