SYNOPSIS

George and Marion Kerby lead a carefree life, cushioned from the world by privilege, wealth, and high society engagements until a fatal car crash threatens to end the party prematurely. But the Kerbys soon learn they can't leave the Earth unless they perform a good deed. So they decide to teach Cosmo Topper, a business associate, how to enjoy life. The hitch is that Topper is the only one who can see them, making him look increasingly unhinged to those who only see him having agitated conversations with himself.

Director: Norman Z. McLeod
Producer: Hal Roach
Screenplay: Jack Jevne, Eric Hatch, Eddie Moran
Based on the novel The Jovial Ghosts by Thorne Smith Cinematography: Norbert Brodine
Editing: William Terhune
Art Direction: Arthur I. Royce
Music: Edward B. Powell, Hugo Friedhofer
Cast: Constance Bennett (Marion Kerby), Cary Grant (George Kerby), Roland Young (Cosmo Topper), Billie Burke (Clara Topper), Alan Mowbray (Wilkins), Eugene Pallette (Casey), Arthur Lake (Elevator Boy), Hedda Hopper (Mrs. Stuyvesant), Doodles Weaver (Rustic), Three Hits and a Miss (Themselves), Hoagy Carmichael (Bill, the Piano Player), Betty Blythe (Lady), Ward Bond (Eddie), Lana Turner (Extra)
BW- 98m.

Why TOPPER Is Essential

With his other 1937 releases, particularly The Awful Truth with Irene Dunne, Topper made Cary Grant a major star.

The film was the first feature-length ghost story to become a hit at the box office while also winning critical approval. It also inserted a fantasy element into the screwball comedy formula. Where most films in the genre show a stodgy male character liberated by a carefree, usually rich female, Topper did so by making the leading lady a ghost. Its success triggered a series of screwball comedies with a supernatural twist, including Turnabout (1940) and I Married a Witch (1942), both also based on Thorne Smith novels.

Topper revitalized Constance Bennett's career, leading her into other similarly glamorous comic roles. It also represents the epitome of her appeal as a film star.

by Frank Miller