Topper

Topper #1

by Thorne Smith, Carolyn See

Thorne Smith is a master of urbane wit and sophisticated repartee. Topper, his best-known work, is the hilarious, ribald comedy on which the hit television show and movie (starring Cary Grant) were based.

It all begins when Cosmo Topper, a law-abiding, mild-mannered bank manager, decides to buy a secondhand car, only to find it haunted by the ghosts of its previous owners--the reckless, feckless, frivolous couple who met their untimely demise when the car careened into an oak tree. The ghosts, George and Marion Kerby, make it their mission to rescue Topper from the drab "summer of suburban Sundays" that is his life--and they commence a series of madcap adventures that leave Topper, and anyone else who crosses their path, in a whirlwind of discomfiture and delight.

As enchanting today as it was when first published in 1926, Topper has set the standard in American pop culture for such mischievous apparitions as those seen in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Heaven Can Wait, Beetlejuice, and Bewitched.

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Fantasy, Classics, Paranormal, Comedy, Ghosts

220 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1926

About the author

James Thorne Smith, Jr. was an American writer of humorous supernatural fantasy fiction under the byline Thorne Smith. He is best known today for the two Topper novels, comic fantasy fiction involving sex, much drinking and supernatural transformations. With racy illustrations, these sold millions of copies in the 1930s and were equally popular in paperbacks of the 1950s.

Smith was born in Annapolis, Maryland, the son of a Navy commodore and attended Dartmouth College. Following hungry years in Greenwich Village, working part-time as an advertising agent, Smith achieved meteoric success with the publication of Topper in 1926. He was an early resident of Free Acres, a social experimental community developed by Bolton Hall according to the economic principles of Henry George in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. He died of a heart attack in 1934 while vacationing in Florida.

Reviews

[Henry Avila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a product of its day written in 1926 and the Roaring Twenties was in full bloom, nothing seemed serious since the carnage of the Great War, everything is fun and games until the deluge...Cosmo Topper a staid and dull banker with an nagging wife who has perpetual indigestion (she needs Pepto - Bismol), he an aspirin. A drastic change happens in his boring life, (good or bad you decide) after buying an old repaired sports car, the auto was previously owned by a very irresponsible glamorous, rich young couple that Cosmo Topper secretly admired not surprisingly they died in it . While driving in the country he the banker begins to think deep thoughts, starts seeing things which can't possibly be there and maybe going a little insane. Yes George and Marion Kerby the young dead pair, have come back as ghosts to haunt the distraught Mr. Topper and the fun begins at first not so much for the distinguished president of a powerful bank. The always seeker of amusement the beautiful Marion wants to drive and bystanders give a strange look at the apparently driverless vehicle traveling speedily down the road, everyone else be advised. They visit an inn and get into a drunken brawl with fellow dinners, a no holds barred fight which the invisible couple cherish, image getting struck by something that isn't there, only the air visible this is living well almost. Cosmo, with the help of George and Marion are tigers during the ferocious struggle the townspeople cannot comprehend this, have never seen anything like it. Spooks, unbelievable, the result put in jail the gentleman, Cosmo's picture in the local newspaper which will be seen in New York City, he a respectable man has some explaining to do. Imagine, what his high society wife and friends think of Topper and intoxicated too the scandal will cause irreparable harm. So naturally Topper takes a vacation after getting out of confinement, further madcap adventures for the trio of course occurs , Cosmos enjoys the excitement, the thrills he's having the time of his life, not so dull a person after all...For those of us that like silliness and are in the mood this is an lighthearted read and what's wrong with that , the world is constantly in upheavals and the public needs to escape, a pleasant trip in the land of the unashamedly nonsensical is just the ticket. I second the motion.

[Tim Null]

I was about four years old when the Topper show was on television. My recollection is that Topper aired at 8 pm on Friday nights. My brother and sisters always looked forward to the show with great anticipation. Naturally, being the youngest, I wanted to do what my older siblings did. I wanted to watch Topper, too. The problem was my bedtime was at 7:30.

