Thelma Todd

Elegant blonde beauty Thelma Todd as featured in the 1930 film THE KING. Todd was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts on July 29, 1906. During the silent film era, she 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, she was able to expand her roles when producer Hal Roach signed her to appear with comedy stars such as Harry Langdon, Charley Chase, and Laurel and Hardy. In 1931, Roach cast Todd in her own series of slapstick comedy shorts, often casting her as a level-headed working girl doing her best to remain poised and charming despite numerous problems (and her ditzy sidekick's embarrassing antics). She also successfully appeared in dramas, such as the 1931 version of “The Maltese Falcon” and “Corsair” (1931), a film directed by Roland West, with whom she become romantically involved. Todd continued her short-subject series through 1935 and was featured in the full-length Laurel and Hardy comedies “Fra Diavolo” (1933) and “The Bohemian Girl” (1936). This was to be her last role before her untimely death at age 29. On the morning of Monday, December 16, 1935, Todd was found dead in her car inside the garage of Jewel Carmen, a former actress. Her death was determined to have been caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. 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." Though her death was officially ruled accidental it has always remained controversial. In 1991 an American made-for-tv biographical film based on Todd’s life was released, entitled “White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd”. Working titles for the film were “The Thelma Todd Story” and “Hot Toddy”, Todd's nickname during her career.

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