THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF THELMA TODD
WAS THE HOLLYWOOD STAR’S DEATH AN ACCIDENT ... OR WAS SHE MURDERED?
It’s been nearly 65 years since 1930s Hollywood star Thelma Todd mysteriously died in the prime of her career. In 1935, after attending a party, Thelma, 29, was found dead from carbon monoxide poisoning, in her car in Los Angeles. To this day, the true circumstances surrounding her death remain a puzzle.
In her book The Ice Cream Blonde: The Whirlwind Life and Mysterious Death of Screwball Comedienne Thelma Todd, author Michelle Morgan looks into the life of the much-loved star, why her demise was strangely swept under the carpet and how, perhaps, there was even foul play involved.
A VICTIM OF SCANDAL According to Morgan, who looked into various unpublished interviews, FBI files, and studio records, Thelma’s unfortunate passing was kept very quiet by Hollywood executives in Tinseltown.
“When she died, the studio and the people surrounding her wanted to push everything under the rug and move on,” Morgan wrote.
“Her death had become a massive story that lasted for months. Even her last movie, The Bohemian Girl, her role was cut down to this tiny part when she was supposed to be featured prominently in the film. I think people wanted to move on from this scandal.”
“Her career ultimately became whittled down to a one-liner in magazines, such as ‘Remember when tragic Thelma Todd passed away?’” Morgan added.
“Her death had become this dirty thing that happened in Hollywood that everyone wanted to quickly forget. Sadly, because no-one wanted to speak about her, she was forgotten with time.”
AN UNLIKELY STAR Thelma was not a stereotypical young Hollywood actress in the 1930s film boom and would often speak her mind, according to Morgan.
“She was extremely outspoken in Hollywood and wasn’t afraid to speak up when she felt something wasn’t right,” Morgan said.
“She wasn’t a typical Hollywood bombshell who needed to be better than everyone else. If she believed in you, no matter your role, she would defend you. She was far from a dumb blonde.
“She was threatened with blacklisting because she wouldn’t entertain producers at parties and then [spoke] to reporters about her experience,” Morgan pointed out.
“She later gave an interview about the lack of morals that existed in Hollywood and how that was so shocking for her. She saw married people carrying on with other married people and it just wasn’t what she was accustomed to.
“She didn’t get Hollywood. She was always so thrilled to return home because she could truly understand the people around her. She got the people of Massachusetts [where she was born]versus the strange types she was meeting in Hollywood.”
WAS THELMA KILLED? Morgan also believes that Thelma’s death was not an accident or even suicide, and suggests the actress could have been murdered.
“I don’t think for a second she committed suicide,” said Morgan.
“She had been out to a party and was in good spirits. She never gave any kind of indication she was going to take her life. I rule out accidental death as well.”
She added: “People thought she must have accidentally killed herself because she wasn’t aware of carbon monoxide poisoning. In her lifetime, there was so much press warning the public about carbon monoxide poisoning. I find it hard to believe that a woman who was running a restaurant wouldn’t have been aware of the risks. It was being written about on a near-daily basis.”
According to the Chicago Tribune, various suspects came out of the woodwork including Thelma’s ex-husband Pat Dicicco, her lover Roland West, his estranged wife Jewel Carmen and the mobster Lucky Luciano, but no-one was found guilty and to this day, Thelma’s death has been marked down as an unfortunate accident.