A couple of times when we had babysitters, I went to bed at 7:30, but I got up when I heard Topper come on the TV. I would then sneak downstairs and watch the show. Unfortunately, this only worked when we had a babysitter, but, much to my chagrin, my siblings eagerly tattled on me and told my parents of my transgressions. My mother then would explicitly instruct every babysitter that I must not only go to bed at 7:30 but I must remain there.

Given my history with the Topper TV show, you can imagine my level of anticipation when I watch or read anything related to Topper. My expectations are unrealistically high. Matters are made worse by the fact that I have been secretly in love with Anne Jeffreys for decades, but please don't mention that to my wife. On the upside, Marion Kerby never ages, and now that I'm elderly, I willingly/eagerly go to bed at 7:30.

I read several chapters of this book and then skimmed through the rest to the end. I'll have to give this book another go when I can get my expectations under control.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is, by this time, a cliche: boring business dude meets a manic pixie dreamgirl who shakes up his days, keeps him up all night, teaches him about love, and then passes into the great beyond. What makes this book still feel marvelously fresh is that the MPDG isn't all that wacky, she's married, and she's already dead at the start of the book. Other than drinking mind-bending Prohibition-era quantities of booze, the adventures themselves are amazingly simple. Topper and his ghost companions enjoy several good meals, but otherwise they spend the summer mostly sleeping rough, swimming in rivers and the Atlantic, canoeing, reading Ulysses aloud, and just digging the beauty of nature. There is singing and dancing, even a little brawling, but it's so charmingly bucolic. After all, if Topper gets up to 25 MPH in his car it feels fast and dangerous, and it no doubt was since roads were iffy and there were still a lot of farmers with horses about.

I was worried about Topper's wife. Needlessly. Smith is a writer who can produce the banter of Coward, and also spend a lot of time telling us how Topper feels about his cat. I knew it was going to have a happy ending, but I didn't know the ending would be so perfect. The overall effect is charming, but never twee. Highly recommended.

[Eleanor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm. Better than "Night Life of the Gods" but it leaves me feeling a bit uncomfortable. I think it's because I feel a slight edge of desperation in all the consumption of alcohol (the book is set during Prohibition). I suspect this was because apparently the author was a heavy drinker, and he certainly died far too young.

In my distant youth I certainly had too much to drink a few times, and I enjoy an occasional glass of wine with my dinner, to say nothing of a G&T before dinner. But the sort of drinking that happens in Thorne Smith's books would probably kill me, and I suspect it killed him.

Having said that, the premise is funny and there are some amusing passages in the book. But I doubt I shall read any more Thorne Smith for entertainment from that era. For me, James Thurber cannot be surpassed.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorne Smith's pixilated novels go down like a glass of bubbly champagne. Remember those heady 40's films like Bringing Up Baby and The Thin Man, full of snappy dialogue and women in slinky designer gowns? Take that sort of witty, cocktail-fueled repartee, add even more improbable plot elements (usually involving some sort of supernatural happening), and you have a Thorne Smith book.

In this case a car is haunted two irrepressible, high-living (er, dying?) ghosts who met their untimely end by drunkenly crashing it into a tree. Cosmo Topper, the poor fellow who buys the car secondhand, is a rather dull and conventional soul, but his life is about to change drastically when the two ghosts make it their madcap mission to 'reform' him. The irony, of course, is that the dead are teaching the living how to live.

The ensuing hi-jinks were probably considered scandalous back in the twenties when this book was published, but today it seems like rather innocent fun. There's a lightness and zaniness to Smith's dialogue that seems both dated and fresh. They just don't write screwball comedies like this anymore... more's the pity.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Smith pens a funny story of a middle-aged, mid-level bank manager's encounter with the husband and wife ghosts whose car he bought. Although dead, the two still manage to get howlingly drunk every night and befriend Topper and try to put a little laughter in his life. It was made into a wonderful movie with Cary Grant as the dead husband.

