The Jovial Ghosts: The Misadventures of Topper

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Ranked #392 in Books, #41,128 overall

A Ribald Adventure by Thorne Smith

Thorne Smith was one of the most successful authors of American humor in the late 1920s, whose works brought joy to those living in the largely joyless Depression era. He is most famous for Topper, which was immortalized on the silver screen by film legend Cary Grant and a fabulous supporting cast, including Constance Bennett, Roland Young, and Billie Burke.

The books were later adapted into a 1953 television series, Topper, starring Leo G. Carroll as Cosmo Topper, Lee Patrick as his wife, and the husband and wife team of Robert Sterling and Anne Jeffreys as the fun-loving ghosts, George and Marion Kerby. In 1979, another husband and wife team, Andrew Stevens and Kate Jackson, executive produced and starred in a made-for-television movie that didn't quite measure up to the film and episodic versions. A new Disney film featuring Steve Martin as Cosmo Topper is slated for production and release in 2010.

Thorne Smith may not be a household name, but his works have definitely had a lasting influence on the American entertainment industry. Thorne Smith's book The Passionate Witch (published posthumously) was made into the 1942 film I Married a Witch, starring Fredrick March and Veronica Lake. That film inspired the long-running television comedy series, Bewitched, starring Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead. Bewitched was immensely popular with viewers—254 episodes of the show were produced between 1964 and 1972. Thorne Smith's literary works were a combination of satire and wit, balanced with humor and sexual innuendo. His writing style has been endlessly imitated, but never fully duplicated.

Thorne Smith

A Brief Biography of Thorne Smith 

Courtesy of Wikipedia

James Thorne Smith Jr. (March 27, 1892-June 21, 1934), was an American writer of humorous supernaturnal fantasy fiction.

Best known today for his creation of Topper, Smith's comic fantasy fiction (most of it involving sex, lots of drinking, and supernatural transformations, and aided by racy illustrations) sold millions of copies in the early 1930s. Smith drank as steadily as his characters; his appearance in James Thurber's The Years With Ross involves an unexplained week-long disappearance. Smith was born in Annapolis, Maryland the son of a Navy commodore, attended Dartmouth College, and after hungry years in Greenwich Village working part-time as an advertising agent, Smith achieved meteoric success with the publication of Topper in 1926. He died of a heart attack in 1934 while vacationing in Florida.

Topper by Thorne Smith 

Available in Paperback

Topper (Modern Library)

Amazon Price: $13.50 (as of 07/12/2009)Buy Now

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Topper Takes a Trip by Thorne Smith 

Available in Paperback

Topper Takes a Trip (Modern Library Paperbacks)

Amazon Price: $19.00 (as of 07/12/2009)Buy Now

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The Topper Movies on Squidoo 

Thorne Smith Topper
Roland Young and Constance Bennett

The Topper Movie Series 

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The Topper TV Series on Squidoo 

Thorne Smith Topper
Robert Sterling, Anne Jeffreys, Leo G. Carroll, and Lee Patrick with Neil

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Topper: In Development 

From the Internet Movie Database:
Steve Martin attached to play Cosmo Topper, an up-tight estate liquidator who's hired to sell off the estate of George and Mimi Kirby, a recently-deceased wealthy young socialite couple who have no intention of letting their ghostly forms stop them from partying... or from trying to show Topper what life's all about.

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Topper Marketplace 

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Thorne Smith Books on eBay 

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Welcome, Thorne Smith Fans 

Have you ever read any of the "Topper" books?

Thorne Smith Topper

DAD1104 wrote...

Funny thing, i just watched the circa 1920's last Friday.

ReplyPosted September 21, 2008

bdkz wrote...

Very interesting lens!

ReplyPosted May 02, 2008

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Thorne Smith Topper

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