Topper Returns (1941)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Roy Del Ruth

Writers:

Thorne Smith (characters)
Jonathan Latimer (original screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 March 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Mystery | Romance | Comedy

Tagline:

Topper's having girl trouble again!

Plot:

Topper is once again tormented by a fun-loving spirit. This time, it's Joan Blondell, who was accidentally...

Plot Keywords:

Housekeeper | Sniper | Doctor | Estate | Chauffeur

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Joan Blondell	...	Gail Richards
Roland Young	...	Cosmo Topper
Carole Landis	...	Ann Carrington
Billie Burke	...	Mrs. Clara Topper
Dennis O'Keefe	...	Bob
Patsy Kelly	...	Emily - Maid
H.B. Warner	...	Mr. Henry Carrington
Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson	...	Eddie - Chauffeur
George Zucco	...	Dr. Jeris
Donald MacBride	...	Police Sgt. Roberts
Rafaela Ottiano	...	Lillian
Trevor Bardette	...	Rama - Butler

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #6963) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Finland:K-16 | Germany:6 | Sweden:15

Company:

Hal Roach Studios

Trivia:

In the film, Eddie (played by Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson) says that he's going back to "Mr. Benny", an in-joke reference to the fact that Anderson played Rochester, the valet, on Jack Benny's radio program and later TV show.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Gail gets up to close the window, she puts on a robe. After she's murdered, she goes to Cosmo Topper's house. When she enters Cosmo's house she has a scarf in her hair that she wasn't wearing when she went to bed.

Quotes:

Eddie, the Chauffeur: Doors opening by themselves. People talkin' to nuthin' and gettin' answers. I'm going back.
Clara Topper: Back where?
Eddie, the Chauffeur: To Mr. Benny. Ain't nuthin' like this ever happened there.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Penny Dreadful (2005)

Excellent Comedy/Mystery

I agree with the comments that this 1941 "sequel" to the 1937 classic is actually a better film despite the absence of Cary Grant. This movie is loaded with talented people - Joan Blondell, Roland Young, Carole Landis, Billie Burke, George Zucco, Patsy Kelly, Eddie Anderson, Dennis O'Keefe, Rafela Ottiano, all of whom have their moments to shine. Blondell is the only bona fide major movie star in the group but it's very much an ensemble cast picture in a way you don't often see in movies from the period. Mainly a slapstick comedy, it works as a mystery too, I was surprised by the murderer's identity. Anderson and Burke are particularly funny and Blondell is a delight, very sassy and very sexy, she looks a few pounds heavier than in her 1930's Warner Bros. films but those extra curves look sensational on her, making her more Mae West-like than ever.