Summary
Madcap couple George and Marion Kerby are killed in an automobile accident. They return as ghosts to try and liven up the regimented lifestyle of their friend and bank president, Cosmo Topper. When Topper starts to live it up, it strains relations with his stuffy wife.
Cast
Constance Bennett
Marion Kerby
Cary Grant
George Kerby
Roland Young
Cosmo Topper
Billie Burke
Mrs. Topper
Alan Mowbray
Wilkins
Eugene Pallette
Casey
Arthur Lake
Elevator Boy
Hedda Hopper
Mrs. Stuyvesant
Virginia Sale
Miss Johnson
Theodore von Eltz
Hotel Manager
J. Farrell MacDonald
Policeman
Elaine Shepard
Secretary
Doodles Weaver
Rustic
Si Jenks
Rustic
Irving Bacon
Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
Lionel Belmore
Bank Guard (uncredited)
Clem Bevans
Board Member (uncredited)
Betty Blythe
Mrs. Goodrich (uncredited)
Ward Bond
Eddie (uncredited)
Hoagy Carmichael
Hoagy - Piano Player (uncredited)
Claire Du Brey
Sales Clerk (uncredited)
Bess Flowers
Patron at Rainbow Club (uncredited)
Pat Gleason
Taxicab Driver (uncredited)
Kenneth Harlan
Hotel Manager (uncredited)
Grace Hayle
Outraged Heavy Woman (uncredited)
George Humbert
Tony - Nightclub Owner (uncredited)
Syd Saylor
Car Salesman (uncredited)
Martha Tilton
Member of 'Three Hits and a Miss' (uncredited)
Lana Turner
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Russell Wade
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Ruth Warren
Hen-Pecked Motorist's Wife (uncredited)
Claire Windsor
Mrs. Simpkins (uncredited)
Ernie Alexander
Reporter (uncredited)
Marvin Bailey
Member of 'Three Hits and a Miss' (uncredited)
Davison Clark
Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Dona Dax
Hat-Check Girl (uncredited)
Vince Degen
Member of 'Three Hits and a Miss' (uncredited)
Eddie Fetherston
Courtroom Reporter (uncredited)
Tom Herbert
Hen-Pecked Motorist (uncredited)
Shep Houghton
Waiter (uncredited)
William Irving
Policeman (uncredited)
Eddie Kane
Maitre d' (uncredited)
Harold Miller
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor
Sea Breeze Hotel Doorman (uncredited)
Bill Seckler
Member of 'Three Hits and a Miss' (uncredited)
Walter Walker
Judge (uncredited)
Billy Wayne
Taxicab Driver (uncredited)
Harry Wilson
Onlooker at Street Brawl (uncredited)
Harry Adams
Marie Barde
Ralph Brooks
James Carlisle
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Eddy Chandler
Dick Cherney
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Dorothy Christy
Lester Dorr
Bank Teller (uncredited)
Tom Ferrandini
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Sam Flint
Board Member (uncredited)
Kay Garrett
Anita Garvin
Dick Gordon
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Herschel Graham
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Robert Haines
Max Hoffman Jr.
Sheldon Jett
Crauford Kent
Carl M. Leviness
Leota Lorraine
Jack Mulhall
Jack Perry
Alexander Pollard
Maitre d' (uncredited)
Jack Raymond
Taxicab Driver (uncredited)
Cyril Ring
Art Rowlands
Scott Seaton
Eric Wilton
Crew
Director
Norman Z. McLeod
Novel
Thorne Smith
Screenplay
Eric Hatch
Screenplay
Jack Jevne
Screenplay
Eddie Moran
Reviews
John Chard
February 4, 2020
8
Jovial ghosts in pleasant purgatory.
George & Marion Kerby like to live life to the max, they party hard and pursue the good time with carefree abandon. During one devil may care drive home fuelled with excess, they crash into a tree and are instantly killed, yet strangely their spirits are still on earth, and it would seem they need to achieve something of value before they can hit the big house in the sky. Enter regimental prig Cosmo Topper, a friend and colleague of the Kerby's, and someone who is about to become their pet make over project!
Based on Thorne Smith's novel, "The Jovial Ghosts", this is a truly delightful picture, it steams along at a fair old clip, and clocking in at just one and half hours in length, it never outstays its welcome. It would have been very sad if this had become a one joke movie, I mean just how many ghost gags can you pull off before it gets tiresome? Thankfully the makers of this breezy romp have pulled it all together to consistently tickle the ribs. The spooky effects for 1937 certainly hold up well, for sure they are far from perfect, but with the tone of this particular piece being one of mirth and cheekiness, one finds that the effects carry a decidedly uplifting charm.
The film boasts a wonderful turn from Roland Young as Cosmo Topper, as he lurches from one incredulous situation to another, he carries the film with consummate ease. As the Kerby's we get the bright Constance Bennett and the irrepressible comic talent of Cary Grant, with Bennett only bagging the role of Marion when the already cast Jean Harlow sadly passed away a month before the shoot. Grant stepped into the role of George after W.C. Fields vacated it, and we can only guess what sort of picture we would have got with the original cast choices. Yet I simply can't envisage the film being improved upon because Grant & Bennett literally do bounce of each other with cracking results.
From one spooky set up to the next, Topper is a cure for the blues, be it fisticuffs with cops, or turning a hotel inside out, it is quite simply a delicious piece of 30s comedy pie. 8/10
Media
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$500,000.00
Revenue:
$0.00
