This article was originally published in PHOTOPLAY magazine in Feb. 1933
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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, August 27, 2013
Thelma Todd Movie Ads
Ads from the fan magazines for Thelma Todd movies.
Thelma Todd appeared in SCREEN SNAPSHOTS along with many others.
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The girl here doesn't look that much like Thelma Todd. It looks as much like the illustrations in Thorne Smith books as anything, but then it's around the same time.
Sally Rand was in the news, so they stuck fan dancing in this movie. Ginger Rogers was about to make a movie with Fred Astaire and become a big star, but at this time was an also-ran.
"It" was what they said Clara Bow had, but that was at the same studio.
Thelma Todd was prominently featured in the publicity, but had only a small part in the movie.
Thelma Todd appeared in SCREEN SNAPSHOTS along with many others.
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Saturday, August 24, 2013
Ted Reed And Thelma Todd's Car
People used to say they didn't know what had become of Thelma Todd's car. Then it was in the news again when the man who owned it died. Here is his obituary.
Jack Williams STAFF WRITER PUBLICATION: San Diego Union-Tribune, The (CA)
SECTION: LOCAL
Growing up in the golden age of Hollywood was Ted Reed's rehearsal, of sorts, for subsequent theatrical ventures that ranged from acting to writing and directing.
With youthful memories of swimming with Charlie Chaplin and meeting Douglas Fairbanks Sr. still fresh in his mind, he helped create the avant-garde Crystal Palace Theater in April 1972.An intimate playhouse in Mission Beach originally built in the 1950s as a hamburger stand, the Crystal Palace presented 27 world premieres before closing in 1977.It was an outgrowth of Theater: Research and Development, a company Mr. Reed co-founded with his wife, Mary Lou, and others, to create original, cutting-edge productions.If a patron wasn't ready to participate -- to respond to an actor's query or to become part of the set -- he or she had come to the wrong place. Ted Reed's idea of theater was audience-interactive and total immersion. While some of the plays were scripted, many involved extemporaneous monologues that created what Todd Blakesley, a playwright and Crystal Palace founder, called "an organic attachment between actor and scene."Mr. Reed died of congestive heart failure April 7 at a son's home in Oakhurst. He was 88.Despite his Hollywood connections, he studied horticulture at the University of Oregon. "He was supposed to take over our parents' orange grove in Rancho Santa Fe, but that never happened," said his sister, Helen Reed Lehman. Instead, Mr. Reed worked several years processing records for the county assessor's office. He left to open his first of two bookstores -- one in Mission Beach, the other in La Jolla. Both were known for their eclectic, antiquarian inventories. He also became involved in the 1960s with Theater Five, a Pacific Beach playhouse operated by Bob Glaudini. It was there that he appeared with his wife -- whose stage name was Rosie Driffield -- in the San Diego premiere of Paul Foster's "Tom Paine." "Ted was passionate about drama and literature," Lehman said. "After he retired from the assessor's office, his literary ambitions blossomed. "Some of the plays that he wrote were performed under his direction at the Crystal Palace on Ocean Front Walk, which could accommodate fewer than 50 patrons. His works included "Ballroom West," "Eisenhower and the Wilderness Freeway," "A Baseball a Day," and a dark comedy, "The In-Dweller." Theodore Stewart Reed was born in Detroit and moved with his family to Los Angeles in 1918. His father, J.T. Reed, exposed him to a host of Hollywood celebrities through his role as production manager for Douglas Fairbanks Sr."Ted listened to Fairbanks spin story ideas and watched Victor Fleming drive a golf ball through a neighbor's window," Lehman said. One of his prized possessions was a Lincoln Town Car that once belonged to Hollywood starlet Thelma Todd, who was murdered in 1935. Although he later studied film and actors seriously, his first loves were the theater and literature. "His major influence on me was in critical thinking and analysis, helping me understand and appreciate the arts," said Blakesley, who wrote and directed several Crystal Palace productions. "Ted went through phases. He pretty much gave up in films in the '40s and '50s, then became interested again after a new wave of foreign films came in. Then he wrote some film analyses, some for publication. "After the Crystal Palace closed, Mr. Reed moved to Oakhurst, in the foothills of the western Sierra Nevada, where he developed a computer program for job tracking and construction management. When his wife died in 1985, he returned to San Diego County and made his home in Vallecitos near Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. While living in Vallecitos, he wrote the manuscript for a novel, "To Some Islands," which was loosely based on his early life. Survivors include his sons, John and Ted, both of Oakhurst; sister, Helen Reed Lehman of Lakeside; brother, Robert of La Jolla; seven grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. No services were scheduled. Jack Williams: (619) 542-4587; jack.williams@uniontrib.com
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Ted Reed,
88
shared a lifelong love of the theater with others
shared a lifelong love of the theater with others
Jack Williams STAFF WRITER PUBLICATION: San Diego Union-Tribune, The (CA)
SECTION: LOCAL
DATE: April 17, 2003
EDITION: 1,2,6,7
Page: B-10:2,7B-6:1B-12:6
EDITION: 1,2,6,7
Page: B-10:2,7B-6:1B-12:6
Growing up in the golden age of Hollywood was Ted Reed's rehearsal, of sorts, for subsequent theatrical ventures that ranged from acting to writing and directing.
