Topper (1937)

A fun-loving couple, finding that they died and are now ghosts, decide to shake up the stuffy lifestyle of a friend of theirs.

Director:

Norman Z. McLeod

Writers:

Jack Jevne (screen play), Eric Hatch (screen play)

Stars:

Cary Grant, Constance Bennett, Roland Young

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Constance Bennett	...	Marion Kerby
Cary Grant	...	George Kerby
Roland Young	...	Mr. Cosmo Topper
Billie Burke	...	Mrs. Clara Topper
Alan Mowbray	...	Wilkins
Eugene Pallette	...	Casey
Arthur Lake	...	Elevator Boy
Hedda Hopper	...	Mrs. Grace Stuyvesant
Virginia Sale	...	Miss Johnson
Theodore von Eltz	...	Hotel Manager
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	Policeman (as J. Farrell McDonald)
Elaine Shepard	...	Secretary
Doodles Weaver	...	Rustic
Si Jenks	...	Rustic
Three Hits and a Miss	...	Three Hits and a Miss

Storyline

The funloving Kerbys, stockholders in the bank of which henpecked, stuffy Cosmo Topper is president, drive recklessly once too often and become ghosts. In limbo because they've never done either good or bad deeds, they decide to try a good one now: rehabilitating Topper. Lovely, flirtatious Marion takes a keen personal interest in the job. Will Topper survive the wrath of jealous ghost George? Will Mrs. Topper find that a scandalous husband isn't all bad?

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | surname as title | ghost | bank | accident | 

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Taglines:

90 ROARING MINUTES OF LAUGHS! (original 11x14 title lobby card)

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 July 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

Das blonde Gespenst

Filming Locations:

Hill Grove Estate at 1051 Benedict Canyon Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Roach Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the first of three films that Hal Roach adapted from a Thorne Smith novel.

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Goofs

Shortly after the beginning of the film, George and Marion walk into the Rainbow Club. When Marion sits down at a table, she says "Thank you, Harry" to the waiter. Her comment has sometimes been mistaken for one of the restaurant patrons calling George by his real-life name, Cary.

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Quotes

[Topper reading annual report of his bank]
Cosmo Topper: Bullion abroad and in transit, thirteen million, two hundred and two thousand, eight hundred and fifty-four dollars and no cents.
George Kerby: No sense.
Cosmo Topper: I just said that, Mr. Kerby.
George Kerby: So did I.

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Connections

Referenced in Beetlejuice (1988)

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Soundtracks

Old Man Moon
(1937)
Music & Lyrics by Hoagy Carmichael
Sung by Hoagy Carmichael (uncredited), Constance Bennett (uncredited) and Cary Grant (uncredited)
Played as dance music by nightclub orchestra and
Sung by Three Hits and a Miss (uncredited)

User Reviews

Introducing George and Marion Kirby, ghosts

A dead couple is determined to loosen up their friend in "Topper," a 1937 comedy starring Constance Bennett, Cary Grant, Roland Young, and Billie Burke. Cosmo Topper (Young) is a bank president whose wife (Burke) has him on a strict schedule and, though unhappy, Cosmo complies.

When bank stockholders George and Marion Kirby are killed when their car crashes into a tree, the two become worried about what St. Peter will have to say to them. They were, after all, two fun-loving, hard-drinking, partying kooks. They decide they must do a good deed before approaching the pearly gates so they make loosening up Topper their project.

This is a wonderful film that inspired the Leo G. Carroll TV series with real-life marrieds Anne Jeffreys and Robert Sterling as Marion and George. The special effects in the 1937 film are groundbreaking and ingenious. Mores have changed over the years - driving drunk is no longer acceptable. I'm afraid George and Marion would be heartily disapproved of today. Nevertheless, they're a gorgeous, glamorous couple and the real stuff of fantasy. Bennett only has a couple of years of big stardom left and, with his second billing, Cary Grant is still on the ascent. They're both hilariously madcap, Grant blasting into a stockholders' meeting and trying to take notes, and Bennett flirting with poor Topper in her silky voice.

Roland Young is the perfect Topper - henpecked, confused, and a nervous wreck. He's a man dying to break free of his shackles, and he's always envied George and Marion's lifestyle, even though it killed them. His frustration and unhappiness make him sympathetic, and the audience is with him all the way.

Very enjoyable, with some effects that were eye-popping in 1937. Don't miss "Topper." It's a classic.