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A Blog For Thelma Todd Thelma Todd was a star of silent movies and later the talkies. She is remembered as much today for her mysterious death as she is for her films. In this blog, we take a look at Thelma Todd, her movies, and various commentaries.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Thelma Todd With Alice White At First National
From the Laurel And Hardy Archive on facebook.
THELMA TODD, unidentified, ALICE WHITE and unidentified
1928
They're at First National ( later Warner Brothers ), and are wearing the First National logo on their chests, naturally.
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Foreign Poster For THE BOHEMIAN GIRL
THE BOHEMIAN GIRL was Thelma Todd's last movie. Here is a reissue poster posted by Jorge Finkielman on facebook with the following comments:
Standard reissue poster from Argentina. I would say that it is from 1954 but I may be wrong for just a couple of years. The title in the poster would change following the movie that was exhibited. In this case is a reissue for THE BOHEMIAN GIRL.
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Jean Harlow Gag Photo
From The Laurel And Hardy Archive on facebook.
Jean Harlow with Bryant Washburn in a publicity photo at the Roach studio in the late 1920's.
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Jean Harlow In DOUBLE WHOOPEE
Jean Harlow appeared in some Hal Roach comedies early in her career.
DOUBLE WHOOPEE
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Jean Harlow With Laurel And Hardy
From The Laurel And Hardy Archive on facebook.
DOUBLE WHOOPEE
With JEAN HARLOW
DOUBLE WHOOPEE was one of Jean Harlow's earliest film roles. An unknown at the time, she would skyrocket to fame after making HELL'S ANGELS, a role Thelma Todd had previously been considered for. And Thelma Todd more less took Jean Harlow's place at the Roach studio.
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Charley Chase With Jean Harlow Poster
The picture of Charley Chase and Jean Harlow as bathing beauties was cropped from this one, which also has a number of other girls in the lineup.
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Charley Chase With Jean Harlow
Charley Chase attempts to impersonate a glamour girl, next to the genuine item, in the person of Jean Harlow.
I think this is another example of why Charley Chase wasn't a top star in his day.
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Monday, March 30, 2015
Birthday Of Virginia Rappe
Today is also the birthday of the tragic Virginia Rappe (1891–1921).
Much has been written about her connection with the Fatty Arbuckle scandal, but I can add nothing, save that misfortune befell them both.
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Birthday Of Bessie Love
Today is the birthday of silent film star Bessie Love (1898–1986).
The early silent movie actresses had long hair. Later they had the girls bob their hair, something they did to Thelma Todd when she got in the movies.
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Pete The Pup Photo
From the Laurel And Hardy Archive on facebook.
Atlantic City
Steel Pier souvenir photo with Pete The Pup
Mid 30s
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Hal Roach Dancing With Marlene Dietrich
From the Laurel and Hardy Archive on facebook.
Snapshot of HAL ROACH dancing with MARLENE DIETRICH
1938
In the second World War, Marlene Dietrich devoted the most time to entertaining the troops of any actress. Carole Landis may have been in second place; she also used to work for Roach.
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Sunday, March 29, 2015
SPEAK EASILY Photo
SPEAK EASILY was the only movie Thelma Todd made at MGM, although they were releasing the films of Hal Roach in that period. Here we see a publicity photo from this movie with Buster Keaton, Thelma Todd, and Jimmy Durante.
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Saturday, March 28, 2015
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Bathing Beauty Marie Wilson
From the Laurel And Hardy Archive on facebook.
Marie Wilson is fourth from the left. This would be from sometime in the 1930's.
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Edna Marion In Jail?
Laurel And Hardy Archive on facebook.
CHARLEY CHASE, HAL ROACH comedy star, believes in keeping women where they belong and advocates jail as an ideal location. He is here shown gloating over EDNA MARION his little leading lady, who he has placed behind bars.
Well, the idea of Edna Marion having been put in jail by Charley Chase does not appeal to me.
Maybe his failure to make it to the top echelon of screen stars had something to do with things like this.
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Friday, March 27, 2015
Thelma Todd And Patsy Kelly In AIR FRIGHT
AIR FRIGHT ( 1933 ) had Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly being stewardesses.
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Zasu Pitts Photo
A publicity picture of Zasu Pitts.
Note the name at lower left and the initials at the lower right.
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Thursday, March 26, 2015
Thelma Todd And Johnny Weissmuller At Santa Monica
Another photo of Thelma Todd with Johnny Weissmuller at Santa Monica.
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Thelma Todd And Johnny Weismuller At Santa Monica
Screen Tarzan Johnny Weissmuller and Thelma Todd with a lifeguard outside the Santa Monica Life Saving Club near the beach. The date on this photo is March 23, 1945.
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SILVER SCREEN October 1932
The October 1932 issue of SILVER SCREEN has Marlene Dietrich on the cover.
On the left are Charles Farrell and Janet Gaynor, and on the right is Thelma Todd.
Thelma Todd got a lot of publicity out of SPEAK EASILY.
Bette Davis was from Massachusetts like Thelma Todd; they also both seem to have been into numerology. A number of movie stars were said to have been involved in the occult.
Left, silent star Douglas Fairbanks in one of his talkies. Right, Joan Bennett and Claudette Colbert early in their careers.
Jimmy Durante was also in the cast of THE PHANTOM PRESIDENT.
The Our Gang kids ride a horse. Another time they built their own fire engine.
On the lower left is an item about Harpo Marx that is related to HORSEFEATHERS.
That's all, folks!
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Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Happy Birthday, Jean Rogers!
Jean Rogers was born on this day in 1916.
She is best known for playing Dale Arden in the Flash Gordon serials.
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Happy Birthday, Nancy Kelly
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NANCY KELLY!!!!
Nancy Kelly was born on this date in 1921.
In TARZAN'S DESERT MYSTERY she played about the same character that Joan Blondell used to play in the movies.
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Thelma Todd With Gary Cooper And William Powell In NEVADA
Black and white and color versions, from "Stars of the Silent film and early Talkies" on facebook.
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Anita Garvin With Laurel And Hardy in FROM SOUP TO NUTS
Anita Garvin is in distress, or maybe she ain't in it.
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Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Thelma Todd on the cover of PICTUREGOER
From the Laurel And Hardy Archive on facebook.
PICTUREGOER
British film magazine
Vol. 3, no. 109
June 1933
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Harry Langdon With Nell O'Day
From the Laurel And Hardy Archive on facebook.
Richard Finegan: This is from Harry's 1933 Educational short TIED FOR LIFE. The girl is Nell O'Day.
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Richard Finegan: This is from Harry's 1933 Educational short TIED FOR LIFE. The girl is Nell O'Day.
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Harry Langdon With Thelma Todd
Harry Langdon and Thelma Todd in THE HEAD GUY, a Hal Roach production.
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Monday, March 23, 2015
Thelma Todd And John Boles In BOTTOMS UP
From the Laurel And Hardy Archive on facebook.
BOTTOMS UP
JOHN BOLES and THELMA TODD
1934
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BOTTOMS UP
JOHN BOLES and THELMA TODD
1934
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Thelma Todd Photo
Here is a publicity photo that I believe was taken in 1935. The spotlight on the right says "Hal Roach Studio" on it. You can also see "MGM" on the lower right hand corner. Hal Roach was releasing through MGM at the time, so their publicity pictures all had "MGM" on them.
Thanks go to Jorge Finkielman for providing us with this photo.
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Sunday, March 22, 2015
Happy Birthday, Joan Blondell
Today is the birthday of Joan Blondell . Here is a picture of her from the classic GOLDDIGGERS OF 1933.
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YOU SAID A HATFUL Script
Dialogue continuity script for YOU SAID A HATFUL with Charley Chase and Dorothy Appleby.
Ebay seller's description:
This script is for the 1934 Comedy film short,
You Said a Hatful!
When he learns the secret news that it will be sold today at 4pm in Kansas City, international banker J.P. Anderson sets in motion a plan to purchase the Tippycanoe Tuckahoe & Tehachapi Railroad. He will arrive in Kansas City prior to the meeting with an offer the current owner can't refuse. He will go with his hapless secretary, Charley Chase, with the two switching places - Charley will pretend to be J.P., and J.P. will pretend to be Charley - so that J.P. can maneuver into the deal without attracting the attention of the other buyer who may want to kill him. They will take the TT&T train for the trip. Complications ensue when a series of events happen on the train. First, Charley passes himself off as the railroad owner to train employees even before they arrive at the meeting. Second, J.P.'s daughter Dorothy arrives on the scene, Charley who has to pretend to be her father when in reality he is in love with her. Third, Charley's banker's hat, which is really a magician's hat.
Cast
| Charley Chase | ... |
Charley Chase
| |
| Dorothy Appleby | ... |
Dorothy Anderson
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| Oscar Apfel | ... |
J.P. Anderson
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It's in GREAT shape for it's age!!!
Shop with confidence! This is part of our in-store inventory from our shop which is has been located in the heart of Hollywood where we have been in business for OVER 40 years!
Finding anything ORIGINAL on CHARLEY CHASE or from the Hal Roach Studios is extremely RARE so don't let this one pass you by! A Fantastic find for the TRUE Chase or Hal Roach collector!
MORE INFORMATION ON CHARLEY CHASE: Brother of James Parrott Entered films in 1912. In an interview with Hal Roach on the David Letterman show Hal said that Chase auditioned for him by saying he could play ANY part. Chase then proceeded to do his impression of a lighthouse by turning his head around in a circle, stopping straight forward with his eyes wide open after each rotation. Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith. Pg. 102-103. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387 2 daughters - Pauline (Polly) and June Directed short comedies under his birth name, Charles Parrott.
MORE INFO ON HAL ROACH: Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York in 1892. After working as, among other things, a gold prospector, he wound up in Hollywood and began picking up jobs as an extra in comedies, where he met comedian Harold Lloyd. He began producing, directing and writing a series of short film comedies starring Lloyd around 1915. These were quite successful, and Roach started his own production company and eventually bought his own studio. By the early 1920s he had eclipsed Mack Sennett as the King of Comedy and created many of the most memorable comic series of all time, even by today's standards. These include the team of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, Charley Chase and The Little Rascals. By the late 1930s Roach's formula for success was jeopardized by audience demands for bigger, feature-length productions, and he was forced to try his hand at making full-length screwball comedies, musicals and dramas, although he still kept turning out two-reel comedies. By the 1950s he was producing mainly for television. In 1983 his company developed the first successful digital colorization process. Roach then became a producer for many TV series on the Disney Channel, and his company still produces most of their films and videos.
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Dorothy Appleby
Elsie Ames, Monty Collins, Dorothy Appleby and Harry Langdon in WHAT MAKES LIZZY DIZZY?
Elsie Ames and Dorothy Appleby frequently worked together with Buster Keaton in this period. Here, they're with Harry Langdon.
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