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1935 Thelma Todd myterious death....
1935 Thelma Todd myterious death....
Item # 576282
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December 17, 1935
LEOMINSTER DAILY ENTERPRISE, Massachusetts, December 17, 1935
* Actress Thelma Todd death (1st report)
* Suicide ? - Accidental ?
This 20 page newspaper has a two column headline on the front page: "Conflicting Evidence in Death Of Thelma Todd, Whose Body Was Found in Automobile", with photo of Todd (see images).
The report tells of the strange death of Hollywood actress Thelma Todd. The cause of her death is still in debate till this day.
Other news of the day. Light browning, minor margin wear, otherwise good.
wikipedia notes: On the morning of Monday, December 16, 1935, Thelma Todd was found dead in her car inside the garage of Jewel Carmen, a former actress and former wife of Todd's lover and business partner, Roland West. Carmen's house was approximately a block from the topmost side of Todd's restaurant. Her death was determined to have been caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. Todd had a wide circle of friends and associates as well as a busy social life; police investigations revealed that she had spent the last night of her life at the Trocadero, a popular Hollywood restaurant, at a party hosted by entertainer Stanley Lupino and his actress daughter, Ida. At the restaurant, she had had a brief but unpleasant exchange with her ex-husband, Pat DeCicco. However, her friends stated that she was in good spirits, and were aware of nothing unusual in her life that could suggest a reason for committing suicide.
The detectives of the LAPD concluded at first that Todd's death was accidental, the result of her either warming up the car to drive it or using the heater to keep herself warm. Other evidence, however, pointed to foul play. The Grand Jury ruled her death as suicide. Since her body was cremated, a second, more thorough autopsy could not be carried out. It was believed that she was the target of extortion, but refused to pay. It is also possible that she was locked in the garage by her assailant after she started the car. Blood from a wound was found on her face and dress, leading some to believe that she was knocked unconscious and placed in the car so that she would succumb to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Todd's death certificate states her cause of death as accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. She was cremated; after her mother's death, her remains were placed in her mother's casket and buried in Bellevue Cemetery in her home town of Lawrence, Massachusetts.
For her contribution the motion picture industry, Thelma Todd has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6262 Hollywood Blvd.
Category: The 20th Century
No Longer Available