[Kimley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seize the day! Grab life by the cojones! And if you can get a pair of alcohol-fueled, mischievous and conveniently randy ghosts to help you on your "swift descent from the dead crater of suburban virtue", all the better.

A touch of British farce but ultimately all-American screwball comedy is what is at hand here. This is the basis for the old Cary Grant film of the same name. And this very same writer is also responsible for the source material for the wonderful Bewitched TV show. Clearly he's interested in life on the other side - as long as it brings a chuckle or more frequently a loud guffaw as I found myself doing while reading this.

I'm guessing this book was on the risqué side when it first came out in the 20's but it's pretty tame by today's standards - mostly innuendo. If anyone can tell me what "step-ins" are I would be most grateful. I'm guessing by context that they are women's underwear as they are made of silk and cause poor old Topper much grief with his wife when she discovers a pair in his pocket! (Ah, yes they are - just found it in my computer's dictionary!)

So if you should be one of the unfortunate who has a large stick wedged firmly up their bum or maybe you're just reading too much Proust or Tolstoy (you know who you are!), then you need to read this book NOW! Because "too much virtue will sour the sweetest character."

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have long loved the Cary Grant film version of this book but this is my first time reading it. While the characters and basic premise is the same, the novel is much more about the title character of Topper. Topper, a stodgy New York banker, is suffering through a mid-life crisis aggravated by the intrusion of some ghosts (including one of a dog who only partially materializes). While less farcical than the film, it is a better story.

[Tosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorne Smith is a brilliant writer of the 30's. Imagine Dorothy Parker and F. Scott out in the town during thier worst drinking period - and somewhere in that taxt home is Thorne Smith.

As F. Scott is under a blanket of gloom, Thorne is very much happy with his life. In fact he's carefree in a world that is totally insane.

Most of his stories has to deal with the afterlife (ghosts) witches (Bewitched is based on one of his novels) and it's MADCAP with a revenage. The fact that he's now out of print really sucks.

Topper is about a conservative banker who is haunted by a couple who recently died in a car crash. The male ghost is jealous because his wife has a thing for Topper. It has a weird angle on afterworld sexuality that's for sure. So it's fantasy but set in 1930's NYC. Amazing work -and I would give all of his work ten stars!

[Marvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I had to pick one 20th century author who has been mostly forgotten and long overdue for a revival, it would be Thorne Smith. He was a master at the satiric, both criticizing and adoring the staunch American upper class. I would say he is the closest thing to an American Oscar Wilde. In fact, when I first read this book years ago, I thought Mr. Smith was British! Those of us old enough to remember the TV series with Leo G. Carrol or the Gary Grant film may have some idea of the humor and fun in this story about a starch-collared banker and his scandalous pair of ghosts, but they pale in comparison to the novel. Considered racy for its time, in fact Smith's characters do tend to drink and fool around a lot, Smith has a light touch that is a little Victorian is style yet totally American in tone.

[Jonathan Palfrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read the Topper books as a child in the 1960s, and was rather startled to come across them again in new editions in the 1980s, the ghosts of past years slyly rematerialised.

Both books do in fact deal with ghosts—this one was originally titled The Jovial Ghosts. Smith’s ghosts are quite untraditional: he used the idea of ghostliness to supply him with a set of cheerfully immoral characters, who, being dead, have the convenient ability to dematerialise at will. Convenient for them, that is: rarely so for anyone who gets in their way.

They choose from time to time to inflict their company on an innocent banker with the unlikely name of Cosmo Topper, who, having the misfortune to be alive, can less easily escape the consequences of their frolics, although he seems well enough equipped with money to buy his way out of most trouble. Smith evidently detested American middle-class suburban society with a fierce loathing; he uses Topper’s viewpoint to describe it and his intermittently substantial companions to tear it apart.

