Michelle Morgan (1)

Thelma Todd was a popular movie comedienne who bridged the era between silent and talkies. She acted with Laurel & Hardy, Buster Keaton and the Marx Brothers, and was a staple of the Hal Roach studio. She longed for more serious dramatic roles, but was confined to supporting roles in a series of what were mostly flops. Nevertheless, in her day she was one of the most popular and highly-regarded actresses in Hollywood. Then at the age of just 29, she was found dead in her car in the garage of show more her apartment, above the Sidewalk Café which she co-owned with her lover Roland West. The official cause was accidental death by carbon monoxide, but suspicions remain that she was murdered. The stories given by West and his ex-wife Jewel Carmen were conflicting and highly garbled. The author theorises that West acting in concert with gangsters who had sought to run illegal gambling at the Café killed her after she refused to allow it. This is a great read, terrific story of a bright, vivacious young woman who made millions happy with her comic skills, yet was never able to get quite what she wanted out of life. The tragedy of her death at such a young age is then really brought home. Well-written. well-researched, this is a must-read for anyone interested in the golden years of Hollywood. I can't recommend it highly enough. show less

The Ice Cream Blonde: The Whirlwind Life and Mysterious Death of Screwball Comedienne Thelma Todd by Michelle Morgan is a 2015 Chicago Review Press publication.

Thelma Todd’s career started during the silent movie era, progressing beyond into the 1930s. She had a great comedic talent and managed to work steadily as an actress, with various ups and downs along the way.

This biography is organized and thorough, giving the reader insights into the movie business during Thelma’s tenure as an show more actress, as well as painting a portrait of Thelma, her spunk, moral code, and approach to life.

I enjoyed hearing about her films and who she had the opportunity to work with- but unfortunately, the delivery here is very dry at times.

About halfway through, though, the pacing seemed to pick up as the author moved toward the mystery of Todd’s death.

Thelma was only twenty-nine years old when she died of carbon monoxide poisoning. The question, though, was whether it was accidental, suicide or murder.

The author lays out a compelling argument for all three possibilities. It is up to the reader as to which conclusion one chooses. For me, I have had all the conspiracy theories I can take these days and feel the most likely scenario was the simplest- a sad tragedy- yet there is still just a niggling of doubt- considering the people who were moving around in Todd’s orbit.

Though dry in places, this is an interesting biography. I was familiar with Todd but had forgotten about her over the years. In fact, it seems that many of the stars from the silent movie era- save Charlie Chaplin, perhaps, have slipped into obscurity. So, it is nice to see that Todd is still remembered. Sadly, it is her notoriety that survives more than her body of work.

Overall, I’m glad I stumbled across this one. I didn’t have much luck finding clips of Todd’s work- even on YouTube- again more concerned about her untimely death than her acting- except for one pre-code clip- of course. I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled for any TCM shorts I can find. With the fragile future of old films at stake I fear many actresses like Thelma and great old movies and shorts will be lost to us forever and that’s a real shame.

In her short life, Thelma Todd lived gusto. Although she never managed to break through to super stardom, her contributions are notable and should be remembered.

3.5 rounded up. show less

Although not really a fan of Marilyn Monroe - and probably guilty of judging the actress by her screen persona - I felt I had to learn more about her after reading an unnecessarily cruel characterisation in a trashy novel about Jackie Kennedy. And now I feel drawn to Marilyn, the brave and ambitious screen idol who fought the movie industry for her independence but could never escape her insecurities.

Covering the height of Marilyn's career in the 1950s, from The Seven Year Itch to The Prince show more and the Showgirl and her divorce from Joe DiMaggio and marriage to Arthur Miller, author Michelle Morgan, who has written many books about Marilyn, suggests that Marilyn's desire to control her own career by forming Marilyn Monroe Productions with photographer Milton Greene and divorcing Joe DiMaggio to concentrate on perfecting her craft makes her an 'unlikely feminist'. Proud of her femininity and far from ashamed of her body - she posed nude before her acting career took off and weathered the publicity storm when the photographs resurfaced years later - Marilyn was physically the ideal woman of the 1950s, keen to care for her husband(s) and start a family, but she remains a role model for twenty-first century women by owning her image and her controlling her business.

Morgan might be slightly biased but by the end of the book, I could understand why (and I haven't even watched Marilyn's whole back catalogue yet!) Marilyn was a beautiful woman inside and out, but her legacy seems to focus on her mental health issues - 'She was particularly vulnerable, easily hurt, and often brought to tears or anger through perceived rejection or betrayal' - and tragic death.

I am definitely now one of the 'many want to learn what Marilyn was really like', from biographies and of course her luminous presence on screen that no amount of rumours and misconceptions can ever tarnish. show less

This is an interesting, quick read of the early Hollywood's star's life and mysterious death. I don't think the author dug up anything new and if the death was not purely accidental, a misadventure of warming up the car in confinement as the author documents was common then, then suspicion falls naturally on Todd's lover, rough character, and business partner, Roland West. He is quoted in a contemporary newspaper account of having locked her out that night punitively. Intriguingly, the book show more gives detail on more damage to her body than is in the official coroner's inquest. If she was beaten and then placed fainted in the car, that is one thing. It appears proven that alive in the car, she died of carbon monoxide poisoning. I am surprised more is not explored of her chauffeur, Ernest O. Peters, beyond his own reports of her odd behavior and fear of "gangsters" which mere adds weight to the most dramatic and unproven of theories: gangland murder. The book has plenty of pictures including images of extortion letters. show less