Thelma Todd

Thelma Todd (1906 - 1935) had to be one of the most beautiful actresses in her era, and short career.  She made 119 films in about ten years,starting in 1926.  Most of them were one and two reelers.

In my group of friends, she is remembered for her six films with Laurel and Hardy.  She also made two with the Marx Brothers, Monkey Business (1931) and Horse Feathers (1932).

Thelma started out to be a teacher.  Her mother encouraged her to enter a beauty contest and in 1925 she became Miss Massachusetts, and went on to the Miss America contest.  She didn't win, but it opened up some acting opportunities.

She worked with some greats in silent films.  Ed Wynn (1886 - 1966) in his only silent film, Wallace Berry (1885 - 1949), William Powell (1892 - 1984), Gary Cooper (1901 - 1961), to name a few.  Her first ten films, or so, were silent, and she worked in several films during the transition to talkies, when they added some music, sound effects and talking sequences to otherwise silent movies.  It must have been an interesting time to be a film actress.

She also made seven films with Harry Langdon (1884 - 1944) including one in Spanish, eighteen with Zasu Pitts (1894 - 1963), and an amazing TWENTY ONE films with Patsy Kelly (1910 - 1981).  Sixty four of her films were made at the Hal Roach Studios.  She even worked with Bing Crosby in Two for Tonight in 1935.

While mostly known for comedies, she made her share of dramas as well.  Cheating Blondes (1933), Counselor at Law (1933) starring John Barrymore (1882 - 1942), After the Dance in 1935, and others.

Of course, Thelma Todd will mostly be remembered by L&H and Marx Brothers fans.  She died mysteriously of carbon monoxide poisoning in her garage.  It was ruled a suicide, but there is a murder theory that cannot be proven.  It was a tragic loss by all accounts, and one that confines Thelma to the Bit Actor category forever.

Hail, Freedonia!

Last night, after coming home from a picnic, I turned on Turner Classic Movies just in time to watch the Marx Brothers in Duck Soup from 1933.  This was Zeppo Marx's last film, and it is not one of my favorite Marx films, although many consider it one of their best.  Of course, the one liners that Groucho uses are always great, and I love watching Harpo perform his sight gags, shearing off everything that sticks out!

What's missing from Duck Soup is Harpo's harp and Chico's piano.  They were amazingly talented, and I think their music brought a lot to the films. 

Zeppo playing the straight man, in my opinion, was a mistake.  Everyone knew he was one of the brothers because they looked so much alike, and they should all be zany.  Leave the straight man part to a supporting actor.  Zeppo felt he was being underutilized so he went on to another profession as an inventor.

Speaking of supporting roles, did you catch Charles Middleton as the prosecutor?  Middleton played in Pack up your Troubles with Laurel and Hardy, also starring Tom Kennedy whom we talked about yesterday.  See how all this fits together?

Duck Soup also had a Kennedy, but this was Edgar Kennedy.  Edgar and Tom were not related, but their careers must have paralleled, and they appeared in about 16 films together.  Edgar made 411 films from 1911 to 1949 and he even directed some L&H films. 

Just watch Edgar in his scenes with Chico and Harpo.  Edgar is a lemonade salesman, while the Marx boys are selling hot peanuts.  They get into a tit for tat, and Edgar loses two hats and a lot of lemonade.  The scenes could have appeared in a silent film without inter titles and it would have worked fine.

I wouldn't consider any of Edgar Kennedy's films major motion pictures, but that wasn't what he was all about.  He was a character actor and comedian.  He made almost half of his films during the silent era, so he knew how to bring his role alive without dialog.  That's why he is so much fun to watch.

Another routine in Duck Soup that could be silent, and actually was in the film, is the mirror scene with Groucho and Harpo.  I wonder if they did something along that line in their vaudeville act.  They almost perfectly copied each other's moves.  And they look so much alike, it is difficult to say which one was which.

I must look up some info on Margaret Dumont.  She was so perfectly cast in the Marx Brothers films.  I can't image she wanted to be a comedienne, she always comes across as so stuffy.  Did she really know what was going on?  Someone on IMDB said that Groucho called her, "practically the fifth Marx brother."