The Mysterious Death of Old Hollywood Star Thelma Todd
On the morning of December 16, 1935, the lifeless body of the famous old Hollywood starlet Thelma Todd was found in her car. What lead to her mysterious death? Were all of the rumours surrounding her death true? Was she murdered? If so why? Was the mob involved in her death?
No amount of fame or money could unravel the mystery of her very strange death; she was only 29 when she died. Officially, her death was deemed accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, but suicide or murder conspiracies have never fully been put to rest. There were many suspects, yet her death is still remains unsolved.
Thelma Alice Todd was born in Massachusetts in 1906. After she won a beauty pageant, she was quickly discovered and signed a contract with Paramount. She was off to Hollywood!
Thelma was an incredibly talented actress and Hollywood took advantage of that. She appeared in over 120 pictures and was best known for her comedic roles alongside the Marx Brothers and Buster Keaton. This coined her the nicknames “Ice Cream Blonde” and “Hot Toddy.”
In 1932, Thelma Todd eloped with American film producer Pat DiCicco. They were said to have a very abusive and tumultuous relationship; she ended up in the hospital after one of their drunken brawls. They got divorced in 1934 and she decided to open up a beach side cafe along the Pacific Coast Highway called “Thelma Todd’s Sidewalk Cafe.”
The Cafe was a great success, catering to the entertainment and underworld crowds. She purchased this property with her boyfriend, director Roland West. They lived above the cafe in adjoining bedrooms, as it doubled as their home.
On Saturday, December 14, the evening before her death, Thelma and Roland had been fighting, and she decided to go to a party that was being held Cafe Trocadero. Thelma was the guest of honor and, for the vast majority of the night, seemed to be having a wonderful time. However, she saw her ex-husband Pat DiCicco with his new girlfriend. Thelma felt embarrassed and humiliated, and an altercation ensued. She got drunk and confided in her friend Ida that she has been seeing a rich business man.
Thelma then left Cafe Trocadero at around 3AM. Roland West did not go to the party and told Thelma to be home by 2AM. Thelma arrived at the party at around 8PM, and at 1AM she asked Sid Grauman to call West and let him know she’d be leaving soon. But Thelma didn’t leave the party until 3AM. The last person to see her alive was the driver who dropped her off after the party – she was not allowed to drive, due to getting in multiple car accidents. The chauffeur who drove her home that night said Thelma was unusually quiet and told him not to escort her to the door as he usually did.
People have claimed to have seen her in the morning after the party, and a close friend of Thelma Todd claimed to have received a phone call from her explaining the events of the previous night. According to the autopsy she would have already been dead. It wasn’t until the following Monday morning around 10:30AM, that the maid found Thelma, slumped over at the wheel of her 1932 Lincoln Phaeton. Her death was quickly ruled a suicide, even though those who were close to her said she would never do that and she was always in good spirits. The most disturbing thing to me was how paparazzi were able to get close up shots of her dead body to put in magazines and newspapers.
The coroner determined That Thelma died between 5AM and 8AM on Sunday of carbon monoxide poisoning. Her car was still running but was out of gas when she was discovered. She was also still wearing her party clothes from Saturday night, though she had peas and carrots in her stomach, which weren’t served at Cafe Trocadero.
Another piece of compelling evidence is that the night of the party was very windy, so her hair should have been disheveled yet it was perfectly styled. The walk from where she was dropped off to where she was found dead is long. If Thelma had indeed walked to the garage from the spot where her driver dropped her off, it would have been quite a hike. For Thelma to get to the garage, she would have either had to climb over 270 stairs or walk through some dark streets through a very hilly area. Her shoes would have definitely been dirty or damaged from the walk. The wear and tear on her shoes wasn’t consistent with this. Thelma’s feet were also clean and her stockings were undamaged, so she certainly didn’t try walking without her shoes.
Accident?
This is where people started to get suspicious and wonder if she even made the walk or perhaps someone had placed her there. Then it was discovered she had a broken nose. People had a theory that maybe she got locked out and went into her car to keep warm until the morning. However, it’s questionable whether or not she was even locked out because her key was found in her handbag. Could this all have been a terrible accident? There are also reports of her suffering a stroke or heart attack, which would lead her death to be of natural causes – yet the evidence isn’t adding up.
Suicide?
Even though suicide would be a very easy explanation, it was difficult for anyone to believe. According to her friends, all of her behavior indicated that she was looking forward to the future and her cafe. When she was found, her car was full of Christmas gifts to friends and family. There was no suicide note and she also had a broken nose, which is hard to self-inflict. It leads you to believe she was mudered, but if so, by who?
Murder?
If Thelma Todd’s death wasn’t accidental or a suicide, that leaves either murder or natural causes. The number one suspect was her ex-husband Pat DiCicco. Rumors and inconsistent facts arose very quickly, and people pointed fingers. Pat was a producer, but also a mobster, and was closely affiliated with Lucky Luciano, the famous gangster. They wanted to start an illegal gambling parlor on the third floor of Thelma’s cafe. She refused them multiple times and they were not used to people saying no to them. Lucky Luciano also had a previous romantic relationship with Thelma Todd, wherein he was abusive toward her.
Many of Thelma’s friends had reason to believe Roland West also had ties to the mafia, that he was more receptive to the idea of letting gangsters run an illegal gambling racket in the restaurant. Some theories suggest that Roland and some gangsters were waiting for her to come home so they could settle the casino matter. If the mob was involved, it might explain why some people close to Thelma and Roland were unwilling to publicly speak about what happened.
Another strange and questionable arrangement was also in play. Thelma Todd lived with Roland because he was her boyfriend, but there was a third person who lived with them: Jewel Carmen – Roland West’s wife. Could she have gotten jealous and killed Thelma ? On Roland West’s death bed he admitted to being involved in her death, but his version was full of inconsistencies.
Hollywood lost a legend too early. The final resting place of Thelma Todd is Bellevue Cemetery in Lawrence, Massachusetts. She forever lives as an Old Hollywood legend and is immortalized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.