Thelma Todd

Born: 1906-07-29

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Thelma Alice Todd (July 29, 1906 – December 16, 1935) was an American actress. Appearing in about 120 pictures between 1926 and 1935, she is best remembered for her comedic roles in films such as Marx Brothers' Monkey Business and Horse Feathers, a number of Charley Chase's short comedies, and co-starring with Buster Keaton and Jimmy Durante in Speak Easily. She also had roles in Wheeler and Woolsey farces, several Laurel and Hardy films, the last of which (The Bohemian Girl) featured her in a part that was truncated by her suspicious death at the age of 29. During the silent film era, Todd appeared in numerous supporting roles that made full use of her beauty but gave her little chance to act. With the advent of the talkies, Todd was given opportunity to expand her roles when producer Hal Roach signed her to appear with such comedy stars as Harry Langdon, Charley Chase, and Laurel and Hardy. In 1931, Roach cast Todd in her own series of slapstick comedy shorts, running 17 to 27 minutes each. In an attempt to create a female version of Laurel and Hardy, Roach teamed Todd with ZaSu Pitts for 17 shorts, from "Let's do Things" (June 1931) through "One Track Minds" (May 1933). When Pitts left in 1933, she was replaced by Patsy Kelly, appearing with Todd in 21 shorts, from "Beauty and the Bus" (September 1933) through "An All American Toothache" (January 1936). These Roach shorts often cast Todd as a working girl having all sorts of problems, and trying her best to remain poised and charming despite the embarrassing antics of her sidekick. Todd also appeared successfully in such dramas as the original 1931 film version of The Maltese Falcon starring Ricardo Cortez as Sam Spade, in which she played Miles Archer's treacherous widow. During her career she appeared in 119 films although many of these were short films, and was sometimes publicized as "The Ice Cream Blonde." Todd continued her short-subject series through 1935, and was featured in the full-length Laurel and Hardy comedy The Bohemian Girl. This was her last film; she died after completing all of her scenes, but most of them were re-shot. Producer Roach deleted all of Todd's dialogue and limited her appearance to one musical number.


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Monkey Business

as Lucille Briggs
Released: 1931-09-19

Four stowaways get mixed up with gangsters while running riot on an ocean liner.

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Horse Feathers

as Connie Bailey
Released: 1932-08-19

Quincy Adams Wagstaff, the new president of Huxley U, hires bumblers Baravelli and Pinky to help...

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Crazy Feet

as Dancer
Released: 1929-09-07

Charley intervenes in a fight between Eddie and Thelma inside her small car. Cop Kennedy...

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The Maltese Falcon

as Iva Archer
Released: 1931-05-23

A lovely dame with dangerous lies employs the services of a private detective, who is quickly...

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Another Fine Mess

as Lady Plumtree (uncredited)
Released: 1930-11-29

Two homeless vagabonds hide out in a vacant mansion and pose as the residents when prospective...

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Her Private Life

as Mrs. Leslie
Released: 1929-08-25

A English aristocrat causes a scandal when she divorces her husband and runs off with a young...

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Bottoms Up

as Judith Marlowe
Released: 1934-04-12

Promoter "Smoothie" King helps a pair of phonies con their way into a movie company. As Wanda...

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The Bohemian Girl

as Gypsy Queen's Daughter
Released: 1936-02-14

Stan and Ollie travel with a band of 18th-century Gypsies holding a nobleman's daughter.

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Call Her Savage

as Sunny De Lane
Released: 1932-11-24

A high-spirited, short-tempered, young woman hates her father and loves to rebel against him....

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Chickens Come Home

as Mrs. Hardy
Released: 1931-02-21

Ollie is running for mayor when an old flame tries to blackmail him with a old photo.

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Counsellor at Law

as Lillian La Rue
Released: 1933-12-25

A successful lawyer struggles to deal with his wife's unfaithfulness and his own hidden past.

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The Devil's Brother

as Lady Pamela Rocburg
Released: 1933-05-05

Two wannabe bandits join the service of a dashing nobleman, who secretly masquerades as Fra...

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Cheating Blondes

as Anne Merrick / Elaine Manners
Released: 1933-05-01

A reporter sets out to prove that his girlfriend was framed and sent to prison.

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Speak Easily

as Eleanor Espere
Released: 1932-08-13

A professor gets mixed up with chorus girls in a Broadway musical.

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Nevada

as Hettie Ide
Released: 1927-08-01

A once notorious gunfighter takes a respectable job on a ranch. "Nevada" is charged with...

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Naughty Baby

as Bonnie Le Vonne
Released: 1928-12-16

A cloak room girl (Alice White) falls for a rich boy who may not actually be rich.

