The Topper TV Series

Ranked #3,290 in Entertainment, #36,590 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 ever-bubbly wife, Henrietta, and dependable character actress Kathleen Freeman as Katie, the maid. The Kerby's martini-loving St. Bernard, Neil, frequently stole the show.

Topper TV Series

Creative Commons License

Topper (1953-55)

Starring Leo G. Carroll as Cosmo Topper

Are You a Topper Fan?

Topper TV

Loading poll. Please Wait...

Meet George and Marion Kerby

Starring Robert Sterling and Anne Jeffreys

powered by Youtube

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.

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

  • 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.

Anne Jeffreys and Robert Sterling 

Happy Hollywood Couple

Robert Sterling and Anne Jeffreys were married in 1951 and had three sons. In addition to Topper, the duo starred in the TV series Love That Jill. The union lasted until Robert Sterling's death in 2006 at age 88.

Robert Sterling and Anne Jeffreys 

Kathleen Freeman as Katie the Maid 

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

Topper

Topper

1 point

Anne Jeffreys (1951)

How MILD can a cigarette be? My cigarette must be mild. I smoke CAMELS. They agree with my throat and they taste grand!

Vintage Camel Cigarette Advertisement 

Who is Thorne Smith?

Accomplished Author and Creator of Topper

Many years ago, a friend mentioned to Michael Walker that his writing style was reminiscent of Thorne Smith. Upon learning that Walker was unfamiliar with the author, the friend loaned him his personal dog-eared copy of Topper. Eventually Michael Walker became an expert on Thorne Smith—he wrote Host To Said Ghosts: The Thorne Smith Story and created ThorneSmith.net, a website devoted to the largely forgotten Depression-era writer. Learn more about Thorne Smith, the man who inspired such supernatural hits as Mister Ed, Bewitched, and I Dream of Jeannie.


Photograph Courtesy of ThorneSmith.net

Topper on Squidoo

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Topper

Loading

Thanks For Visiting

Are You a Fan of the Topper TV Series?

Topper TV Series

submit

Featured at The 100 Best Television Lenses

Thank you, Bonnie (JustBon-CrochetDesigns)

Loading

Squidoo Lenses by Kim Giancaterino

Top 10 Squidoo Lenses Listed by Rank

Loading Fetching RSS feed... please stand by

The Topper TV Series

KimGiancaterino's Bio

The Topper TV Series was created by Kim Giancaterino on April 30, 2008. This Squidoo page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

Topper TV Series
Loading

Creative Commons License

This License Applies to All Lenses Created by Kim Giancaterino

Loading

Topper Lenses by Kim Giancaterino

Thorne Smith, Topper, Topper Takes a Trip, Topper Returns, and More!

A hearty toast to Thorne Smith's Topper:
Topper by Thorne Smith

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

The 1953 Topper television series featured husband and wife team Robert Sterling and Anne Jeffreys, Lee Patrick, and Leo G. Carroll as the haunted Cosmo Topper:
The Topper TV Series

Is a Topper remake in the works?
Topper: In Development

SquidArt Courtesy of tagsforkids

by

KimGiancaterino

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

Feeling creative? Create a Lens!

Topper: A Ribald Adventure 

by Thorne Smith

Topper

Amazon Price: $2.49 (as of 02/17/2012)Buy Now

Libbey Martini Glasses 

Set of Six

Libbey Vina Martini Glass, Set of 6

Amazon Price: $18.95 (as of 02/17/2012)Buy Now

Topper Takes a Trip 

by Thorne Smith

Topper Takes a Trip

Amazon Price: $4.75 (as of 02/17/2012)Buy Now