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 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. ( )

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 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. ( )

The book explores the mysterious death of actress Thelma Todd and provides possible scenarios and suspects. However, what I liked most about this book was the way it explored Todd's early life in Massachusetts, her school days and popularity, her studying to be a school teacher, and then being selected to attend "acting school". The author really allowed you to get to know Thelma. The author also provided closure as follow-up for those involved with Thelma's life was provided. I wish the book had included more photos but otherwise, I thought it was well done. ( )