James Thorne Smith, Jr. (March 27, 1892 – June 20, 1934) was an American writer of humorous supernatural

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, ...

fiction under the byline Thorne Smith. He is best known today for the two ''Topper'' novels, comic fantasy fiction involving sex, much drinking and ghosts. With racy illustrations, these sold millions of copies in the 1930s and were equally popular in paperbacks of the 1950s.

Life and career

Smith was born in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

, the son of a Navy commodore, and attended

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

. In 1919, after being discharged from the Navy the same year, he moved to

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

, where he met Celia Sullivan whom he would marry. In need of money, he worked part-time as an advertising agent. Their first daughter Marion was born on November 14, 1922, and their second daughter June on March 4, 1924. In 1926 Smith achieved meteoric success with the publication of ''Topper''. He was an early resident of Free Acres, a social experimental community developed by Bolton Hall according to the economic principles of

Henry George Henry George (September 2, 1839 – October 29, 1897) was an American political economist, Social philosophy, social philosopher and journalist. His writing was immensely popular in 19th-century America and sparked several reform movements of ...

, in

Berkeley Heights, New Jersey Berkeley Heights is a Township (New Jersey), township in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located on a ridge in North Jersey, northern-central Jersey, central New Jersey, Berkeley Heights is a commuter to ...

. He died of a heart attack in 1934 at the age of 42 while vacationing in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. Smith was a close friend of actor

Roland Young Roland Young (11 November 1887 – 5 June 1953) was an English-born actor. He began his acting career on the London stage, but later found success in America and received an Academy Award nomination for his role in the film '' Topper'' (19 ...

, who played the character Topper in several movie adaptations of Smith's work. After Smith's death, Young wrote a short biography, ''Thorne Smith: His Life and Times'', which is now a collector's item.

Works

* ''Biltmore Oswald: The Diary of a Hapless Recruit'' (1918). A series of comic stories written for the Naval Reserve journal ''The Broadside'' while Smith was in the Navy. * ''Out O' Luck: Biltmore Oswald Very Much at Sea'' (1919). * ''Haunts and Bypaths'' (1919). A book of poetry. * ''Topper'' (1926, copyright renewed 1953also known as ''The Jovial Ghosts''). This and its sequel, ''Topper Takes a Trip'' (1932, set in the French Riviera), are probably Smith's most famous work, about a respectable banker called Cosmo Topper, married to his depressingly staid wife Mary, and his misadventures with a couple of

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 ...

, Marion and George Kerby, who introduce him to other ghosts. He is romantically attracted to Marion, who at one point tries to kill him so that they can always be together. Unusually for such a book, Mary is treated sympathetically—she does not like what she has become and tries to change. : ''Topper'' was made into a 1937 film starring

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...

as George Kerby,

Constance Bennett Constance Campbell Bennett (October 22, 1904 – July 24, 1965) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actress and producer. She was a major Cinema of the United States, Hollywood star during the 1920s and 1930s; during the early 193 ...

as Marion Kerby, and

as Cosmo Topper. Two filmed sequels followed: ''

Topper Takes a Trip ''Topper Takes a Trip'' is a 1938 supernatural film directed by Norman Z. McLeod. It is a sequel to the 1937 film '' Topper''. Constance Bennett, Roland Young, Billie Burke, and Alan Mowbray reprised their roles from the earlier film; only Ca ...

'', in 1939, and ''

Topper Returns ''Topper Returns'' is a 1941 American supernatural comedy thriller film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Joan Blondell, Roland Young, Carole Landis and Billie Burke. The third and final installment in the initial series of supernatural ...

'', in 1941. The latter film was not based on a book. Young reprised the role in the 1945 NBC radio summer replacement series ''

The Adventures of Topper ''The Adventures of Topper'' is a radio situation comedy in the United States. It was broadcast on NBC June 7 – September 13, 1945, as a summer replacement for Dinah Shore's program. Format The 30-minute program was based on characters create ...

''. The books were adapted into an American

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

series, '' Topper'', beginning in 1953, with Leo G. Carroll as Cosmo Topper, and

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 ...

as the ghosts. Seventy-eight episodes were made. The

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

episode and a few of the early episodes were written by

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 ...

. * ''Dream's End'' (1927, copyright renewed 1955). A serious novel that was not a success. * ''The Stray Lamb'' (1929). Mild-mannered investment banker,

cuckold A cuckold is the husband of an adulterous wife (or partner for unmarried companions); the wife of an adulterous husband is a cuckquean. In biology, a cuckold is a male who unwittingly invests parental effort in juveniles who are not geneti ...

