GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN - THELMA TODD: THE ICE CREAM BLONDE

Since the advent of cinema, many well-known actors have faded from the public eye due to the changes reflected in popular culture and the passing of time. Today, we are going to take a look at the life and career of one of these actors, Thelma Todd, by chronicling her journey through the entertainment industry. Please enjoy.





Full name: Thelma Alice Todd / Occupations: Actress and businesswoman / Born: July 29, 1906, in Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA / Died: December 16, 1935, in Los Angeles, California, USA (aged 29) / Years active: 1926 to 1935

What do we know about her life before she started her career? Thelma Todd was raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts, by her mother, Alice, who was a housewife originally from Canada, and her father, John Shaw Todd, who was an upholsterer from Ireland who moved to America and acquired a variety of jobs, including a superintendent of streets, an alderman, and in 1912, Lawrence's commissioner of health and charities. Thelma also had an older brother, William, who tragically died in an accident in 1910. By all accounts, she was a smart student, and after graduating from Lawrence High School in 1923, she enrolled at the Lowell Normal School (now the University of Massachusetts Lowell) with the intention of becoming a schoolteacher. However, her career path began to change when Thelma's mother urged her to enter several beauty contests and become a paid model. This resulted in her being crowned Miss Lawrence in 1925 and winning the title of Miss Massachusetts in the same year.

How did she start her career? After winning the title of Miss Massachusetts, Thelma was spotted by a Hollywood talent scout who offered her a place at the Paramount Pictures School in Queens, New York City, which at the time was training potential film stars in acting, diction, athletics, and manners for the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation (prior to being called Paramount Pictures). Out of the sixteen enrolled participants, only Thelma and the actor-musician, Charles Rogers, made a name for themselves in Hollywood.

What happened next? Upon completing her studies in acting, Thelma was cast in a number of silent films produced by Famous Players-Lasky, beginning with the romantic comedy, 'Fascinating Youth' (1926), which included cameos by such stars as Clara Bow and Adolphe Menjou. But over time, she became disenchanted with the minor roles she was offered, which mainly capitalized on her appearance rather than her acting ability. This caused her to leave Famous Players-Lasky and join Hal Roach Studios in the same year, 1929 (amidst the dawn of the sound era), where she worked alongside such legendary comedians as Harry Langdon, Charley Chase, and Laurel and Hardy. In 1931, the head of the studio, Hal Roach, tried to create a female version of Laurel and Hardy by casting Thelma in a series of comedy shorts with ZaSu Pitts (seventeen shorts in total). But when ZaSu left in 1933, she was replaced by Patsy Kelly, who starred with Thelma for the remainder of the series (twenty-one shorts in total). Roughly around the same time, Thelma was loaned out to other film studios to star in comedies they produced, including 'Monkey Business' (1931), starring the Marx Brothers, 'Speak Easily' (1932), starring Buster Keaton and Jimmy Durante, and 'Son of a Sailor' (1933), starring Joe E. Brown. Aside from her comedies, she also starred in several dramas, like 'Corsair' (1931), which was directed by Roland West (see below for more information about him 👇), and 'Mary Stevens, M.D.' (1933), which starred Kay Francis. Thelma appeared in about one hundred and twenty films and shorts throughout her career, both silent and with sound.

What was she best known for? Thelma was predominantly known for her blonde hair, her bright personality, and her overall appearance. So much so, in fact, that she was given the nicknames, 'The Ice Cream Blonde' and 'Hot Toddy', solely based on her on-screen persona. She was a fairly versatile actress who often played young working women, housewives, or love interests in a variety of comedies.

Was she married? Yes, from 1932 to 1934 she was married to the American agent, film producer, and occasional actor, Pat DiCicco, who was also allegedly a mobster working for the notorious gangster, Lucky Luciano. According to certain sources, Thelma and Pat had a rather volatile relationship (some would say abusive), which led her to divorce him and then start having an affair with the director, Roland West.

How did she pass away? Approximately a year before her untimely death, Thelma went into partnership with her lover, Roland West, and his estranged wife, Jewel Carmen, by opening a restaurant at 17575 Pacific Coast Highway, Castellammare, Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California, called Thelma Todd's Sidewalk Cafe. The restaurant was situated on the ground floor of the purchased building, Thelma and Roland's adjoining ocean-view apartments were situated on the second floor, and Jewel lived in a house nearby. One night, Thelma returned home from a party, seemingly drunk, and for whatever reason, she couldn't enter her apartment. So, to recuperate, she decided to spend the night in her car, which was parked inside a garage belonging to Jewel. Thelma's dead body was discovered over a day later, slumped inside her car. An autopsy report claimed her death was caused by carbon monoxide poisoning emanating from her car, but some have speculated that she was murdered.

Additional information:

• For the dramatic film, 'Corsair' (1931), Thelma Todd was credited with the name, Alison Loyd. It's believed that she adopted this name because it would allow her to transition from comedic roles to more dramatic ones.
• Thelma's last film was the Laurel and Hardy comedy, 'The Bohemian Girl' (1936). But due to her untimely death before its release, most of her scenes were deleted and reshot in order to avoid any negative publicity. Her one remaining scene in the film features Thelma singing the song, 'Heart of the Gypsy', which some have claimed was dubbed and sung by someone else.
• Thelma had a pet pit bull dog she named Nibs.
• She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6262 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California.
• Chester Morris, who starred with Thelma in the film, 'Corsair' (1931), once said that Roland West confessed on his deathbed that he murdered Thelma, even though he didn't provide any actual evidence.
• Many years after her demise, a TV film based on a book about the life and death of Thelma Todd was aired on NBC. The book, 'Hot Toddy: The True Story of Hollywood's Most Sensational Murder', was written by Andy Edmonds, while the TV film, 'White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd' (1991), starred Loni Anderson as Thelma Todd, John O'Hurley as Pat DiCicco, and Paul Dooley as Hal Roach.

So, there you have it, folks, a quick look at the life and career of the actress, Thelma Todd. Out of curiosity, have you seen any of the films Thelma starred in? And if you have, which one is your favorite and why? Either way, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section below.