His books are most concisely described as escapist fantasy, and yet there’s a peculiarly distinctive quality to the writing, and in places an engaging wistfulness, that raises them out of the ordinary. Expect nothing of the plot: it’s merely an excuse for high jinks and bizarre observations. The characters, living as Smith did in the Prohibition era, display an insatiable thirst for alcohol and a distinctly casual attitude towards theft. The author clearly would have liked them to have sex whenever not incapacitated by alcohol, but writing in the 1920s he didn’t dare go beyond a few kisses, so they seem incredibly chaste by modern standards.

I sympathise with Topper; I think there’s something of him in many of us. This story is a rather childish fantasy, but it has an air of innocent alcoholic amiability, and I recommend it to anyone suffering from a repressed desire to be naughty. I think it pioneered a new interpretation of ghosts that other writers later found useful.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a joy to read. Cosmo Topper what a guy. The book has quite little to do with the movies, though both are enjoyable in their own ways. The American title of the book is "Topper: An Improbable Adventure" I am not sure why they re-titled the book for a UK release.

Topper is overweight, approaching forty, with a solid job in banking and a stale, ten-years-old marriage to a selfish woman who cultivates indigestion as a cherished excuse for always having her own way.

[Joe Boenzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing little book written by Thorne Smith and first published in 1926 by Grosset & Dunlap (New York). "Topper" is subtitled "A Ribald Adventure." It is full of adventures (even wild ones), and these create unexpected situations that trouble the protagonist, but which eventually change him into a new person. The adventures of Topper and his new friends create comedy and evoke pathos, and where several brushes with near-death experiences transform this complacent, eager-to-please, conventional banker into a warm, considerate, hopeful man full of humanity, more easily moved to compassion for those on the outskirts, and readily accepting of those who are different from himself.

The book gave rise to several movies in the 1930s and 1940s, and to a television series in the 1960s. All were comedies. The book is also a comedy, but it is fundamentally more serious than one would suspect. It is a parable, if you will, of what it takes to live a healthy and meaningful life, free of any pressure to conform to hallow societal norms and to be one's own person. This book is so unique, in fact, at least for me that I didn't want to end.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun and entertaining. I ended up reading a lot of it out loud to my husband because we both get a kick out of this type of old-fashioned humor.

[Colleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the movie (especially the first one) and the concept is a good one. As for the claim at the start of the book how all friendly ghost books come from this, the Canterville Ghost predates this by a few decades. But if there was ever anyone willing to love a 20s comedy, I would have thought to be first in line. Though I didn't like this book--it has the zaniness of Benchley and Wodehouse and the sly wit of Parker and Coward but I found it appalling in many places. Far more alcohol is consumed in this book than anything in The Hangover or recent bro films. The concept is a good one--middle-aged man in a crisis, buys an inappropriate car to his wife's dismay, and discovers that the car he bought, restored after a fatal DUI accident, comes with two inebriated, mischievous ghosts.

A lot of drinking and horseplay ensues where he basically runs away and tosses away all his "decency" to go on a road trip with thieving, mooching, gulping insane amount of booze 4 ghost pals (the ghost entourage grows) and half a ghost dog. It's okay because the ghosts restore a pep to his step, but they do almost kill him at several parts, and they still think nothing of driving around wasted out of their minds. This is just no longer that funny, and it sort of contributes to how dated this book is.

The ghosts are far more sympathetic in the film version and the wife not so much of a shrew (anyone else notice some weird things going on with race in this book too?). I am glad I read this though and I actually will read the sequel, which I have. A lot of this author's plots though seem very interesting and that Bewitched is based on his last novel is also cool trivia.

[Jim Razinha · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a time when people didn’t have instant entertainment, when they weren’t fed what to think or feel. Before easy and cheap access to television, before radio, before movies ... okay, “talkies” ... there was little to entertain themselves. Books helped. And the readers still had to think. I found a copy of Topper Takes a Trip in an antique store, bought it, and though I’d seen the movie (it was entertaining, sue me), thought I should read this first.

