First National Pictures Basketball team with Frances Hamilton, Thelma Todd, Alice White (holding basketball) Yola d'Avril and Rozella Stillman (secretary of Chief of Police Holtzendorff at the studio).
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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.
Monday, June 29, 2020
First National Pictures Basketball team
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First National Pictures Basketball team with Frances Hamilton, Thelma Todd, Alice White (holding basketball) Yola d'Avril and Rozella Stillman (secretary of Chief of Police Holtzendorff at the studio).
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First National Pictures Basketball team with Frances Hamilton, Thelma Todd, Alice White (holding basketball) Yola d'Avril and Rozella Stillman (secretary of Chief of Police Holtzendorff at the studio).
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Saturday, June 27, 2020
Thelma Todd Silent Era Smiling In Snow.
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Thelma Todd Silent Era Flapper Movie Star Original 8x10 Photo smiling in snow.
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Thelma Todd Silent Era Flapper Movie Star Original 8x10 Photo smiling in snow.
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Wednesday, June 24, 2020
What has become of the Famous Sennett Beauties? by Dorothy Calhoun.
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An little about the Mack Sennett Bathing Beauties.
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An little about the Mack Sennett Bathing Beauties.
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Tuesday, June 23, 2020
1929 Hal Roach Bathing Beauties
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1929 Hal Roach bathing beauties, including Nancy Dover ( center ), who can be seen in several Harry Langdon Talkies.
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1929 Hal Roach bathing beauties, including Nancy Dover ( center ), who can be seen in several Harry Langdon Talkies.
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Saturday, June 20, 2020
Hollywood - Ep 8 : Comedy is a Serious Business
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Frank Capra's thoughts on Harry Langdon are a part of this documentary .
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Frank Capra's thoughts on Harry Langdon are a part of this documentary .
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Harry Langdon Talkies
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Harry Langdon had been a star in the silent era only to have his career ruined by bad pictures, then made a series of two-reel comedies for Hal Roach, which have now been released on DVD. Much has been written about these films, not all of which I would agree with. Evidently the story that these films were failures when they were originally released isn't true. I agree with those who said that they didn't use Langdon's character correctly in these films, because of the way he was shown hitting people. Actually his character was supposed to react rather than initiate conflict.
SKY BOY actually has Langdon killing a man ( Eddie Dunn* ) at the end of the film. They also showed him killing the man after Thelma Todd had been rescued and was safe on the blimp, which made it look as if it was done to get even, rather than out of necessity ( presumably what they intended )
Earlier Thelma Todd had suggested cutting Eddie Dunn's throat with a razor, which he didn't do.
Dale remarked that making an innocent kid character kill people made him appear to be a dangerous lunatic.
THE HEAD GUY again ends with Langdon getting even rather than actually
resolving the situation, because he is shown kicking his foe from behind when he leaves to board a train. In addition to not resolving the situation, this action does not appear heroic.
While it can be said that Harry Langdon's character was supposed to react rather than initiate conflict, this business can also be seen as part of the studio's entire output. Spanky McFarland was shown hitting people at the same studio. Thelma Todd was shown hitting people, too. Such violence is supposed to have been justified in their films, as they were supposed to be on the side of right.
Thelma Todd's heroic action in overcoming adversity can be seen as a continuation of what Harry Langdon had done in his films at the same studio. It was standard stuff, as far as that goes. It just wasn't standard stuff for Harry Langdon's character, because that wasn't the way that he was supposed to act.
Thelma Todd didn't seem very important in most of the Harry Langdon films. Another girl would more or less have the lead and Thelma Todd would just be there. Maybe they stuck her in those films just so people would look at them.
Nancy Dover was Langdon's leading lady in several of these films. Harry Langdon and Nancy Dover would work together again after this series ended, making MARRIAGE HUMOR in 1933. Later in her career, Nancy Dover was billed as "Judith Barnett".
*Eddie Dunn was in the "Harry Langdon announcement" which is included in the set, and had also previously been in HURDY GURDY with Thelma Todd, which was one of Roach's first talking pictures.
Harry Langdon Talkies:
https://jln4151.wixsite.com/jlneibaur-writer/post/dvd-review-harry-langdon-at-the-hal-roach-studios-1929-1930
https://thelostlaugh.com/tag/hal-roach/
Nancy Dover:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0057184/
Eddie Dunn:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0242554/?ref_=nmbio_bio_nm
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Thelma Todd, Harry Langdon, and Nancy Dover.
