The Blog

 Benny Drinnon recently passed away. I a his brother Dale Drinnon. We are trying to keep his blog going. I shall post updates whenever possible

Thelma by Hal Roach photographer, Clarence 'Stax' Graves

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Thelma by Hal Roach photographer, Clarence 'Stax' Graves.

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ZaSu Reprises Operator Routine

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 ZaSu reprised her telephone switchboard operator routine seen here in her final film, It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, with the stolen car joke intact!

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Thelma Todd And Pete The Pup

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According to Leonard Maltin's book THE LITTLE RASCALS: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF OUR GANG,  Pete the Pup came down with "klieg eye" on the set of BARGAIN DAY.

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Look Out Below 1929

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Thelma Todd Fan Group

Thelma in 'Look Out Below' 1929, with Monte Collins and Raymond McKee.

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Was Thelma Todd In "Hollywood Party"?

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Wikipedia for Hollywood Party (1934): “A sequence that had featured Thelma Todd (impersonating Mae West), Lupe Vélez, Jimmy Durante and Zasu Pitts playing bridge was deleted after it was lost on British viewers not yet familiar with the game.”

Variety, February 22, 1934

 This was actually after Hal Roach had replaced Zasu Pitts with Patsy Kelly at his studio, so it is unlikely that Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts would have been working together.

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Art Deco Bronze Desk Set OWNED BY THELMA TODD

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ebay.com

Art Deco Bronze Desk Set OWNED BY Famous ACTRESS*THELMA TODD* 6 Pieces! Heavy!. 

Set is Stamped Marshall Fields which is a very high-end department store. INCLUDES: Inkwell with original glass ink bottle. * Lidded Box* Stamper * Letter Holder* Note Paper Holder With Paper PROVENANCE ***Set given to my father from Thelma’s mother for legal work done for her in the 1950’s. Thelma Alice Todd[3] (July 29, 1906 – December 16, 1935)[4] was an American actress and businesswoman who was often referred to by the nicknames "The Ice Cream Blonde" and "Hot Toddy". Appearing in around 120 feature films and shorts between 1926 and 1935, she is best remembered for her comedic roles opposite ZaSu Pitts, and in films such as Marx Brothers' Monkey Business and Horse Feathers and a number of Charley Chase's short comedies. She co-starred with Buster Keaton and Jimmy Durante in Speak Easily. She also had roles in several Wheeler and Woolsey and Laurel and Hardy films, the last of which (The Bohemian Girl) featured her in a part that was cut short by her suspicious death in 1935 at the age of 29.

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“THE TIN MAN” DIALOGUE CUTTING CONTINUITY

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ebay.com

EXC ORIG 1935 THELMA TODD PATSY KELLY “THE TIN MAN” DIALOGUE CUTTING CONTINUITY HAL ROACH FILE COPY! SF/HORROR THEME!

 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 serious fans of classic film comedy: an original Dialogue Cutting Continuity to the classic THELMA TODD/PATSY KELLY short THE TIN MAN. Noted as production A-30, and made in 1935, classic comedy short has a unique Horror/Sci Fi theme with THELMA AND PATSY facing off against a wild robot (as per photo provided for REFERENCE PURPOSES ONLY AND NOT INCLUDED IN THIS AUCTION).  The Hal Roach Studios original file copy for this wonderful comedy features a description of every shot in the film along with all the dialogue, titles, shot # and 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) and would serve 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 35mm print of the film).  Piece runs 14 pages, is fully complete and  in excellent condition. Pages are supple and cream colored, showing light  age wear and generally  free of any rips, tears, creases, stains or blemishes. Pages are attached via staple on upper left. Unless  you attended the Hal Roach Studios auction back in 1963, prized auctions like this are your only chance to have an authentic piece of Hollywood history directly from the hallowed Culver City “Lot of fun” where it had been stored for decades. Ultra rare Continuity is an amazing artifact from the golden age of movie making and sure to be prized collectible.

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Featured in Hal Roach comedies

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Featured in Hal Roach comedies

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Patsy Kelly - The Fixer Uppers

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 Patsy Kelly is in "The Fixer Uppers" photo

Rebolgged from https://beauchumps.wordpress.com/2022/02/09/image-of-the-week-09-feb-2022/?fbclid=IwAR0sEumOXgma-i2xci6shidn1EDjPylxYbDqBrtgRhT3JHHYTjE9KooFzqE

From the Hal Roach Studio on facebook:

Scott Margolin

That's Patsy Kelly on the canvas in the background, from the Todd-Kelly short "Done In Oil" !!! "You want a knight in a tin can, it's me!!!"

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The shooting script for ‘Asleep in the Feet,’ 1933.

The shooting script for ‘Asleep in the Feet,’ 1933.

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Mae Whitehead

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Mae Whitehead was Thelma Todd's maid.

After the death of Thelma Todd, Mae Whitehead went to work for Patsy Kelly.

Behind the scenes picture taken on the set of NOBODY'S BABY.

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Stan Laurel And Oliver Hardy Photo

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From the Hal Roach Studio on facebook.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in front of a wall of photos. Thelma Todd is on the top at right.

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Thelma Todd Lobby Cards

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The Crash Lobby Card  Thelma Todd Milton Sills and Wade Boteler

House Of Horror Lobby Card Thelma Todd Emile Chautard

Snappy Sneezer Lobby Card Thelma Todd Charley Chase

Trial Marriage Lobby Card Norman Kerry Thelma Todd Sally Eilers.

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The Paramount Picture School class of 1926

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The Paramount Picture School class of 1926. Note Thelma seated on the far left.  and details on the history and strategy of the school from a publication from the graduating exercises

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1958 Views of The Hal Roach Studios

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Great 1958 views of the Hal Roach Studios in this episode of The Gale Storm show.

The Gale Storm show;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gale_Storm_Show

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048863/

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Thelma Doing The Charleston In Snow Shoes

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Thelma doing the Charleston in snow shoes on the beach.

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Early pic of Thelma Todd

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Thelma Todd of Lawrence, Mass., whose head of luxuriant golden hair, is called the most strikingly beautiful seen in many days. Contrasted with her creamy white skin, Miss Todd is a real beauty. Date Stamped Dec. 1 1925. (By 1926 Thelma Todd began her acting career and starred in something like 130 productions. She died of carbon monoxide poising in her car in her garage aged 29 at Pacific Palisades California in 1935. Death was ruled accidental*.

*The authorities never settled this for certain.

 

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