Rich language. Mr. Smith sure had a way with words. Vivid imagery with stately descriptions. Now, I’m not sure if Smith ever drank because he exaggerated mightily the consumption of the milquetoast Cosmo Topper and wild, if generally ... dead ..., friends. Comical adventures, risqué in a way that seems a surprise for a book published in 1926. We need not be naive to think that people weren’t risqué, but in print? Regardless of its entertainment value, I can’t forgive Cosmo Topper his, um, spirit-ual indiscretions...but this book was written for a different era. Not that it was forgivable then, but that is just the way things were written. I might watch the movie again to compare, and I expect I’ll read the sequel soon enough.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

My copy of Topper promised a "ribald adventure," but I think the standards of 1926 were a little different. Essentially Topper is a boring, suburban guy approaching middle age and feeling dissatisfied with life. He impulse buys a sports car that is haunted by the ghosts of the fast, young couple who died crashing it into a tree. There's a lot of drinking and women's underwear and even Topper sleeping in a tent with a woman who's not his wife! I didn't find it that funny, possibly because it relies too much on the shock value of things that are no longer shocking. The best parts of the book were actually some of the more serious reflections on what makes life worth living. Here's a passage I particularly liked:

He had held a sparrow in his hand once and felt its heart beat. Somehow it had made him feel like crying. The little thing had been so excited, so bent on living. Life to the little sparrow had seemed so necessary and important. Topper had released it immediately. How busily it had flown away.

[Doc · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bestseller in the late '20s, and very much a book of its time, a time when Prohibition held a quite tenuous sway over the land.

George and Marion Kerby, a bon vivant couple who recently died in a car wreck, come back to inject some rabblerousery and dissipation into the life of a stodgy, frustrated banker who rejoices in the name Cosmo Topper.

The book is quite different in many ways from the Cary Grant movie. For one, Grant's character, George, is gone for most of the book. For two, there is a lot more genteel hell raising than I remember in the movie.

Topper is a light, amusing read, if you don't find Marion Kerby's antics too irritating. (Sometimes I felt irritation begin to stir, but it never rose to a level anywhere near the tooth-grinding irritation I felt watching Barbra Streisand in What's Up Doc.)

I read Topper for free through Goodreads (via feedbooks). A number of other Topper books followed this one.

[Jenn Lessmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this. It reminds me a lot of 50s and 60s sitcoms.. which makes sense (even though it was written in the 20s) because Bewitched was apparently based on one of Smith's books.

I definitely need to see the Cary Grant movie. I was thrown when I started reading because I knew Grant was in the movie, but I couldn't picture him as the title character. Further research shows Grant plays George Kerby, which makes so much more sense.

Anyway. Smith was a contemporary of F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the book kind of reads like "Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan die in a car accident and then haunt George Wilson, who has bought Gatsby's car from the estate. Hilarity ensues."

[Ketan Shah]

If PG Wodehouse had written Beetlejuice,the result might be something like this novel.A buttoned down henpecked banker finds that his new car is haunted by the free spirited (pun intended) ghosts of it's previous owners. They proceed to have many adventures while overcoming the problems associated with finding alcohol during Prohibition.Witty with endearing characters If you enjoyed this you might enjoy the works of PG Wodehouse,James Thurber,and especially The Lunatic at large by Clouston, J. Storer.

[TrumanCoyote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I suppose the style might tend to come off a bit mealy-mouthed at times. But it was doubtless quite amusingly ribald for its era (with its lawless spirit presaging the 1960s), and the character of Marion Kirby is I think all the stronger now.

[Danielle The Book Huntress]

The movies are great. I'd love to read the book.

[Lori Werhane · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an odd, drunken tale... I enjoyed much of the language, but found some of the humor a tad old fashioned.

