Main Cast: Joan Blondell, Roland Young, Carole Landis, Billie Burke, Dennis O'Keefe
Release Year: 1941
Country: US
Run Time: 87 minutes
MPAA Rating: NR
Plot
The third of producer Hal Roach's Topper films, Topper Returns eschews the frothy "screwball" format of the first two in favor of an "old dark house" comedy-mystery. Roland Young returns as banker Cosmo Topper, who gallantly offers a lift to pretty hitchhikers Gail Richards (Joan Blondell) and Ann Carrington (Carole Landis). This results in a few baleful glances from Topper's wife, Clara (Billie Burke), but the worst is still to come. It seems that Gail and Ann are en route to a chilly old mansion, recently inherited by Ann and populated by all manner of sinister types, including old reliable menaces Dr. Jeris (George Zucco) and Lillian (Rafaela Ottiano). The only person whom the girls can trust -- or can they? -- is Ann' father (H.B. Warner). Unable to sleep in the creepy mansion, Gail suggests that she and Ann exchange bedrooms. This proves to be a major mistake when a mysterious, hooded assailant, intending to murder Ann, kills Gail instead. Seconds later, Gail's ghost arises from her body and heads to the nearby summer house where Mr. and Mrs. Topper are staying. Having had his fill of ghosts in the first two Topper films, Topper wants nothing to do with Gail's spirit, but she finally convinces him to help her identity her killer, and to rescue Ann from a similar fate. Some of the film's best moments belong to Eddie "Rochester" Anderson as Young's eternally frightened chauffeur (at one point, Anderson threatens to quit the Toppers and go back to Jack Benny)! More contrived and slapstick-oriented than the earlier Toppers, Topper Returns still works as a neat and entertaining comedy, even in its dreadful computer-colorized version. A decade later, Thorne Smith's "Topper" characters would be revived for a popular TV series, starring Leo G. Carroll, Anne Jeffreys, and Robert Sterling. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
By the time this third entry in the Topper series came around, the characters and basic situation had become well enough established that a slight change of pace was needed, so Topper Returns goes the "old dark house" route -- with delightful results. True, Returns doesn't have the same charm as the original, largely because the inimitable Cary Grant is missing, and it's neither as fresh nor as surprising as the first; but Returns offers a nice variation on the haunted house theme, and the "find my killer" plot is a nice change of pace for the series. Returns doesn't become so concerned with its plot that it forgets to stint on the laughs, however; indeed, Returns probably contains more moments of sheer laughter than the original. If this sequel is ultimately somewhat less successful, it's because many of those laughs come out of left field, jokes that are tangential to or unsupported by the plot, or that come at the expense of character consistency. Returns also boasts a first-rate cast, with Roland Young and Billie Burke inhabiting the Toppers like a pair of comfortable old shoes and Joan Blondell providing some sassy, wisecracking spice. Carole Landis looks lovely, and the supporting cast of character actors delivers exactly what they're supposed to deliver. Returns is not Topper, but it's an extremely enjoyable little film nevertheless. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Nicolai Remisoff - Art Director, Royer - Costume Designer, Bernard Carr - First Assistant Director, Roy Del Ruth - Director, James Newcom - Editor, Werner Richard Heymann - Composer (Music Score), Norbert F. Brodin - Cinematographer, Hal Roach - Producer, Walace L. Stevens - Set Designer, Roy Seawright - Special Effects, William Randall - Sound/Sound Designer, Gordon M. Douglas - Screenwriter, Jonathan Latimer - Screenwriter, Paul Gerard Smith - Screenwriter
Topper Returns (1941) is the third and final entry in the initial series of films inspired by the novels of Thorne Smith. It followed Topper (1937) and Topper Takes a Trip (1938). As in the prior movies, Roland Young and Billie Burke play the Toppers, while Joan Blondell portrays a murder victim and ghost who tries to save her friend, played by Carole Landis, and unmask her killer with the help of a reluctant Cosmo Topper.
A TV series of Topper premiered in 1953 and ran for two seasons.[2] A pilot called Topper Returns (1973)[3] was later made for a proposed TV series. There was also a made-for-TV remake of the original film, Topper in (1979).[4]
