The Topper TV Series

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Ranked #435 in Movies & TV, #10,418 overall

Topper Comes to Television

Thorne Smith's lively characters enjoyed an international audience through a trio of popular Topper movies, and gained new fame when CBS Television produced the episodic comedy series, Topper, in 1953. Veteran character actor Leo G. Carroll was cast as the haunted banker, Cosmo Topper. The mischievous ghosts, George and Marion Kerby, were played with flair by real-life husband and wife team Robert Sterling and Anne Jeffreys.

Rounding out the cast were Lee Patrick as Cosmo's quivery-voiced wife, Henrietta, and dependable character actress Kathleen Freeman as Katie, the maid. The Kerby's martini-loving St. Bernard, Neil, frequently stole the show.

The Topper TV Series 

A Few Facts Courtesy of Wikipedia

Topper was a television situation comedy series based on the 1930s film series Topper.

The thrust of the story is that the sophisticated Cosmo Topper (Leo G. Carroll) is vice-president of a bank. He is married to the sweet but somewhat dumb Henrietta (Lee Patrick). They live in a house in a Los Angeles suburb that they bought from the estate of a fashionable young couple, George and Marion Kerby (Robert Sterling and Anne Jeffreys), now-former clients of Topper's bank, who died after being swept away by an avalanche. Their St. Bernard, Neil, who was unable to rescue them, also died with them. Cosmo finds that his house is haunted by their ghosts and that of their alcoholic St. Bernard. Only Cosmo can see or hear them.

The ghosts try to put some excitement and joy into the life of the somewhat stodgy and conservative Cosmo. In action that would anticipate the later series Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie, the ghosts would cause strange (but very humorous) events to happen, for which an embarrassed Cosmo would have to create some kind of explanation to others who would be baffled, and often even amusingly frightened, by seeing them.

Broadway wunderkind Stephen Sondheim, then a neophyte, wrote 19 episodes for Topper's first season, roughly half alone and half with George Oppenheimer. The show's producer was Bernard L. Schubert.

The show ran on CBS from 1953 to 1955. 78 episodes were produced. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco's Camel cigarettes was the show's sponsor; the Kerbys were always seen smoking as part of the general action of each episode, as per R.J. Reynolds' requirements. Both ABC and NBC later aired repeats of these episodes (ABC in 1955 and NBC in 1956). In later decades Topper would be popular in syndication (with the direct Camel commercials and references removed, but with the characters still seen openly smoking).

Topper TV Series

Topper is Tops!

Topper still shows up occasionally in late-night reruns. The show's special ghost effects—quaint by modern standards—were state of the art in the 1950s.

Topper Facts & Trivia 

CBS Television

Topper TV Series
Robert Sterling and Anne Jeffreys

  • Release Date: October 9, 1953 (USA)
  • Genres: Fantasy - Comedy
  • Emmy Nomination for Best Situation Comedy (1954)
  • The show ran for two seasons, during which time 78 episodes were produced.
  • Award winning composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim wrote 9 episodes.
  • Film Effects of Hollywood created the special ghost effects.
  • Leo G. Carroll appeared in more Alfred Hitchcock films (Rebecca, Suspicion, Spellbound, The Paradine Case, Strangers On A Train, and North By Northwest) than any other actor except Hitchcock himself.
  • Robert Sterling and Anne Jeffreys were married in real life.

The Adventures of Topper - Volume One 

Available on DVD

The Adventures of Topper, Vol. 1

Amazon Price: (as of 12/18/2009)Buy Now

This Critics' Choice DVD compilation includes four classic episodes: "The Proposal," "Henrietta Sells the House," "Topper Goes to Las Vegas," and "George's Old Flame." 1954, B&W, 110 minutes.

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The Adventures of Topper - Volume Two 

Available on DVD

The Adventures of Topper, Vol. 2

Amazon Price: (as of 12/18/2009)Buy Now

This Critics' Choice DVD compilation includes four classic episodes: "Second Honeymoon," "Trip to Lisbon," "Topper Goes West," and "Sweepstakes." 1954, B&W, 104 minutes.

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Topper on Squidoo 

Topper TV Series Marketplace 

Your Favorite Topper TV Merchandise

Where else can you watch television shows featuring Camel cigarette ads? The producers were especially proud of the fact that they were providing free smokes to our enlisted men and women overseas. My, how times change!

Topper TV Series
Anne Jeffreys and Robert Sterling

Topper, Vol. 2

Topper, Vol. 2

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Vintage Camel Cigarette Advertisement

Meet George and Marion Kerby 

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Topper TV Series
Producer Hal Roach brought Thorne Smith's zany characters to life in three films: Topper, Topper Takes a Trip and Topper Returns.


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