[Shekina Ejah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow I love your book

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barrett Whitener did a good job narrating this 1920s satire.

For my thoughts on the book itself, see my review of my Kindle edition.

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

Topper, a Ribald Adventure by Thorne Smith
1926

I chose something different for Halloween this year, a classic ghost story. I've seen the movies that came from this book series and a couple of the TV shows.
The first movie (with Carey Grant) was decent, but my favorite is "Topper Returns." A classic "old dark house" murder mystery movie.
The book was quite a bit different, as usual, although Joan Blondel's character in "Topper Returns" seems closer to the Marion Kerby from this story.

Topper is complacent, routine, and a bit of a milquetoast man. He's a banker and kowtows to just about everyone. His wife runs all over him and even tells him what his favorite food is.
Reading this, remember, it was published in 1926. Topper doesn't own a car and those in his community are still judgmental on them. Especially if you bought a second-hand car. *Gasp!*

George and Marion Kerby were married and living the fast, live free, die hard, loose life. Not letting anything get in the way of a good time, drinking and partying. Except a tree they ran into and killed them.

A year later, Topper buys their rebuilt car on a whim and learns to drive. Yearning for something but not quite sure what. He just knows something isn't right. He ends up meeting the ghosts of the Kerby's and hilarity and typical ghost-misunderstandings ensue.
Poor married Topper falls in love with this fast life with the dead and then falls in love with a dead woman.
He runs away from home, his job, his responsibilities, and finds himself.

If I had to give this book a tag line, it might be something along the lines of "He learned how to live from the dead."

The voice of this book was very much like the narration in Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy. That humor. And the Inn that Thorne Smith writes about, it feels too real. Too much detail. I'm convinced this is from a place he knows. By the end of the book, I found myself longing for this old abandoned Inn.
Chapter 8, Wayward Ghosts was about the loveliest of lines set to page. I reread it twice. The first few pages of that chapter. I don't know Thorne Smith, I have only a passing knowledge of the man. I know he died young. Less than 10 years after this publication. But there were sections of this book that I would hold up to Carlos Ruiz Zafón's "The Shadow of the Wind" which I consider to be the finest book I've ever read.

Sections, mind you, not the whole book.

I was not expecting this from this book. I walk away stunned but feeling grateful for the story.
And for the new friends.

Do yourself a favor, read this for yourself or with a book-club with open-minded folks, because you're going to want to talk about it.
And remember, it was published in **1926**. Phrases, meanings, and ideas were a tad different.

[Mike]

Not much plot per thousand words, at least not in the first few chapters, which is as far as I got.

It's the story of a dull middle-aged man having a mid-life crisis, which is described slowly and circumstantially and in a way that's meant to be comedic but came across to me as bleak. At the end of chapter 3, he finally reaches the buy-a-sports-car step of the mid-life crisis, and there have been strong hints dropped that he will soon (by the standards of this book) move on to the younger-mistress step. Apparently he does eventually reconcile with his wife, but I'm not enjoying it enough to stay around for that.

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

If it was 1926 and I was a teenager, I'm sure I'd rate this higher. But the plot wanders for 200 pages, I found Topper unlikeable before and after his transformation, and its risque humor has faded. The moral that one needs to take chances and loosen up is fine, but Topper does this by drinking himself sodden and flirting with an adulterous ghost while he abandons his wife. His role models ended their lives in a drunken car crash. This novel badly needs Cary Grant, who graced the more successful movie.

[Arthur Pierce · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd read this book a long time ago but had only a faint memory of it. It is somewhat ribald and rambles considerably. It struck me that there were some very well-done scenes, alternating with not-very-well done scenes. Some of the best passages have a cliched quality about them but, of course, that's only because they inspired similar scenes in books and movies for years to come.

[Patricia Taylor]

Got to page 93, but need to return it to the library. I was enjoying the book, so I will probably check it out again at some point.