1. Thelma Todd co-starred with Buster Keaton and Jimmy Durante in Speak Easily.
19 Facts About Thelma Todd
2.
Thelma Todd had roles in several Wheeler and Woolsey and Laurel and Hardy films, the last of which featured her in a part that was cut short by her sudden death in 1935 at the age of 29.
3.
Thelma Todd had an older brother, William, who died in an accident in 1910.
4.
Thelma Todd was offered a slot at the Paramount Players School in Astoria, Queens, New York City, at a time when Paramount Studios was training would-be-actors in acting, diction, athletics and manners.
5.
Thelma Todd later found work, in 1929, at Hal Roach Studios.
6.
In 1931, Thelma Todd starred in Corsair, a film directed by Roland West, with whom she became romantically involved.
7.
Thelma Todd successfully appeared in dramas, such as the original 1931 version of The Maltese Falcon starring Ricardo Cortez as Sam Spade, where she played Miles Archer's treacherous widow.
8.
Thelma Todd appeared in around 120 feature films and shorts in her career.
9.
Thelma Todd continued her short-subject series through 1935 and was featured in the full-length Laurel and Hardy comedy The Bohemian Girl.
10.
Thelma Todd deleted all of Todd's dialogue, and limited her appearance to one musical number.
11.
Thelma Todd was briefly married to Pat DiCicco, who supposedly had ties to the mob.
12.
The relationship was volatile and DiCicco was abusive to Thelma Todd, resulting in her filing for divorce and changing her will to leave him only $1.
13.
Thelma Todd's Lincoln was parked inside the garage at the home of Jewel Carmen, wife of Roland West.
14.
Thelma Todd was wearing a mauve and silver gown, mink wrap and expensive jewelry, Carmen's house was approximately a block from the topmost side of Thelma Todd's restaurant.
15.
Thelma Todd's death was determined to have been caused by carbon monoxide poisoning.
16.
Thelma Todd had a wide circle of friends and associates and a busy social life.
17.
Thelma Todd had a brief but unpleasant exchange there with her ex-husband, Pat DiCicco.
18.
LAPD detectives concluded that Thelma Todd's death was accidental, the result of her either warming up the car to drive it or using the heater to keep herself warm.
19.
However, investigators found no motive for suicide, and Thelma Todd left no suicide note.