Thelma Todd’s Sidewalk Cafe

A few years ago I read a fabulous murder mystery called Shamus In The Green Room written by one of my favorite mystery authors, Susan Kandel. A significant piece of action in the novel takes place at the real life location of one of the most famous unsolved murder cases in Los Angeles history. That location is named Thelma Todd’s Sidewalk Cafe, and its namesake and owner, Thelma Todd, died there in 1935. After reading Susan Kandel’s book, I became completely intrigued with Thelma and her roadside cafe, so I immediately dragged my boyfriend out there to do some stalking. Since then, Thelma’s cafe has been incorporated into my annual Haunted Hollywood tour. 🙂

Thelma Todd was a famous Hollywood starlet and comedienne during the 1920’s. She appeared in over 120 feature films during her brief ten year career, including several Marx Brothers and Laurel and Hardy productions. In 1931, the “Ice Cream Blond” as she came to be called, opened up a cafe on the ground floor of a huge Spanish style building overlooking the Pacific Ocean just north of Santa Monica. The top floor of the building housed a very popular private Hollywood club named Joya’s. Thelma’s Sidewalk Cafe also became extremely popular with the Hollywood elite and Miss Todd lived in a little apartment located above her cafe.

On the night of her death, Thelma attended a party hosted in her honor at the legendary Trocadero nightclub in Hollywood. After the party, Thelma’s chauffeur dropped her off in front of her cafe at approximately 4:20 a.m. the following morning, December 15. In the early morning hours of December 16, 1935, a full day later, Thelma was found dead inside of a garage belonging to her neighbor/business partner/lover Roland West, located just behind her cafe. The famous blond was slumped over the steering wheel of her Lincoln Phaeton, still wearing her evening gown from Saturday night’s party, her face covered in blood. The coroner, however, ruled her death an accident. The cause listed on the coroner’s report? Carbon monoxide poisoning. Most of Hollywood was quick to discount that account of her death and theories of the true cause are endless. Most widely believed, however, is that mafioso Lucky Luciano, whom the Ice Cream Blond was rumored to be having an affair with, murdered her when she refused to allow his gambling ring to operate out of her cafe. Another theory is that her married business partner/boyfriend/neighbor Roland West (in whose garage she was found) murdered her in a jealous rage. The truth may never be known and Thelma’s murder is one of the most celebrated mysteries in Hollywood history.

Now home to Paulist Productions, the Spanish style building that once housed Thelma Todd’s Sidewalk Cafe was first built in 1928, and was originally used as a shopping center for nearby homes. In the 1960’s the building became home to a Christian film and television production company named Paulist Productions. The company remains there today. In 2002 the building was given a full face lift and restored to its original grandeur. The structure is a very beautiful, ornate piece of Hollywood history, complete with detailed Spanish tiles and large arched wrought-iron windows. I highly recommend stalking it, as much for its beautiful architecture as its rich history.

If you want to read more about Thelma Todd and her death, check out the Find A Death website which does a great write-up.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: Thelma Todd’s Roadside Cafe is located at 17575 Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades. Thelma was found dead in the garage of Roland West’s home located at 17531 Posetano Road, located just behind the former cafe.

