From the silent movie era to today’s digital cinema, the women of comedy fought hard to get the laughs from the audiences and the respect of the critics. In this episode of “The Online Movie Show,” comic-writer-actor Kevin Dolan offers insight on the struggles and triumphs faced by the funniest women in film history.
During the early 1930s, producer Hal Roach created a series of two-reel comedies that teamed Thelma Todd with ZaSu Pitts, then Thelma Todd with Patsy Kelly, and then Patsy Kelly with Pert Kelton and Patsy Kelly with Lyda Roberti. These comedies were unavailable for years, but now they are on DVD and are the subject of “The Hal Roach Comedy Shorts of Thelma Todd, ZaSu Pitts and Patsy Kelly” by James L. Neibaur, who is our guest on this episode of “The Online Movie Show.”