Los Angeles, 1935.
Thelma Todd was a young actress and business owner. She was at the peak of her career at the age of only 29 years old when she opened her own restaurant, the Thelma Todd Sidewalk Café with Roland West. Nobody expected that Thelma would be found dead in her own garage, with little to no evidence as to who did it.
THELMA'S LIFE
Thelma Alice Todd was born in Massachusetts, 1906. She grew up to be a bright and successful young woman, she had dreams of becoming a teacher. Her mother, Alice Elizabeth Edwards, encouraged her to enter beauty pageants despite her father's disapproval. And in late 1925, Thelma won first place as Miss Massachusetts and was scouted by a talent agent at the TV and film production company, Paramount.
By the time she got scouted, Thelma's dreams of becoming a teacher was soon replaced.
Thelma was famous for her comedic acts. She worked with the legends Zasu Pitts, Patsy Kelly, and other famous actors. After gaining recognition, she had her own nicknames such as 'The Ice Cream Blonde' and 'Hot Toddy', she was beloved by both fans and co-workers for her charm.
Even though the early years of Thelma Todd's life seemed to go well, Thelma was under a strict diet from her studio. If she ever were to gain 5 pounds over, her contract would be immediately terminated. With the stress of the diet and her mother giving her dietary pills, she became addicted to alcohol and parties.
In 1931, Thelma starred in a movie directed by Roland West, Corsair. The two had chemistry, and though Roland had a wife at the time, Thelma and Roland started seeing each other. The affair, however, ended shortly in 1932 and Thelma married Pat Dicicco, an American talent agent who was under suspicion of working with the mob. She divorced Pat in 1934 when he became abusive and she's had enough of his beatings.
Though Thelma's affair with Roland ended, the couple couldn't deny their chemistry and went back together after Thelma's divorce.
As Thelma spent her youth as an actress, she realized that there's only a few years of fame and life as an actress. There will always be younger, more famous, actresses that will take her place. Thelma needed something else to provide for her, and definitely not a husband.
"The years won't bother me as they do my colleagues; wrinkles won't worry me, neither will increasing weight. Because as long as I can use my head, it doesn't matter how I look." - Thelma Todd.
Roland had an idea. He wanted to get out of the directing business, and he knew Thelma also wanted a way out of showbiz. Together, they decided to open a restaurant in the Pacific Coast Highway. They called it Thelma Todd's Sidewalk Café. The restaurant had three floors; the first floor was where the restaurant operated, the second floor was where Thelma lived, and the third floor reportedly unoccupied. Roland lived only a while away with his estranged wife, and he also had the key to the café.
The restaurant was a buzz. Tourists, celebrity friends were guests to Thelma Todd's Café, and Thelma had new dreams of opening a beachside café. She even said that she had plans of renovating the current restaurant for up to $10,000. Thelma would occasionally serve her guests drinks and entertain them. She spent a lot of time in the restaurant, but it didn't necessarily mean she had given up her job as an actress.
In 1935, Thelma was featured in the movie The Bohemian Girl, though her role had been significantly reduced.
That was the last movie Thelma Todd worked on.
THELMA'S DEATH
December 14, 1935.
2 days before Thelma's death, she had gone to a dinner party at Trocadero café. She was wearing a blue sequined gown with sparkling jewelry, ready to have fun. Before leaving, Roland warned Thelma not to go home too late, claiming he was worried about her drinking problems. He told her if she didn't come home by 2AM, he'd lock the doors so she wouldn't be able to come inside. Thelma laughed it off as a joke.
At the party, she ran into her ex-husband Pat Dicicco, and reportedly had an argument. Despite this, Thelma remained cheerful throughout the night and even made bets on buying her friends lunch if they survived the hangover.
Thelma continued to enjoy her time with friends until it was 3AM, and her driver took her home. Usually, Thelma's driver would walk her to her door, but this time Thelma told him to just drop her off near the café.
December 16, 1935.
On a cold Monday morning, Thelma Todd's maid did her routine. She was about to take out Thelma's convertible down from Roland's garage to the front of the café so Thelma could use it for the day. When her maid opened the garage door, she surprisingly saw Thelma on the driver's seat, her body slumped.
She thought her employer had fallen asleep in her car, but when she shook Thelma's body, she didn't wake up. She realized soon enough that Thelma was dead.
When her maid found her, Thelma was still in her blue sequined gown, jewelry, and her purse - the same attire she wore to the party on Friday. Her nose was slightly bleeding, but there were no indications of violence in the scene.
What had happened to Thelma Todd?
THE INVESTIGATION
1. Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.
When police arrived at the scene, they ruled her death as accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. But this was hard to believe, because Thelma was a fan of automobiles - she knew the dangers of leaving a car engine on. The examiner who was brought in also mentioned bruises on her neck and lip alongside her bleeding nose, this didn't help explain carbon monoxide as her cause of death.
After speaking to Roland West, police thought that Thelma must've went to Roland's garage to stay warm, since he locked her out of her own apartment. But this theory didn't quite make sense because Thelma had her purse the entire time, and she had her keys in there.
So why would she walk all the way from her café where her driver dropped her off, up to Roland's garage which was around 270 steps away when she had the keys the entire time? Not to mention that Thelma would have made those steps in heels, which were completely clean on the day they found her body.
Roland testified in court, saying he didn't know why or how Thelma ended up in his garage. His wife confirmed his alibi that after he had locked her café close, Roland went back to bed. Roland West was free to go.
2. Trouble with the Mob.
There were rumors that Thelma had been involved with the mob. Her ex-husband, Pat Dicicco had ties with the mobster, Lucky Luciano, and he had introduced the two. Some people say the two were romantically involved shortly after Thelma's divorce and that Lucky was extremely abusive while getting her addicted to amphetamines, but with Lucky's love for gambling and prostitution, some say he had Thelma killed for refusing his offer to open an illegal casino on the 3rd floor of her café.
This could possibly explain the bruises on her neck and her disappearance on the 15th of December, but they're simply rumors and the police had no way of proving it.
There are plenty rumors surrounding Thelma's death, none of which explained where she went the night before she was found or what could have happened to the star. Today, her case is still under suspicion, but ultimately ruled as carbon monoxide poisoning.