, and

dipsomania Dipsomania is a historical term describing a medical condition involving an uncontrollable craving for alcohol or other drugs. In the 19th century, the term dipsomania was used to refer to a variety of alcohol-related problems, most of which are k ...

c T. Lawrence Lamb gains perspective on the human condition during a series of mysterious transformations into various animal forms. Lamb, his daughter Hebe, her boyfriend Melville Long, and Hebe's friend Sandra Rush (a twentyish lingerie model who becomes Lamb's love interest) pursue many adventures, most of which fall well outside the perimeter of law and order. Lamb has, like many Thorne Smith heroes, a shrewish (and in this case adulterous) wife who at one point tries to murder him (at the time he is a goldfish). As in many Thorne Smith novels, a courtroom scene involving the protagonists and an exasperated judge provides a climax to the characteristically tipsy action. This novel is included with ''Turnabout'' and ''Rain in the Doorway'' in ''The Thorne Smith 3-Decker'' (Sun Dial Press, 1933). * ''Did She Fall?'' (1930). A mystery novel admired by

Dashiell Hammett Samuel Dashiell Hammett ( ; May 27, 1894 – January 10, 1961) was an American writer of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. He was also a screenwriter and political activist. Among the characters he created are Sam Spade ('' The Ma ...

. * ''The Night Life of the Gods'' (1931). Quirky inventor Hunter Hawk strikes

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

when he invents a device enabling him to turn living

matter In classical physics and general chemistry, matter is any substance that has mass and takes up space by having volume. All everyday objects that can be touched are ultimately composed of atoms, which are made up of interacting subatomic pa ...

into

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

and to reverse the process at will. After a chaotic field test he meets stunning 900-year-old

Megaera Megaera ( ; ) is one of the Erinyes, Eumenides or "Furies" in Greek mythology. '' Bibliotheca Classica'' states "According to the most received opinions, they were three in number, Tisiphone, "Megaera ... daughter of Nyx and Acheron", and ...

, who teaches him to turn stone into flesh. They and some friends set their sights on

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to bring the

Roman gods The Roman deities most widely known today are those the Romans identified with Greek counterparts, integrating Greek myths, iconography, and sometimes religious practices into Roman culture, including Latin literature, Roman art, and relig ...

of the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

to life: Mercury shows himself an expert pickpocket, while

Neptune Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun. It is the List of Solar System objects by size, fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 t ...

causes chaos in the fish market. * ''Turnabout'' (1931) pits two modern married people into a battle of the sexes. Noticing the bickering and jealousy of a young man and wife, an

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

idol causes them to switch bodies. Tim Willows works in an advertising agency, and several of the scenes draw on author Thorne Smith's experience. After his wife, Sally, impregnates her husband, things take a decided turn for the worse as they separately try to deal with the object of the former wife's affections—a square-jawed philanderer by the name of Carl Bently. The scene in which Tim, trapped in his wife's body, exacts an icy revenge on the unfortunate interloper is one of the unforgettable moments of Thorne Smith's peculiar humor. Both a

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

(1940) and a short-lived 1979 television sitcom starring

Sharon Gless Sharon Marguerite Gless (born May 31, 1943) is an American actress known for her television roles. She portrayed Maggie Philbin on ''Switch'' (1975–78), Sgt. Christine Cagney in the police procedural drama series '' Cagney & Lacey'' (1982–88 ...

and

John Schuck Conrad John Schuck Jr. (born February 4, 1940) is an American film, stage, and television actor. He is best known for his role as Sergeant Charles Enright in the 1970s crime drama ''McMillan & Wife''. He also played Herman Munster in the late- ...

(canceled after six episodes) were based on ''Turnabout'', as to some extent was the last broadcast episode of '' Star Trek: The Original Series'', "

Turnabout Intruder "Turnabout Intruder" is the twenty-fourth and final episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by Arthur H. Singer (based on a story by Gene Roddenberry) and directed by Herb Wallerstei ...

". This novel is included with ''The Stray Lamb'' and ''Rain in the Doorway'' in ''The Thorne Smith 3-Decker''. ''Turnabout'' was one of the inspirations for

Mary Rodgers Mary Rodgers (January 11, 1931 – June 26, 2014) was an American composer, screenwriter, and author. She wrote the novel ''Freaky Friday'', which served as the basis of a Freaky Friday (1976 film), 1976 film starring Jodie Foster, for which sh ...

' popular young adult novel ''Freaky Friday''. As she was considering a new children’s book, following several picture books for young children, she remembered "that when I was fourteen, I’d read and loved a novel called ''Turnabout'', by Thorne Smith. Vicious and hilarious, it was something I thought I could emulate in children’s fiction . . . for teens." * ''Lazy Bear Lane'' (1931). A children's book.''Fantasy and Science Fiction:'' Curiosities
at www.sfsite.com * ''The Bishop's Jaegers'' (1932). The depressed, indifferent heir of a vast coffee import fortune, Peter Van Dyke finds his life and high society engagement turned upside down when his secretary, Josephine Duval, determines to “rescue” him by ruining him morally. After an amusing scandal in a coat closet, he is cast adrift in a fog with a motley crew that includes a bishop of the Episcopal Church and a former nude model named Aspirin Liz. The enterprising party lands unceremoniously on the shores of a

naturist resort A naturist resort or nudist resort is an establishment that provides accommodation (or at least camping space) and other amenities for guests in a context where they are invited to practice naturism – that is, a lifestyle of non-sexual socia ...

