Topper

A topping screwball comedy that combines Cary Grant in all his quipping glory with ghostly shenanigans and a Christmas Carol-ish message. Cosmo Topper (Roland Young, in his Oscar-nominated role) is a jittery, slightly-stuffy and henpecked bank manager who secretly yearns for a break from his routine. George (Grant) and Marion Kerby (Constance Bennett) are fun-loving stockholders in the bank who drive Topper crazy with their frivolous, unpredictable ways. Not long after visiting Topper, the Kerbys find themselves stranded on Earth as ghosts after George's careless and carefree driving gets them killed. Their lives of flippancy haven't contained enough good deeds to get them into heaven, so they take it upon themselves to help Topper find happiness.

Much of the film's set-up is spent contrasting the stifled Toppers with the partying Kerbys... Topper and his wife are sticklers for rules, with Mrs. Topper so eager to break her way into the social set that she has Topper nailed shut into a routine designed to attract the least amount of scandal or fun. When the Kerbys start haunting Topper it leads to an open mid-life crisis for the meek and mild-mannered banker, and has him causing such a fracas that high society finally comes calling for his wife and himself, and he becomes something of an unlikely hero in his workplace.

Despite the fact that his Oscar nomination was for Best Supporting Actor, Roland Young is very much the star of this film (it's perhaps worth noting that this category had a bit of a different meaning in the 1930s... it was originally specifically designed to honour lesser-known actors rather than actors playing actual supporting roles in films). Young pulls off the unexpected phsyicality of his role with aplomb, such as the scenes where he's passed out drunk and is carried around by the invisible Kerbys. He's also hilariously earnest in the scene where he has the urge to dance but doesn't quite understand why. Bennett and Grant are very much a double-act here, the 1930s being an era when fictional husband-and-wife combos could be a source of wisecracking camaraderie rather than a means for drama. Bennett has the more endearing role out of the two Kerbys, whereas Grant just kind of does his regular casual-madcap schtick.

It's a funny enough film but it doesn't really get going until the second act when the ghostly Kerbys meet up with Topper. Topper wouldn't be the classic it is though if it wasn't for Young's unassuming performance, he steals the film right out from under Cary Grant's nose.

DIRECTOR: Norman Z. McLeod
WRITER/SOURCE: Script by Jack Jevne, Eddie Moran and Eric Hatch, based on the novel by Thorne Smith.
KEY ACTORS: Roland Young, Cary Grant, Constance Bennett, Billie Burke, Alan Mowbray, Hedda Hopper

RELATED TEXTS:
- The comedy novels by Thorne Smith, Topper and Topper Takes a Trip, published in 1926 and 1932 respectively.
- Roland Young and Constance Bennett returned for the sequel Topper Takes a Trip, and Young alone returned for a third film, Topper Returns.
- A television series based on the film was also made in 1953 and ran for two seasons.
- Roddy McDowell starred in a pilot episode of a new proposed TV series in the early 70s, but it didn't take off. A TV movie, Topper, was also produced in 1979, starring Jack Warden.
- At the time of writing, Steve Martin is in pre-production for a new film version of Topper.
- The 1980s Steve Martin film All of Me features some comedy routines and general themes that may have been inspired by the 1937 Topper.

AWARDS
Academy Awards - nominations for Best Supporting Actor (Roland Young) and Best Sound.