A fun-loving couple, finding that they died and are now ghosts, decide to shake up the stuffy lifestyle of a friend of theirs.
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Title: Topper (1937)
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Nominated for
2
Oscars.
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Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Constance Bennett | ... | ||
| Cary Grant | ... | ||
| Roland Young | ... | ||
| Billie Burke | ... | ||
| Alan Mowbray | ... | ||
| Eugene Pallette | ... | ||
| Arthur Lake | ... | ||
| Hedda Hopper | ... |
Mrs. Grace Stuyvesant
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| Virginia Sale | ... |
Miss Johnson
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| Theodore von Eltz | ... | ||
| J. Farrell MacDonald | ... |
Policeman
(as J. Farrell McDonald)
|
|
| Elaine Shepard | ... | ||
| Doodles Weaver | ... |
Rustic
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| Si Jenks | ... |
Rustic
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|
 |
Three Hits and a Miss | ... |
Three Hits and a Miss
|
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
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? Written by Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Taglines:
The wound him up and let him run...Riot! See more »Parents Guide:
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See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
16 July 1937 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Das blonde Gespenst See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$500,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
(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)
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Included among the American Film Institute's 2000 list of the Top 100 Funniest American Movies. See more »Goofs
When George and Marion walk into the club as they are sitting down someone already seated at the table calls George "Cary". See more »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)
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
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Buzzing comedies such as Sorry to Bother You and The Spy Who Dumped Me await you in our Summer Movie Guide. Check in for the latest release dates and all the info you need.
Roland Young's portrayal of stuffy banker Cosmo Topper was so well received that it spawned two sequel films and a television series during the Fifties. It's a great example of that genre that was done best in the Thirties, the screwball comedy.
Cary Grant and Constance Bennett are George and Marion Kerby, a pair of rich dizzy socialites for who life is a non-stop party. Every now and then we have to tend to business, such as Cary showing up for Board of Directors meeting of the bank where Roland Young is president.
One find day while driving at a high speed Cary totals his car and he and Constance wind up ectoplasm. Stuck between this world and the next Connie concludes that a good deed must be done if they're to gain entrance through the pearly gates. Who to bestow this good deed on, but Roland Young.
Though this is now classified as a Cary Grant film, Cary has a lot less to do here than either Bennett or Young. He has his moments, but it's really their show. Though physical consummation is impossible, Bennett and Young run off to a resort hotel for a wild fling. That sets the stage for a lot of physical type comedy which Bennett does well and Young is properly maintaining dignity at all costs.
Billie Burke plays Young's wife who doesn't quite know what to make of her husband's rebellion against their well ordered life. Butler Alan Mowbray is equally nonplussed. However the best performances here among the supporting cast are Eugene Palette as the house detective and Arthur Lake as a bellboy at that resort.
Topper is one of those films that probably could do with a remake. I can see Julia Roberts in Connie Bennett's part and possibly Tom Hanks in the Cary Grant role.
But they'd have to go some to beat this one.