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Her Man

as Nelly
Released: 1930-09-21

A prostitute sees a friendly sailor as a way out of Havana's grimy underworld.

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On the Loose

as Thelma
Released: 1931-12-26

Two young women, Zasu and Thelma, complain that all of their dates take them to Coney Island....

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Palooka

as Trixie
Released: 1934-01-26

Joe Palooka is a naive young man whose father Pete was a champion boxer, but his lifestyle...

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Corsair

as Alison Corning
Released: 1931-11-28

A stock market broker plans to liven up his boring life by taking up piracy on the high seas.

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Klondike

as Klondike
Released: 1932-08-29

Dr. Robert Cromwell performs a delicate operation, that has never been done before, and the...

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Seven Footprints to Satan

as Eve
Released: 1929-01-27

A young man of society wants to make an expedition to Africa, but his fiancée asks him for help...

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Air Hostess

as Mrs. Sylvia C. Carleton
Released: 1933-01-15

A plucky stewardess risks her life marrying a daredevil pilot.

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Aloha

as Winifred Bradford
Released: 1931-04-26

In the South Seas, a half-caste island girl refuses to follow tradition and marry a fellow...

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Follow Thru

as Mrs. Van Horn
Released: 1930-09-26

Lora Moore, the club champion, loses a golf match to a woman from another golf club. Then Jerry...

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Love Fever

as Thelma Todd
Released: 1931-04-11

An actress is rehearsing a death scene in her apartment, but her neighbors all think it's the...

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Cockeyed Cavaliers

as Lady Genevieve
Released: 1934-06-29

Two yokels try to crash royal society by posing as the King's physicians.

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Sitting Pretty

as Gloria Duval
Released: 1933-11-23

Jack Oakie and Jack Haley are songwriters are enroute from New York to Hollywood to make their...

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After the Dance

as Mabel Kane
Released: 1935-06-25

Though he was protecting her when he accidentally killed a man, Mabel Kane (Thelma Todd) refuses...

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Unaccustomed as We Are

as Mrs. Kennedy
Released: 1929-05-04

Laurel and Hardy try to entertain a female neighbor, unbeknown to Hardy’s wife.

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Let's Do Things

as Thelma Todd
Released: 1931-06-06

Zasu & Thelma go out with two idiots to a nightclub.

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Yesterday and Today

as (archive footage)
Released: 1953-12-02

A compilation of early-day silent films that serves as a glimpse back to the formative days of...

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Whispering Whoopee

as Miss Todd
Released: 1930-03-08

Charlie hires three "party girls" to help him land a business deal.

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This Is the Night

as Claire Mathewson
Released: 1932-04-08

When Stephen, the husband of Gerald’s mistress, Claire, discovers a pair of tickets for their...

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The Noose

as Phyllis
Released: 1928-01-29

In this suspenseful silent crime drama, a hijacker proves his loyalty to his mother by killing...

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Dollar Dizzy

as Thelma Todd (uncredited)
Released: 1930-10-03

Charley and Thelma are millionaires, each trying to elude suitors who are trying to marry them...

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The King

as The Queen
Released: 1930-06-14

The king is a juvenile dolt who tries the patience of the shrewish queen. While she's in the...

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Command Performance

as Lydia
Released: 1931-01-19

Prince Alexis of Kordovia refuses to do his duty under threat of war. Recently arrested actor...

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War Mamas

as Thelma
Released: 1931-11-14

During WW1, the girls become spies when they spend the evening with two German officers.

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Fascinating Youth

as Lorraine Lane
Released: 1926-03-17

Playboy Teddy Ward wants to marry Jeannie King, an artist, but his father wants him to marry...

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Red Noses

as Miss Todd
Released: 1932-03-18

Thelma and Zasu go to a Turkish bath to try to get rid of a cold.

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The Big Timer

as Kay Mitchell
Released: 1932-03-10

Loud-mouth hamburger flipper, Cooky, thinks he can box. His big chance comes when everyone else...

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Strictly Unreliable

as Miss Thelma Todd
Released: 1932-04-30

Zasu inadvertently turns Thelma's vaudeville act into a shambles.

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Sky Boy

as uncredited
Released: 1929-10-05

Harry lands on an iceberg with his rival.

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Maid in Hollywood

as Thelma
Released: 1934-05-19

Thelma, who came to Hollywood from Joplin to be a star, is ready to go home. She and her pal...

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No Limit

as Betty Royce
Released: 1931-01-15

Theater usherette Bunny O'Day (Clara Bow) inadvertently becomes hostess of a private gambling...

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Vamping Venus

as Madame Vanezlos the Dancer / Venus
Released: 1928-05-13

A present-day stereotypically-Irish American politician is vaulted into ancient Greece after...

