Burt Topper (July 31, 1928 – April 3, 2007) was an American

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

best known for

cult film A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage i ...

s aimed at teenagers.

Biography

Born in

Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...

, New York City, Topper moved to Los Angeles at the age of 8, and served in the United States Navy during World War II.Staff report (April 4, 2007)
Burt Topper, 78, filmmaker.
''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' He was working at the Horseshoe Stage in 1954 and wanted to make a movie. He and several friends got together and made ''Hell Squad'' over six months using their own money.Brian Albright: ''Wild Beyond Belief!'' (McFarland, 2008) - Interview with Joyce King (pages 134-136)
Linked 2014-06-18 This was picked up for distribution by

American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...

and launched his career. In 1958 AIP announced Topper would make a series of films for them, including ''Tank Destroyers'', ''Last Woman on Earth'', ''Young Warrior'', and ''Yacht Party''. Not all of these were produced, but Topper would be associated with AIP for the rest of his career. Topper's 1963 film ''War Is Hell'' (which he wrote, produced, directed and played a small role as an army lieutenant) was playing at the

Texas Theatre The Texas Theatre is a movie theater and Dallas landmark located in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, Texas. It gained historical significance on November 22, 1963, as the location of Lee Harvey Oswald's arrest over the suspicion he was the ...

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

on November 22, 1963.

Lee Harvey Oswald Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) was a U.S. Marine veteran who assassinated John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, on November 22, 1963. Oswald was placed in juvenile detention at the age of 12 fo ...

snuck into the theatre and viewed it briefly before being arrested. He also wrote, produced, directed and narrated fundraising films for the Variety Clubs of America. In the mid 1960s Topper acted as an in house producer for American International. He left them in 1969 to re-enter independent production but still maintained strong links with AIP. In 1972 he announced he would make 15 live action films worth $10.5 million but this did not eventuate. Topper died of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over ...

in Los Angeles. He was survived by his wife Jennifer.Staff report, "Burt Topper, 78; directed low-budget movies aimed at teens."
''Los Angeles Times'', 6 April 2007 accessed 3 January 2012

Selected filmography

*'' Hell Squad'' (1958) - writer, producer, director *'' Tank Commandos'' (1959) - writer, producer, director *''

Diary of a High School Bride ''Diary of a High School Bride'' is a 1959 film directed by Burt Topper about a 17-year-old high school student who gets married. American International Pictures released the film as a double feature with ''Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow''. Plot A 17- ...

'' (1959) - writer, producer, director *''

The Wild Ride ''The Wild Ride'' is a 1960 American film directed by Harvey Berman and starring Jack Nicholson as a rebellious punk named Johnny, of the Beat generation, who spends his days as an amateur dirt track driver in between partying and troublemakin ...

'' (1960) - story *'' War Is Hell'' (1963) - writer, producer, director *'' The Strangler'' (1964) - director *''

Space Probe Taurus ''Space Probe Taurus'' (a.k.a. ''Space Monster'') is a 1965 low budget black-and-white science fiction/action/drama film from American International Pictures, written and directed by Leonard Katzman, and starring Francine York, James E. Brown, B ...

'' (1965) - producer, second unit director *'' Fireball 500'' (1966) - co-producer *'' Thunder Alley'' (1967) - producer *''

Devil's Angels ''Devil's Angels'' (also known as ''The Checkered Flag'') is a 1967 American outlaw biker film written by Charles B. Griffith and directed by Daniel Haller. It stars John Cassavetes. Plot Cody ( John Cassavetes), and his motorcycle gang cal ...

'' (1967) - producer *'' Wild in the Streets'' (1968) - executive producer *''

The Devil's 8 ''The Devil's 8'' is a 1969 film directed by Burt Topper and starring Christopher George, Fabian, Tom Nardini and Leslie Parrish. It was produced and distributed by American International Pictures. Plot Federal agent Ray Faulkner poses as a roa ...

'' (1969) - producer, director *''The Heart of Variety'' (1969) (documentary) - narrator, writer *''

The Hard Ride ''The Hard Ride'' is a 1971 action film about a U.S. Marine who promises to take care of a dead friend's motorcycle and is threatened by a rival biker gang in the process. The film was written and directed by Burt Topper and stars Robert Fuller ...

'' (1971) - writer, executive producer, director *''The Variety Legacy'' (1974) (documentary) - writer, producer, director *'' Soul Hustler'' (1976) - writer, producer, director *''

C.H.O.M.P.S. ''C.H.O.M.P.S.'' is a 1979 American comic science fiction family film produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and directed by Don Chaffey. Plot Brian Foster ( Wesley Eure), a young inventor, creates a robotic dog for use as part of a home protect ...

'' (1979) - co-producer, second unit director

Unmade films

*''Hell's Belles'' (circa 1968) - proposed motorcycle film which Topper was to produce for AIP to be directed by Rod Amateau *''Hell No We Won't Go'' (circa 1968) - for his own company *''Hot Rod Inferno'' (circa 1968) *''Ten Thousand Graves'' (1969) - war comedy for AIP *''Shake Him Till He Rattles'' (1969)"MOVIE CALL SHEET: OSCARSSON CAST IN 'VALLEY'" Martin, Betty. ''Los Angeles Times'' 22 July 1969: c12.

References

External links

*
Obituary
at

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Topper, Burt 1928 births 2007 deaths Film producers from California American male screenwriters People from Coney Island Film directors from New York City United States Navy personnel of World War II Film directors from Los Angeles Screenwriters from New York (state) Film producers from New York (state) Screenwriters from California 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters