Monkey Business

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Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts and friend in a photo from SEAL SKINS.

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"What The Picture Did For Me" (September 29, 1934)

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What The Picture Did For Me - "Motion Picture Herald' (September 29, 1934)

Reviews written by theater owners and managers for other theaters . 

Zasu Pitts better known to the audience than Patsy Kelly at the time. The series with Patsy Kelly continued to be a success, but the replacement of Zasu Pitts with Patsy Kelly would have been seen as something of a decline.

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New Book By Neibaur

The new book on the Thelma Todd series by James L. Neibaur in now available. Here is the announcement he posted yesterday on facebook:

"I waited for ZaSu's birthday to announce that my book on the Thelma Todd - ZaSu Pitts - Patsy Kelly comedies is available from the publisher. Amazon won't have it for a couple weeks (there is always a lag time), but the book is, for all intents and purposes, out. This is my 24th book."

Neibaur's book at McFarland Books:
https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/the-hal-roach-comedy-shorts-of-thelma-todd-zasu-pitts-and-patsy-kelly/?fbclid=IwAR3dzp0CJLgzFLqmQ13peNSdT9v6ZrLxG3bfenV0nEdge-rmt-gctgJmLyY

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Allan Lane

The DVD commentaries mentioned Allan Lane, because he was in one of the films with Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts.


WAR MAMMAS - Allan Lane, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Zasu Pitts, Thelma Todd

The commentary claimed that you were not likely to have seen any of Allan Lane's work other than MR. ED, a show about a talking horse, for which he provided the voice. I don't think that show was run here very much. They had it on Channel 40 for a while, but that station also ran western movies, including the ones with Allen Lane. 

The only good thing about MR. ED was that Connie Hines was on it. 

My advice would be to skip MR. ED and stick to Allan Lane's other work.

Allan Lane played the comic strip character Red Ryder in movies and later on television.

VIGILANTES OF BOOMTOWN ( 1947 ) with Robert Blake.

Reblogged from museumsanfernandovalley.blogspot.com/2012/01/allan-lane-was-cowboy-superhero-in.html

There were also Allan Lane comic books, which were based on his western movies.


In real life Allan Lane was at one time married to actress Shelia Ryan, who had worked with him in the movies.

Shelia Ryan worked with Laurel and Hardy in GREAT GUNS ( 1941 )

Reblogged from www.doctormacro.com/Movie%20Summaries/G/Great%20Guns.htm


and A HAUNTING WE WILL GO ( 1942 ), both at Fox.

World War II pinup photo of Shelia Ryan.

Reblogged from https://www.wwiidogtags.com/pinups/sheila-ryan/

Shelia Ryan was in the seventh episode of THE LONE RANGER with Clayton Moore.*  I was later on television with Clayton Moore, which could be seen as linked to the television work of one of Laurel and Hardy's costars. It could even be seen as something liked to the Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts series, since Shelia Ryan had been married to Allan Lane. 

* Shelia Ryan, Clayton Moore, and Jay Silverheels ( "Tonto" ) were all in the supporting cast of THE COWBOY AND THE INDIANS during the same period. Gene Autry was the star. )  

Clayton Moore was linked to Lupe Velez, another of Laurel and Hardy's costars, but did not appear in her movies. 

Allan Lane:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0485226/


Allan Lane Comic Books:
www.westernclippings.com/comics/rockylane_comicbookcowboys.shtml

http://comicbookplus.com/?cid=1341


Connie Hines:
http://bennypdrinnon.blogspot.com/2012/10/connie-hines.html


Shelia Ryan:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0752846/?ref_=rvi_nm

Shelia Ryan - THE COWBOY AND THE INDIANS:
https://free-classic-movies.com/movies-04/04-1949-09-15-The-Cowboy-and-the-Indians/index.php

Shelia Ryan - THE LONE RANGER Episode #7:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0635424/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntUBtr9ROWI


WAR MAMMAS:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022549/


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Thelma Todd And Zasu Pitts DVD Commentaries

Recently the Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts comedies became available on DVD.

This set has commentaries by Richard M. Roberts, Randy Skretvedt, Brent Walker and Robert Farr. But I have to say that I do not agree with everything that they said. Unless Zasu Pitts actually said that communists should be castrated, they were guilty of misrepresentation. 

The first three films or so had commentaries that didn't say much about Thelma Todd or Zasu Pitts, they just kept saying they'd get around to it later. They mentioned that there was a radio station at the studio, but failed to mention that Todd and Pitts had their own radio show while the series was in production.  A little about Zasu Pitts was spread over more than one of the commentaries, and then they had a little about Thelma Todd during the very last one. They failed to mention that she was seen as a popular type during the 1930's, like Jean Harlow and Joan Blondell at other studios, or that she was considered the queen of the lot at the Hal Roach studio. For some reason, Thelma Todd's petticoat was called a "negligee" repeatedly in the commentaries, although the two are not the same thing. 