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Hurdy Gurdy

as Blondie
Released: 1929-05-10

A heat wave sends the residents of a New York City tenement to their fire escapes for whatever...

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The Soilers

as Thelma
Released: 1932-10-29

Zasu and Thelma are working their way through college by selling magazine subscriptions. Finding...

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Two for Tonight

as Lilly
Released: 1935-09-12

A songwriter has to come up with a full-length theatrical piece within a few days.

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The Shrimp

as Jim's Girlfriend
Released: 1930-05-03

A timid man undergoes a personality change, and turns the tables on the people who've bullied him.

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The Poor Rich

as Gwendolyn Fetherstone
Released: 1934-02-25

Albert Stuyvesant Spottiswood and his cousin Harriet Winthrop Spottiswood arrive separately at...

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Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1942-01-01

The edition of Screen Snapshots celebrates 25 years of production. It looks at the content of...

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Son of a Sailor

as The Baroness
Released: 1933-11-29

A lovesick fool bumbles into espionage and finds a stolen plane.

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Snappy Sneezer

as Mary White
Released: 1929-07-29

Charley falls in love with Mary, but his attack of hay fever alienates her father.

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Rubber Heels

as Princess Aline
Released: 1927-06-11

A European royal couple come to New York to sell some of the royal family's crown jewels. A gang...

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Treasure Blues

as Thelma
Released: 1935-01-26

Thelma and Patsy follow a map looking for treasure.

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Looser Than Loose

as Thelma, Charley's Fiancee
Released: 1930-11-15

Charley is about to get engaged to Thelma when his boss foists some clients upon him to entertain.

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Stepping Out

as Charley's Wife
Released: 1929-11-02

Charley goes out for an evening on the town without his wife.

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Trial Marriage

as Grace Logan
Released: 1929-03-10

Constance Bannister enters into a trial marriage contract with Dr. Thorvald Ware and finds...

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Broadminded

as Gertie Gardner
Released: 1931-08-01

Jack's father lowers the boom when his irresponsible rich-kid ends up in jail after a night of...

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High C's

as Antoinette
Released: 1930-12-27

The comic and musical adventures of Charley Chase as he fights in the great war.

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Sealskins

as Thelma Todd
Released: 1932-02-06

In their first comedy two-reeler of 1932, vivacious Thelma Todd and fluttery ZaSu Pitts learn...

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You Made Me Love You

as Pamela Berne
Released: 1933-10-01

A rich American businessman in London makes believe he's lost all his money so that his daughter...

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Deception

as Lola Del Mont
Released: 1932-11-04

Modest programmer denotes a young man's rise to fame in wrestling matches he doesn't realize...

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Slightly Static

as Thelma
Released: 1935-09-07

Thelma and Patsy get jobs at a radio station.

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Take the Stand

as Miss Sally Oxford
Released: 1934-08-07

A radio columnist is threatened by gangsters and later murdered during a broadcast. A detective...

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Top Flat

as Thelma Todd
Released: 1935-12-21

When Patsy criticises her poetry, Thelma ups and leaves for a better standard of living.

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Fireman, Save My Child

as (uncredited)
Released: 1927-08-01

Two firemen must put up with a variety of travails in their job, especially their chief's...

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God Gave Me Twenty Cents

as Dance-Hall Girl (uncredited)
Released: 1926-11-20

The story concerns the misadventures of sailor Steve Doren, who tries his best to support his...

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Careers

as Hortense
Released: 1929-06-02

In French Indochina, a magistrate is assigned to investigate the murder of his boss. Unknown to...

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Maids a la Mode

as Miss Todd
Released: 1933-03-04

Instead of delivering some fancy dresses to a customer, the girls wear them to a party.

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The Pip from Pittsburg

as Thelma
Released: 1931-03-21

Charley agrees to go on a blind date to help out his roommate. But because his last such date...

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Lightning Strikes Twice

as Judy Nelson
Released: 1934-12-07

An actress goes up to a dude ranch for relaxation, when she falls in love with a ranch owner...

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Rough Seas

as Antoinette
Released: 1931-04-24

On his way home following World War I, Charley smuggles his French sweetheart aboard ship and...

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Beauty and the Bus

as Thelma
Released: 1933-09-16

The girls win a car in a raffle.

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Show Business

as Thelma
Released: 1932-08-20

The girls and their pet monkey create havoc on board a train carrying a traveling Broadway troupe.

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Twin Triplets

as Thelma
Released: 1935-10-12

Thelma and Patsy are reporters who investigate a hospital.

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The Tin Man

as Thelma Todd
Released: 1935-03-30

Thelma and Patsy find themselves in a spooky house inhabited by a nut who is a mechanical genius...

