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Thelma Alice Todd was an American actress and businesswoman who carried the nicknames "The Ice Cream Blonde" and "Hot Toddy". Appearing in about 120 feature films and shorts between 1926 and 1935, she is 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 featured her in a part that was cut short by her sudden death in 1935 at the age of 29.
Hips, Hips, Hooray! is a 1934 American pre-Code slapstick comedy starring Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, Ruth Etting, Thelma Todd and Dorothy Lee. During its initial theatrical run, it was preceded by the two-color Technicolor short Not Tonight, Josephine, directed by Edward F. Cline.
Gus Meins, born Gustave Peter Ludwig Luley, was an American film director. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany.
Patsy Kelly was an American actress. She is known for her role as the brash, wisecracking sidekick to Thelma Todd in a series of short comedy films produced by Hal Roach in the 1930s. Kelly's career continued in similar roles after Todd's death in 1935.
Gilbert Pratt was an American film director, actor, and writer. He directed 87 films between 1917 and 1936 and was often credited as Gil Pratt. He was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and died in Los Angeles, California.
Virginia Karns was a singer and character actress at the Hal Roach Studios in the early 1930s. Fans probably remember her best from the opening scene of the Laurel and Hardy musical comedy Babes in Toyland (1934), in which she portrayed Mother Goose.
Marion Edgar "Ed" Brandenburg was an American actor and stuntman. He appeared in 37 films between 1922 and 1938 and was the brother of actor Chet Brandenburg. He was born in Lexington, Kentucky and died in San Gabriel, California.
Pitts and Todd were a 1930s movie comedy duo consisting of actresses ZaSu Pitts and Thelma Todd. Assembled by Hal Roach as the female counterparts to Laurel and Hardy, the duo's members changed over the years and included actresses Patsy Kelly, Pert Kelton and Lyda Roberti.
Slightly Static is a 1935 American short comedy film directed by William H. Terhune. It was the debut film of Roy Rogers who performed with the Sons of the Pioneers although his name was uncredited. It is the 17th entry in the series.
Playmates is a 1941 American comedy film directed by David Butler and written by James V. Kern. The film stars Kay Kyser, John Barrymore, Lupe Vélez, Ginny Simms, May Robson and Patsy Kelly. It was released on December 26, 1941 by RKO Radio Pictures.
White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd is a 1991 American television film directed by Paul Wendkos and written by Robert E. Thompson and Lindsay Harrison. Based on the 1989 non-fiction book Hot Toddy: The True Story of Hollywood's Most Sensational Murder by Andy Edmonds, the film is about the life of Hollywood comedic actress Thelma Todd, whose 1935 death was ruled accidental but always has been controversial. Loni Anderson as stars as Todd, alongside Maryedith Burrell, Robert Davi, Paul Dooley, Linda Kelsey, and John O'Hurley. It premiered on NBC on May 5, 1991.
Lightning Strikes Twice is a 1934 American comedy film directed by Ben Holmes from a screenplay by Joseph A. Fields and John Grey. It stars Ben Lyon, Thelma Todd, and Pert Kelton. A print is held by the Library of Congress.
The Poor Rich is a 1934 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Edward Sedgwick and written by Ebba Havez and Dale Van Every. The film stars Edward Everett Horton, Edna May Oliver, Andy Devine, Leila Hyams, Grant Mitchell and Thelma Todd. The film was released on February 26, 1934, by Universal Pictures.
One in a Million is a 1934 American drama film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Dorothy Wilson, Charles Starrett and Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams.
Take the Stand is a 1934 American mystery film directed by Phil Rosen and starring Jack LaRue, Thelma Todd, and Gail Patrick. It was released on September 7, 1934.
Alphonse Martell was a French actor who wrote and directed Gigolettes of Paris (1933). He portrayed a director in the 1934 film I'll Be Suing You. He often portrayed a waiter as in the 1946 film Falcon's Alibi, in which he is murdered.
The Tin Man is a 1935 American comedy short released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Hal Roach and directed by James Parrott, and starring Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly. It is the 15th entry in the series.
The Misses Stooge is a 1935 American comedy short released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Hal Roach and directed by James Parrott, and starring Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly. It is the 16th entry in the series.
Twin Triplets is a 1935 American comedy short released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Hal Roach and directed by James Parrott, and starring Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly. It is the 18th entry in the series.
An All-American Toothache is a 1936 American comedy short released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Hal Roach and directed by Gus Meins, and starring Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly. It is the 21st and last entry in the Todd and Kelly series, which came to an end upon Todd's death in December 1935.
