From the Marx Brothers to a potential murder: the mysterious death of Thelma Todd
A prolific, popular, and fast-rising movie star dying at the age of 29 is always going to stir up a hornet’s nest of publicity, but despite the authorities ruling out any foul play in the death of Thelma Todd, conspiracy theories inevitably began to arise.
After making her screen debut in the late 1920s, Todd embarked on a short career that nonetheless saw her work alongside some of the biggest names in the industry. Whether it was shorts, silents, or talkies, Todd was always a recognisable presence onscreen thanks to her eye-catching hairstyle, earning her the nickname of ‘The Ice Cream Blonde’.
Regularly cast as a bombshell, which earned her the additional moniker of ‘Hot Toddy’, she appeared in films from Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, and the Marx Brothers, most notably as the female lead in the latter’s 1931 favourite Monkey Business. The sky was the limit for Todd until she was discovered dead at the age of only 29 on December 16th, 1935.
Her body was found slumped on the front seat of her car, a convertible parked in a garage in Los Angeles. Todd was dressed to the nines in an evening gown and mink coat and draped in expensive jewellery. The official cause of death was determined as carbon monoxide poisoning after an investigation, but suspicions of murder quickly arose.
One theory claimed that she simply sought refuge in her car after losing her keys and being left unable to enter her home, and turning on the ignition to keep warm claimed her life after she fell asleep. Her friends were adamant there was no chance it was a suicide, but there always tended to be that extra line of inquiry suggesting something more sinister was afoot.
At the time of her death, West was romantically involved with director Roland West, with Todd’s residence also close to the home inhabited by West’s estranged wife, actor Jewel Carmen. Further complicating matters, the three were also business associates who’d opened a resident and a private nightclub together in a building where Todd and West lived in adjoining flats above Thelma Todd’s Sidewalk Café.
Official records said Todd had visited a nightclub for a party being hosted by Ida Lupino in her honour the night before she died. While there, reports claimed she’d gotten into an argument with her ex-husband Pat DiCiccio, and her driver dropped her off right in front of the stairs that would have led her home.
The findings determined that once she discovered she was locked out, Todd sought refuge in the car and accidentally died from the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning, but an obituary revealed she was the alleged target of a $10,000 extortion scheme where the perpetrators had threatened to kill her if she didn’t come through with the money.
The fact there were more than 100 Christmas presents wrapped under the tree in her house indicated that suicide wasn’t a viable explanation, and she was supposed to report to set the day she was found dead and had given no indication there were any intentions on her part of not fulfilling those professional duties.
There was no tangible evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Todd had been murdered and it was staged to look like an accidental death, but there were enough gaps in the logic to ensure the theory has never completely disappeared into the background.
