The Hal Roach Comedy Shorts of Thelma Todd, ZaSu Pitts and Patsy Kelly
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Summary
Hoping to follow his success with Laurel and Hardy with a female comedy team, producer Hal Roach paired Thelma Todd with ZaSu Pitts in a 1931 series of two-reel shorts that were quickly successful. When Pitts left the studio for other pursuits, she was replaced by Patsy Kelly and the series continued to be successful. Todd died suddenly under mysterious circumstances in 1935 and Kelly tried to carry on, first with Pert Kelton, then with Lyda Roberti. When Roberti died in 1938, the series ended.
This book takes the first film-by-film look at each of the comedies these women made, how they responded to different directors and how production adapted to changes along the way. Credits, production information, period reviews, and critical assessments are included.
James L. Neibaur is a film historian and educator with more than 20 books and hundreds of articles appearing in Cineaste, Classic Images, Film Quarterly, Films in Review, Filmfax, and Encyclopædia Britannica.
Product Details
- Paperback: 277 pages
- Publisher: McFarland & Company
- Performing Arts / Film & Video
Starring
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