With youthful memories of swimming with Charlie Chaplin and meeting Douglas Fairbanks Sr. still fresh in his mind, he helped create the avant-garde Crystal Palace Theater in April 1972.An intimate playhouse in Mission Beach originally built in the 1950s as a hamburger stand, the Crystal Palace presented 27 world premieres before closing in 1977.It was an outgrowth of Theater: Research and Development, a company Mr. Reed co-founded with his wife, Mary Lou, and others, to create original, cutting-edge productions.If a patron wasn't ready to participate -- to respond to an actor's query or to become part of the set -- he or she had come to the wrong place. Ted Reed's idea of theater was audience-interactive and total immersion. While some of the plays were scripted, many involved extemporaneous monologues that created what Todd Blakesley, a playwright and Crystal Palace founder, called "an organic attachment between actor and scene."Mr. Reed died of congestive heart failure April 7 at a son's home in Oakhurst. He was 88.Despite his Hollywood connections, he studied horticulture at the University of Oregon. "He was supposed to take over our parents' orange grove in Rancho Santa Fe, but that never happened," said his sister, Helen Reed Lehman. Instead, Mr. Reed worked several years processing records for the county assessor's office. He left to open his first of two bookstores -- one in Mission Beach, the other in La Jolla. Both were known for their eclectic, antiquarian inventories. He also became involved in the 1960s with Theater Five, a Pacific Beach playhouse operated by Bob Glaudini. It was there that he appeared with his wife -- whose stage name was Rosie Driffield -- in the San Diego premiere of Paul Foster's "Tom Paine." "Ted was passionate about drama and literature," Lehman said. "After he retired from the assessor's office, his literary ambitions blossomed. "Some of the plays that he wrote were performed under his direction at the Crystal Palace on Ocean Front Walk, which could accommodate fewer than 50 patrons. His works included "Ballroom West," "Eisenhower and the Wilderness Freeway," "A Baseball a Day," and a dark comedy, "The In-Dweller." Theodore Stewart Reed was born in Detroit and moved with his family to Los Angeles in 1918. His father, J.T. Reed, exposed him to a host of Hollywood celebrities through his role as production manager for Douglas Fairbanks Sr."Ted listened to Fairbanks spin story ideas and watched Victor Fleming drive a golf ball through a neighbor's window," Lehman said. One of his prized possessions was a Lincoln Town Car that once belonged to Hollywood starlet Thelma Todd, who was murdered in 1935. Although he later studied film and actors seriously, his first loves were the theater and literature. "His major influence on me was in critical thinking and analysis, helping me understand and appreciate the arts," said Blakesley, who wrote and directed several Crystal Palace productions. "Ted went through phases. He pretty much gave up in films in the '40s and '50s, then became interested again after a new wave of foreign films came in. Then he wrote some film analyses, some for publication. "After the Crystal Palace closed, Mr. Reed moved to Oakhurst, in the foothills of the western Sierra Nevada, where he developed a computer program for job tracking and construction management. When his wife died in 1985, he returned to San Diego County and made his home in Vallecitos near Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. While living in Vallecitos, he wrote the manuscript for a novel, "To Some Islands," which was loosely based on his early life. Survivors include his sons, John and Ted, both of Oakhurst; sister, Helen Reed Lehman of Lakeside; brother, Robert of La Jolla; seven grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. No services were scheduled. Jack Williams: (619) 542-4587; jack.williams@uniontrib.com
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Friday, August 23, 2013
Hal Roach Series Ads
Ads for several series of two-reel comedies that were produced by Hal Roach during the 1930's. Since they were released by MGM, there are also references to other short subjects that were released by MGM during the same period including Pete Smith Specialties, Flip The Frog, Willie Whopper, the Dogville Comedies, etc.