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Hips, Hips, Hooray!

as Miss Amelia Frisby
Released: 1934-02-02

Hips, Hips, Hooray! is a 1934 slapstick comedy film starring Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, Ruth...

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The Pajama Party

as Thelma
Released: 1931-10-03

After running their car off the road, a society matron insists that the girls spend the evening...

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Babes in the Goods

as Thelma Todd
Released: 1934-02-10

Thelma and Patsy get jobs demonstrating washing machines in a department store window. However,...

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The Real McCoy

as Thelma
Released: 1930-02-01

Charley poses as a hillbilly in his pursuit of a country girl.

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Alum and Eve

as Thelma
Released: 1932-09-24

When Thelma is stopped by a cop for speeding, she tries to get out of it by telling him that she...

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All Teed Up

as Thelma
Released: 1930-04-16

Thelma invites Charley to play golf at her father's exclusive country club.

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Mary Stevens, M.D.

as Lois Cavanaugh
Released: 1933-07-22

A woman doctor decides to have a baby without benefit of marriage.

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Backs to Nature

as Thelma
Released: 1933-11-14

The girls are going on a camping trip.

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House of Horror

as Thelma
Released: 1929-04-28

House of Horror is a 1929 American comedy-horror mystery film directed by Benjamin Christensen....

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Sneak Easily

as Miss Thelma Todd - Attorney for the Defense
Released: 1932-12-10

Juror Zasu accidentally swallows a piece of evidence which just happens to be a time bomb.

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The Gay Defender

as Ruth Ainsworth
Released: 1927-12-10

Real-life outlaw Joaquin Murietta, who (according to this film, anyway) is a latter-day Robin...

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The Old Bull

as Thelma
Released: 1932-06-04

Thelma and Zazu are on a leisurely excursion in a borrowed car. Thelma lets Zazu drive. When she...

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The Crash

as Daisy McQueen
Released: 1928-10-07

The Crash (1928)

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The Haunted House

as The Nurse
Released: 1928-11-04

Four heirs to a family fortune are summoned to appear at the family estate for the reading of...

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Heart to Heart

as Ruby Boyd
Released: 1928-07-22

Princess Delatorre, young and beautiful widow of an Italian scion of royalty, returns with her...

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Catch-As Catch-Can

as Thelma
Released: 1931-08-22

Zasu falls for a wrestler, drags Thelma to his next fight.

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Asleep in the Feet

as Thelma
Released: 1933-01-21

The girls moonlight as taxi dancers in order to earn some extra money.

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The Nickel Nurser

as Thelma Todd
Released: 1932-03-12

Charley is an efficiency expert trying to teach a millionaire's daughter the value of money.

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The Head Guy

as The Star
Released: 1930-01-11

Harry is made the temporary stationmaster in a small town.

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One Track Minds

as uncredited
Released: 1933-05-20

Thelma wins a screen test with a Hollywood studio, but trouble ensues on the train trip out there.

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The Shield of Honor

as Rose aka Flora Fisher
Released: 1927-12-10

Can Jack MacDowell, the first flying policeman on the force, save his dad from stop-at-nothing...

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Three Chumps Ahead

as Thelma Todd
Released: 1934-07-14

Thelma rushes into the apartment she shares with Patsy, excited because she's fallen in love...

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Sing Sister Sing

as Thelma
Released: 1935-03-02

At a residence hotel, Patsy is moving in with Thelma. Thelma has prepared some rules, including...

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Soup and Fish

as Miss Thelma Todd
Released: 1934-03-30

At a ritzy beauty salon, while a mud pack is on her face, a wealthy socialite invites Thelma and...

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The Fighting Parson

as The Blonde Dance Hall Girl
Released: 1930-02-06

Harry is mistaken for "The Fighting Parson" in a tough western town.

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Hotter Than Hot

as uncredited
Released: 1929-08-17

Harry is trapped with a blonde in a burning building.

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The Bargain of the Century

as Thelma
Released: 1933-04-08

Comedy short with ZaSuPitts and Thelma Todd. After accidentally getting a policeman friend...

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The Bachelor Girl

as Gladys
Released: 1929-05-20

The Bachelor Girl

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The Hot Heiress

as Lola
Released: 1931-03-28

Classes clash when a poor riveter and wealthy society woman fall in love with each other, much...

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Hal Roach Presents Harry Langdon

as The Woman
Released: 1929-04-01

Hal Roach produced this short to introduce Harry Langdon to his comic line-up.

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Buzzfeed Unsolved: True Crime

as Self (archive footage)
First aired: 2016-02-04

Hosts Ryan & Shane discuss mysteries surrounding notorious unsolved crimes.

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