8 Replies to “Thelma Todd’s Sidewalk Cafe”

  1. In 1994 after reading Hot Toddy, I made the trek to Pacific Coast Highway and the site of Thelma Todd’s Sidewalk Cafe.
    Her story was not new to me.
    I grew up in Santa Monica and was the daughter of a man who was born in Santa Monica and who told me the tales of Old Hollywood and always pointed out the homes of Mary Pickford & Douglas Fairbanks, Darrell Zanuck and Thelma Todd.
    With book in hand and hand sketched details of the death scene, I tried to locate the home of Roland West and the infamous garage where our favorite Ice Cream Blonde was found dead.
    Although certain landmarks were still present as hard as I tried I could not find the road that lead to the garage.
    I ran into a woman who was watering her lawn who told me of the landslide that dissected the road that lead to the death scene.
    I took her advice and eventually came upon the row of garage doors and Roland Wests home in the distance.
    I put my hand on the doors and closed my eyes. The wood was weathered and years and years of paint layered the doors. I don’t know what I expected but I just needed to feel this place. Touch the doors. Put my hand on the door handle that Thelma would have handled and opened with her delicate fingers.
    In the windows above the garage doors were stacks of boxes.
    It looked as though the room or rooms were used for storage. My 5’4” stature struggled to photograph the whole scene so I handed my camera to my boyfriend who was 6’5”. As he stood back to take the photo and capture the oddly beautiful structure, he gasped. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!”
    He grabbed my arm to pull me back away from the doors and turned me around so that I had full view of the windows. He pointed to the upper left windows. It was there I saw what I truly believe to be a ghost. I peered at him first believing I was looking at a living breathing person trying to figure out what he was saying, worried we were in trouble for being there. The distorted face of an elderly man with mouth open screaming at us from inside the room but making no sound. He shook his head back and forth as if to say “No”. His head, neck, and shoulders appeared above the boxes stacked in front of the window. He was a strange color. A mix of shades of grey and brown. All one color. Not normal. His collar and shoulders looked wrinkled and ill fitted.
    It made no sense. Even though we could not see inside the rooms above the garage it made no sense that his body and the top of his head would be so close to the roofline.
    His face appeared in the far left window above the garage.
    We stood frozen. My mind raced. What am I seeing? What is he screaming? Why can’t we hear him? There was zero sound coming from the window even though we stood just below it and it looked to be the original glass. Not tempered, and certainly not double paned modern windows.
    That camera and those photos were stolen from my car before I could have the photos developed. If only…..
    All the way home we tried to make sense of it. We were scared off for sure. Trembling from head to toe out of fear and adrenaline all the way back to Long Beach. Who was it we just saw? A previous resident? Roland West? Was he saying “No, you can’t be here”?, “No, you can’t come in”?, “No, get out”? “No, I didn’t do it.”?
    I have no doubt that this property is haunted. Whether it be the sad helpless ghost of Thelma Todd or the tortured Roland West.
    Hearing of the updates and renovations of the property make me so sad. I really wish the property owners would have tried to save the rich interiors and architectural details.
    I drove past the property yesterday 8/24/23 on my way back from Santa Barbara and I saw the new signage and the new store front windows at the old cafe. I’m not going to lie. I hated it.
    I am sure the employees and guests will share many ghost stories for years to come. I know as long as I live, I will remember my encounter at Thelma Sidewalk Cafe.

  2. Have been an ardent fan/admirer of–and in Love with–Thelma Todd since I was knee–high to the proverbial grasshopper!; as I have been with Stan Laurel and BABE Hardy! ! ! My own belief is that I, beyond any shadow of doubt, feel that Thelma was murdered–either by Roland West, or Lucky Luciano had a contract out on her! Some I know state that Luciano wasn’t in California at the time. . .he had one or two henchmen do the hit; of course he wouldn’t want to sully his own hands.
    My big question is this, is there any where recorded what Stan and BABE believed? Did either, or both feel she was murdered? I’ve searched the Internet, and all I could find is that most of Hollywood believed Luciano put a hit out on Thelma; but I’m interested in what Stan and BABE believed! One actress who worked with Stan, BABE and Thelma by the name of Dorothy Layton, firmly felt she was murdered by Luciano but never breathed it openly. So anyone who knows about Stan and BABE’S thoughts on Thelma’s death, or where I can find out, would be much appreciated! Thanks

  3. Hey, thank you for the info. I am such a stalker of historic and haunted locations in California lol. Keep me posted when ya find more 🙂

    Cheers

      1. I have been to the site it really is a Los Angeles historical site . There is another book about the death of Thelma Todd the title is Hot Toddy by Andy Edmonds. The author really does her research really fine reading. 0h By the Way she did not die at this location she was found in a garage in a house above the café. you used to be able to walk up a flight of stairs to the house but now some of the stairs have been eradicated.

  4. A unique blog. All the time you put into this is appreciated.

    Don’t know if you are interested, but the book The Long Embrace: Raymond Chandler and the Woman He Loved lists dozens of addresses for Chandler and his wife in and around the LA area. Some are still standing.
    Cheers!

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