"The Boy Friends" was like a teenage version of Our Gang. It was not a success.
The Dogville comedies featured dogs in costumes. They were made by Jules White, who directed Zasu Pitts and Thelma Todd in SHOW BUSINESS, and later would direct the Three Stooges at Columbia
Spanky McFarland and Dickey Moore were very popular in the Our Gang series at the time.
Occasionally you see where Zasu Pitts and Thelma Todd were compared to Marie Dressler and Polly Moran, who starred in feature films.
An ad for the Zasu Pitts and Thelma Todd series.
Although they never made it to the same level of success as Laurel and Hardy, it could be said that Zasu Pitts would become a greater success than either of them.
Willy Whopper replaced Flip The Frog at the Iwerks studio. Iwerks ended up going back to Disney, which was where he started.
Thelma Todd appeared with Charley Chase in HIGH C'S, but I'm afraid the term "he-man action" doesn't really fit Charley Chase. They probably thought that Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly made a good team, but the line about Roach scouring the world of show business to find her sounds more like hype. I think it was more that they could get her when they couldn't afford Zasu Pitts any more.
Hal Roach's "All-Stars" was a name they'd used for a while: Laurel and Hardy had come from a series with that name. But the All-Stars and the Musical Comedies in this period were not successful.
The Irvin S. Cobb series only lasted a year. After sound came in, the Thelma Todd series was the only new short subject series at the Roach studio to be a success.
I don't know if Roach actually made any two-reel comedies based on Broadway hits, although Patsy Kelly came from the New York stage. The Dionne Quintuplets were in the news at the time and appeared in some movies.
Although Thelma Todd died at the end of 1935, her series of short subjects would continue without her into 1936, after which they switched to feature films. Our Gang also made one feature film, GENERAL SPANKY, which featured the beautiful Rosina Lawrence, also a part of the tail end of what had been the old Thelma Todd series. Charley Chase also made a feature ( and with Rosina Lawrence ), but in the end it was released as a short subject. Roach's last series was Our Gang, which he eventually sold to MGM. The era of short subjects at Roach had drawn to a close, but he would find some success at producing "streamliners" for theatrical distribution and would later make programs for television.
Charley Chase:
Dionne Quintuplets:
Dogville Comedies:
Marie Dressler and Polly Moran:
Flip The Frog:
Hearst Metrotone News:
Laurel And Hardy:
Our Gang:
Willie Whopper:
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HOLLYWOOD FILMOGRAPH July 27, 1929
This issue of the HOLLYWOOD FILMOGRAPH from 1927 has an article about Thelma Todd at the Roach studio. RCA ( Victor ) is also mentioned. She did make some recording for them, but it seems that they were never released.
HOLLYWOOD FILMOGRAPH:
http://archive.org/details/hollywoodfilmogr91holl
http://mediahistoryproject.org/hollywood/
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HOLLYWOOD VAGABOND November 17, 1927
HOLLYWOOD VAGABOND from November 17, 1927 has an item advising us to "watch for Thelma Todd".
HOLLYWOOD VAGABOND:
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Thursday, August 22, 2013
Zasu Pitts In PICTURE PLAY
A little about Zasu Pitts from the same issue of PICTURE PLAY. This would have come out before the film series with Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts began. She was already identified with comedy even though she had played dramatic parts in the silent era.
Zasu Pitts:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0686032/
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