SKY BOY actually has Langdon killing a man ( Eddie Dunn* ) at the end of the film. They also showed him killing the man after Thelma Todd had been rescued and was safe on the blimp, which made it look as if it was done to get even, rather than out of necessity ( presumably what they intended )
Earlier Thelma Todd had suggested cutting Eddie Dunn's throat with a razor, which he didn't do.
Dale remarked that making an innocent kid character kill people made him appear to be a dangerous lunatic.
THE HEAD GUY again ends with Langdon getting even rather than actually
resolving the situation, because he is shown kicking his foe from behind when he leaves to board a train. In addition to not resolving the situation, this action does not appear heroic.
While it can be said that Harry Langdon's character was supposed to react rather than initiate conflict, this business can also be seen as part of the studio's entire output. Spanky McFarland was shown hitting people at the same studio. Thelma Todd was shown hitting people, too. Such violence is supposed to have been justified in their films, as they were supposed to be on the side of right.
Thelma Todd's heroic action in overcoming adversity can be seen as a continuation of what Harry Langdon had done in his films at the same studio. It was standard stuff, as far as that goes. It just wasn't standard stuff for Harry Langdon's character, because that wasn't the way that he was supposed to act.
Thelma Todd didn't seem very important in most of the Harry Langdon films. Another girl would more or less have the lead and Thelma Todd would just be there. Maybe they stuck her in those films just so people would look at them.
Nancy Dover was Langdon's leading lady in several of these films. Harry Langdon and Nancy Dover would work together again after this series ended, making MARRIAGE HUMOR in 1933. Later in her career, Nancy Dover was billed as "Judith Barnett".
*Eddie Dunn was in the "Harry Langdon announcement" which is included in the set, and had also previously been in HURDY GURDY with Thelma Todd, which was one of Roach's first talking pictures.
Harry Langdon Talkies:
https://jln4151.wixsite.com/jlneibaur-writer/post/dvd-review-harry-langdon-at-the-hal-roach-studios-1929-1930
https://thelostlaugh.com/tag/hal-roach/
Nancy Dover:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0057184/
Eddie Dunn:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0242554/?ref_=nmbio_bio_nm
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1930 Thelma Todd Clipping
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September 24, 1930 newspaper clipping publicizing the popularity of Thelma Todd at the Hal Roach Studio and the short STEPPING OUT. SKY BOY is the Harry Langdon film.
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September 24, 1930 newspaper clipping publicizing the popularity of Thelma Todd at the Hal Roach Studio and the short STEPPING OUT. SKY BOY is the Harry Langdon film.
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Friday, June 19, 2020
Gary Cooper, Jack Luden, Louise Brooks, Doris Hill And Thelma Todd
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Paramount, 1927.
From left to right are Gary Cooper, Jack Luden, Louise Brooks, Doris Hill and Thelma Todd. The man on the far right is unidentified.
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Paramount, 1927.
From left to right are Gary Cooper, Jack Luden, Louise Brooks, Doris Hill and Thelma Todd. The man on the far right is unidentified.
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Thursday, June 18, 2020
Thelma Todd At The Mayfair Opening
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Stars at the Mayfair opening and the invalid's benefit.
modernscreen Feb - Oct 1933
Lew Cody had been married to Mable Normand, who passed away in 1930. Fifi D'orsay was popular in comedies at the time.
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Stars at the Mayfair opening and the invalid's benefit.
modernscreen Feb - Oct 1933
Thelma Todd and Pat Diccico are at right. Clark Gable and Joan Crawford are to the left: they were in DANCING LADY in this period. Below is Sally Eilers, who went to England with Thelma Todd that year. Hoot Gibson was popular in westerns at the time
George Raft is remembered for his underworld connections as much as for his movie career.
Lew Cody had been married to Mable Normand, who passed away in 1930. Fifi D'orsay was popular in comedies at the time.
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Saturday, June 13, 2020
Thelma Todd And James Ford Engaged?
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During the production of THE HOUSE OF HORROR ( 1929 ) First National publicity claimed that Thelma Todd and James Ford were engaged.
