Update: Mrs. Wallace Ford and her brother George Baker arrive to testify about the Thelma Todd case. "Mrs. Ford said Miss Todd telephoned she was coming to a party at her home 'right away' but never arrived," according to the caption information.

Dec. 28, 1935-Jan. 3, 1936: “The further we go, the deeper this thing gets,” says George Rochester, foreman of the Los Angeles County Grand Jury investigating Thelma Todd's death. “We are not satisfied with all of the evidence we have heard. We are convinced that some of the witnesses are not telling all they know, nor all the truth about what they have discussed.”

Update: This is Thelma Todd giving a surprise birthday party for Patsy Kelly on the set of "Sing, Sister, Sing." "Because of Patsy's particular fondness for condiments and sauces, Thelma used a 'catsup' motif for the party," according to the caption information. Please congratulate Dewey Webb, Mike Hawks, Gerald McCann, Barry O'Brien, Mary Mallory and Cold in Phoenix for identifying her!

Dec. 24-27, 1935: Rumors, rumors and more rumors in the Thelma Todd case. Did she have lacerations on her throat? Did she appear to be drunk (recall that the autopsy found her blood-alcohol level to be 0.13%)? Who is the mysterious blonde seen in Hollywood?

And what did Todd mean when she said: "A great many changes are going to take place in my life by the first of the year?"

Update: Chauffeur Ernest Peters, left, talks to Sid Grauman. Please congratulate Mary Mallory and Mike Hawks for identifying Grauman!

Dec. 21-23, 1935: The Thelma Todd story dwindles and falls off of Page 1. Notice that the case prompted crank mail, like the 1947 Black Dahlia case. 

On Dec. 23, The Times reported on tests by LAPD chemist Ray Pinker to see how quickly someone would be overcome by monoxide fumes from Todd's 12-cylinder Lincoln. Detective Joe Whitehead volunteered to sit at the wheel with a stopwatch while the engine was started and the garage door closed. Whitehead lasted about 90 seconds before pounding on the door to be released.

ALSO

Ray Pinker on the Daily Mirror

Update: This is Charley Chase and Thelma Todd in a photo by Agnes O'Malley. Please congratulate Mary Mallory, Mike Hawks, Cold in Phoenix and Brent Walker for identifying them!

Dec. 20, 1935: Thelma Todd's body is cremated after a funeral attended by hundreds at Wee Kirk o' the Heather at Forest Lawn in Glendale. An estimated 10,000 admirers passed her casket in a single-file procession that lasted more than five hours, The Times said.

On the jump, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. wishes everyone …  what’s this? “Season’s Greetings?”  Yes, it’s true. “Season’s Greetings” isn’t a new expression.