There was a recurring thread in the commentaries that physical humor wasn't funny when done by women.

 Not everyone agrees. I don't. I thought Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts were funny, but that some of the men in the same films were not funny. Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts appeared to be having fun. It didn't come across as something that should be taken seriously. Charlie Hall, on the other hand, did not strike me as funny when he punched Bud Jamison in THE SOILERS. That looked serious. And when Guinn "Big Boy" Williams shot Blanche Payson in WAR MAMMAS ( 1931 ) that didn't strike me as funny either. That looked even more serious, and if there was supposed to be some reason why she wasn't killed in the story*, I think the commentary should have made some sort of explanation. Which they failed to do.

The impression that I got was that they either did not like Thelma Todd or had no interest in her. At one point they mentioned Donati's book when they were talking about Anita Garvin, but from what they said you would never know that it was a book about Thelma Todd. Incidentally, Randy Skretvedt's is the author of a book about Laurel and Hardy which has some information on Thelma Todd, as well as Anita Garvin and others who were at the Hal Roach studio.


*They could have said the gun was loaded with blanks.



Thelma Todd And Zasu Pitts Comedies:
https://www.amazon.ca/Thelma-Todd-Zasu-Pitts-Collection/dp/B07DPFG4S6


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SNEAK EASILY Lobby Card

SNEAK EASILY ( 1932 ) was a 1932 Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts comedy. The title appears to be a parody of SPEAK EASILY ( 1932 ), a comedy Thelma Todd had made with Buster Keaton.

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Gag Picture

Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts in a gag picture with Hal Roach.

From the Hal Roach Studio page on facebook.

Oct. 3, 1931. Motion Picture Herald. Zasu and Thelma give the boss a bath.

The sunken tub in which the girls intend to give the boss a bath appears to be from THE PAJAMA PARTY ( 1931 ).

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Costume On Magazine Cover

This is the costume that Thelma Todd wore on the cover of the May 1933 issue of DREAM WORLD.

It actually is a costume she wore in a Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts comedy made in 1932, THE SOILERS.  DREAM WORLD used movie star pictures on their covers and this time they just happened to use one of Thelma Todd. The photo they were using would have been fairly recent at the time this magazine was published.

The same photo was also used ( although reversed ) for the British edition of TRUE STORY April 1934 , which would have come out about a year later.

A French magazine also had a cover with a picture of Thelma Todd in this costume.

THE SOILERS:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023493/


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Thelma Todd And Zasu Pitts With James Gleason

James Gleason and Zasu Pitts were teamed in several movies. In this photo, James Gleason may be seen between Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts.

Photo by Stax.

Comments from the Thelma Todd Group on facebook:

Richard Finegan:
I wonder what the occasion was here. The three of them never worked together in a film.

Krystal Snook:
Looks like an outdoor party!

Richard Finegan: Krystle: Yes, probably not on a film set or in a studio.

Richard W. Bann:
Thelma's best friends were Zasu, later Patsy Kelly, Sally Eilers and Charlie Chaplin's secretary. She socialized with her friends.

                                       *                       *                         *

There was some talk of having Thelma Todd in a movie with Zasu Pitts and James Gleason.
James Gleason and Zasu Pitts:
http://benny-drinnon.blogspot.com/2016/06/beyond-victory.html


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ONE TRACK MINDS Publicity Photo

Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts examine film footage in this publicity photo.

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Behind The Scenes Photos

A couple of behind the scenes photos from the Hal Roach studio. First, Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts.

Next, Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly. 

Someone has put a watermark on both pictures. We see that a lot on the internet.



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Thelma Todd And Zasu Pitts In NIAGRA FALLS

It didn't happen.

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CATCH AS CATCH CAN

CATCH AS CATCH CAN was the second film in the Zasu Pitts and Thelma Todd series at the Hal Roach studio. Here we see Thelma Todd in a picture from that movie, with the original caption.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thelma Todd And Zasu Pitts Photos

Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts pictures.







What's in a name.

                                          LET'S DO THINGS ( 1931 ), the first film in the series.

 

 

 

CATCH AS CATCH CAN

                                                                              ON THE LOOSE

 

 

 

 

PAJAMA PARTY

 

 

 

 RED NOSES

 

 

 

 

 

Disregard the "copyright notice" a seller put on this picture.

 

 

 

                                                                  STRICTLY UNRELIABLE

                                                                                With Bud Jamison

 

 

 

 

SHOW BUSINESS

 

Paulette Goddard is the blonde on the right of Thelma Todd.

 

 

 

 ASLEEP IN THE FEET

 

 

 

 

 

ON THE LOOSE

 

           Thelma Todd's skirt is blown up at the Coney Island funhouse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WAR MAMMAS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With director George Marshall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With Director George Marshall

                                                       Thelma, Hap Depew, and Zasu.

 

 

 

 

 

Birthday party for Zasu

 

 

 

SEAL SKINS

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