, and the liberation of the coffee importer is set in motion. Smith, in one of his few comic novels devoid of any element of the supernatural, assumes the reader would know that "Jaegers" refers to a

union suit A union suit is a type of one-piece long underwear, most often associated with menswear in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. History Created in Utica, New York, United States, it originated as women's wear during the 19th-century United S ...

. * ''Rain in the Doorway'' (1933). A

husband, Hector Owen, inadvertently becomes a partner in a big-city department store. The bulk of the action involves the inebriated adventures of Owen, his three partners (Mr. Horace Larkin, a man called Dinner, and Major Barney Britt-Britt), and a salesgirl from the pornographic books department, Miss Honor "Satin" Knightly. Of the three novels included in ''The Thorne Smith 3-Decker'' (see ''The Stray Lamb'' and ''Turnabout'' above) this is the most openly erotic, with many direct suggestions of sexual encounters, accompanied with cartoons of nude women cavorting with the protagonists, drawn by artist Herbert Roese. The Thorne Smith courtroom scene provides a climax, but the novel's biggest surprise isn't sprung until the final pages. * ''Skin and Bones'' (1933). A photographer's freak accident in the darkroom produces a chemical concoction causing him and his dog to randomly switch back and forth between normal and X-ray (skeleton) versions of themselves. Drinking and cavorting ensues as he finds people able to see beyond his appearance and appreciate him for who he is, while inadvertently terrifying those who cannot. Unusually, his wife Lorna is an attractive personality. * ''The Glorious Pool'' (1934). Perhaps the best example of Thorne Smith's acutely sharp social humor played out against a backdrop of the

Volstead Act The National Prohibition Act, known informally as the Volstead Act, was an act of the 66th United States Congress designed to execute the 18th Amendment (ratified January 1919) which established the prohibition of alcoholic drinks. The Anti- ...

(

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

). Two unrepentant reprobates are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the seduction which made the stylish Rex Pebble into an adulterer and his companion, Spray Summers, into his hard-boiled mistress. While their exasperating and alcoholic Japanese houseboy, Nakashima, plays jujitsu with the English language, the two slip into a swimming pool, the waters of which have been changed into a fountain of youth. Abandoning their clothes and modesty with their advanced years, the newfound youthfulness of their bodies puts into motion an evening of hijinks that only a seasoned and well-practiced couple of sinners could imagine. * ''The Passionate Witch'' (1941, published posthumously and completed by Norman H. Matson). Produced in 1942 as the film ''

I Married a Witch ''I Married A Witch'' is a 1942 American romantic screwball comedy fantasy film directed by René Clair and written by Robert Pirosh and Marc Connelly. Starred by Veronica Lake as the title character witch whose plan for revenge goes comically ...

'', this novel was one of the inspirations, along with ''

Bell, Book and Candle ''Bell, Book and Candle'' is a 1958 American supernatural romantic comedy film directed by Richard Quine from a screenplay by Daniel Taradash, based on the 1950 Broadway play of the same title by John Van Druten and starring James Stewart, ...

'', for the long-running TV series ''

Bewitched ''Bewitched'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series that originally aired for eight seasons on ABC from September 17, 1964, to March 25, 1972. It is about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man and vows to lead the life of a typi ...

''. A sequel to the novel, ''Bats in the Belfry'' (1942), is entirely by Matson, though sometimes attributed to Smith. During World War II, ''Skin and Bones'', ''Turnabout'', ''The Night Life of the Gods'', ''The Passionate Witch'', ''The Stray Lamb'', ''The Bishop's Jaegers'', ''The Glorious Pool'', and ''Rain in the Doorway'' were all published in mass-market sized paperbacks by

Armed Services Editions Armed Services Editions (ASEs) were small paperback books of fiction and nonfiction that were distributed in the American military during World War II. From 1943 to 1947, some 122 million copies of more than 1,300 ASE titles were distributed to ...

for distribution to the military.

References

External links

The Official Thorne Smith Website
by Michael D. Walker

Libraries

*
Joseph Blotner collection on Thorne Smith, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Online editions

LibraryThing author profile
* * * *
Thorne Smith, The Online Books Page, University of Pennsylvania

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Thorne 1892 births 1934 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers American fantasy writers American humorists American male novelists American male short story writers Dartmouth College alumni Novelists from Maryland Novelists from New Jersey People from Berkeley Heights, New Jersey Writers from Annapolis, Maryland Writers from Union County, New Jersey

Life and career

Works

References

Further reading

Dissertations

Biographies

Bibliographies and checklists

External links

Libraries

Online editions