''Topper'' is an American

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

television series based on the 1937 film '' Topper'', which was based on the two novels '' Topper'' and ''Topper Takes a Trip'' by

Thorne Smith James Thorne Smith, Jr. (March 27, 1892 – June 20, 1934) 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 se ...

. The series was broadcast on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

from October 9, 1953, to July 15, 1955, and stars Leo G. Carroll in the title role. It finished at #24 in the

Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...

for the 1954–1955 season. ''Topper'' also earned an Emmy nomination for Best Situation Comedy in 1954.

Synopsis

Sophisticated but stuffy Cosmo Topper (Carroll) is the vice president of City Bank, married to sweet but rather clueless Henrietta ( Lee Patrick). They live in a

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

house they bought from the estate of a young couple, George and Marion Kerby (real life husband and wife

Robert Sterling Robert Sterling (born William Sterling Hart; November 13, 1917 – May 30, 2006) was an American actor. He was best known for starring in the television series '' Topper'' (1953–1955). In 1960, Sterling was honored with a star on the Hollyw ...

and

Anne Jeffreys Anne Jeffreys (born Annie Jeffreys Carmichael; January 26, 1923 – September 27, 2017) was an American actress and singer. She was the female lead in the 1950s TV series '' Topper''. Career Jeffreys was born Annie Jeffreys Carmichael on Janu ...

). The Kerbys died while skiing when they were buried by an

avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a Grade (slope), slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be triggered spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, othe ...

. A St. Bernard dog, Neil, who attempted to rescue them also died with them. Topper discovers his new home is haunted by the ghosts of the former occupants as well as Neil. Strangely, he is the only one able to see or hear them. Neil, the St. Bernard, loves martinis and a running gag is the invisible dog lapping up the drink. The Kerbys try to bring some excitement and joy into the life of stodgy and conservative Topper. The

ghosts In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

cause strange (but humorous) events to happen, which an embarrassed Cosmo has to try to explain to others baffledand even frightenedby them.

Cast

Main

as Marion Kerby *

as George Kerby * Leo G. Carroll as Cosmo Topper * Lee Patrick as Henrietta Topper * Buck as Neil

Recurring

Thurston Hall Ernest Thurston Hall (May 10, 1882 – February 20, 1958) was an American film, stage and television actor.Aylesworth, Thomas G. and Bowman, John S. (1987). ''The World Almanac Who's Who of Film''. World Almanac. . Pp. 186-187. Career Stag ...

as Mr. Schuyler, President of City Bank *

Kathleen Freeman Kathleen Freeman (February 17, 1923August 23, 2001) was an American actress. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, she portrayed acerbic maids, secretaries, teachers, busybodies, nurses, and battle-axe neighbors and relatives, almost i ...

as Katie (season 1) * Edna Skinner as Maggie (season 2)

Production

The very young, aspiring

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

composer and lyricist

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...

wrote eleven episodes for ''Toppers first season with

George Oppenheimer George Seligman Oppenheimer (February 7, 1900 in New York City – August 14, 1977) was an American screenwriter, playwright, and journalist. Career In 1925, Oppenheimer cofounded The Viking Press, but becoming more interested in writing than p ...

. The show's producer was John W. Loveton, with his agent, Bernard L. Schubert, credited as co-producer. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco's

Camel cigarettes Camel is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in the United States and by Japan Tobacco outside the U.S. Most recently Camel cigarettes contain a blend of Turkish tobacco and Vi ...

was the show's sponsor; the Kerbys were seen smoking in every episode, as required by Reynolds; the actors, along with Carroll, also appeared in integrated commercials promoting the product at the end of the show, as well as announcing where free cartons of Camels were being sent to various military bases and veterans hospitals each week.

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

aired repeats of these episodes in 1956. There were at least three forms of the opening announcement: "

Camel A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provid ...

America's first choice among cigarettespresents ''Topper''. Starringas Marion Kerby, the loveliest ghost in town

. As George Kerby, the liveliest ghost in town

. And Leo G. Carroll as Topper dog bark is heard Oh, yes, and ahh... the deadliest ghost, Neil". In another opening, the announcer adds, "And there are only three people in the world who can see or hear themyou and I... and Cosmo Topper". When ''Topper'' was shown in repeats, Anne Jeffreys was introduced as "the ghostess with the mostest"; Robert Sterling as "that most sporty spirit", and Leo G. Carroll as "host to said ghosts".

Episodes

Season 1 (1953–54)

Season 2 (1954–55)

Broadcast and syndication

''Topper'' was popular in syndication for more than a decade. Camel commercials and their references were removed but the characters could still be seen smoking them.

Home media

There are 11 episodes in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

which have been released on DVD but the series has not been given a full release.

References

External links

* * * {{Internet Archive film clip, id=Topper-HenriettaSellsTheHouse, description=episode "Henrietta Sells the House" 1953 American television series debuts 1955 American television series endings 1950s American single-camera sitcoms Black-and-white American television shows American English-language television shows American fantasy comedy television series Television shows about ghosts Live action television shows based on films Television series based on adaptations Television series by CBS Studios Television shows set in Los Angeles CBS sitcoms