They were not. Because they had both come from Lawrence, Massachusetts, the studio publicity department had seen a chance to concoct a story that they had been childhood sweethearts and had vowed to one day play lovers in the movies. Actually Thelma Todd had trained to be a schoolteacher, and her going into the movies was a later development.
THE HOUSE OF HORROR:
https://books.google.com/books?id=ajXwxJuYd5gC&pg=PA279&lpg=PA279&dq=Thelma+Todd+James+Ford&source=bl&ots=yCmwsYOa
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During the production of THE HOUSE OF HORROR ( 1929 ) First National publicity claimed that Thelma Todd and James Ford were engaged.
They were not. Because they had both come from Lawrence, Massachusetts, the studio publicity department had seen a chance to concoct a story that they had been childhood sweethearts and had vowed to one day play lovers in the movies. Actually Thelma Todd had trained to be a schoolteacher, and her going into the movies was a later development.
THE HOUSE OF HORROR:
https://books.google.com/books?id=ajXwxJuYd5gC&pg=PA279&lpg=PA279&dq=Thelma+Todd+James+Ford&source=bl&ots=yCmwsYOa
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Monday, June 8, 2020
Friday, June 5, 2020
Patsy Kelly in "The Grand Dame" (1931)
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This short features the first verifiable appearance of Patsy Kelly, who later costarred with Thelma Todd in a series of two reel comedies at the Hal Roach studio.
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This short features the first verifiable appearance of Patsy Kelly, who later costarred with Thelma Todd in a series of two reel comedies at the Hal Roach studio.
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Tuesday, June 2, 2020
1933 MAIDS A LA MODE CUTTING CONTINUITY
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From the collection of a well known Hollywood-based movie historian, collector, author, archivist and intimate of the late great Hal Roach, comes this holy grail item for Roach fans. An original Dialogue Cutting Continuity to the classic Thelma Todd & Zasu Pitts short, MAIDS A LA MODE. Much like a script, DIALOGUE CUTTING CONTINUITIES feature all the dialogue and shot descriptions (including titles) of each and every shot in the film. Cutting continuities also noted the shot #, how many 35mm feet and frames of film into the short that the shot appears. This information would be compiled by the Film Editor (in this case Louis McManus) after he cut the film as a record of all the shots for other key departments at the studio and for filing as proof of content with the U.S. Copyright office (often in lieu of sending an actual print of the film). This is one is one of the studio file copies direct from the Hal Roach Studios. Continuity has 27 pages including detailing every one of the 263 shots in the short. Top of the first page notes this as Production A-14. Continuity is in very good to excellent condition. Paper is supple and cream colored. First page has some creasing, minor tears and edge wear. Last Page also has edge wear and is detached. All other pages are generally free of any rips, tears, stains, browning, edge chipping or notable blemishes. Some pages show minor creasing. Document features the original staple on the top left. Truly an amazing artifact and sure to be prized collectible from this immortal series and Hollywood legend, Hal Roach.
FOLLOW THROUGH Outfit
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From the Thelma Todd Fans group on facebook.
This outfit
is the same as this outfit.
Richard Finegan Bil, The Paramount still code number 1258-108 confirms that one is from FOLLOW THRU. A still from ALL TEED UP would have still number C-28.
I noticed that in the stills gallery in the first volume of the Charley Chase Hal Roach shorts, they also mis-identify a still from FOLLOW THRU as one from ALL TEED UP.
But isn't it cool that she wears the same outfit in both films - I wonder if it was something of her own.
And by the way, if you haven't seen it, I recommend FOLLOW THRU - great fun musical, and Thelma in Technicolor.
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From the Thelma Todd Fans group on facebook.
This outfit
FOLLOW THROUGH
ALL TEED UP
Richard Finegan Bil, The Paramount still code number 1258-108 confirms that one is from FOLLOW THRU. A still from ALL TEED UP would have still number C-28.
I noticed that in the stills gallery in the first volume of the Charley Chase Hal Roach shorts, they also mis-identify a still from FOLLOW THRU as one from ALL TEED UP.
But isn't it cool that she wears the same outfit in both films - I wonder if it was something of her own.
And by the way, if you haven't seen it, I recommend FOLLOW THRU - great fun musical, and Thelma in Technicolor.
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