Topper Returns

I agree with jmcsparin that this was the funniest movie seen by me, and without hesitation, I am recommending it, and especially to anyone who is depressed, because this movie was so funny, that it has to lift up even the most depressed person! The basic plot of a murdered woman coming back as a ghost to find her murderer was humorous, but it would never have worked without such an excellent cast! Roland Young was excellent as Topper, as was Joan Blondell as the murdered woman. Eddie "Rochester" Anderson as a chauffeur, Billie Burke as Mrs. Topper, and Donald MacBride as a detective-all hilarious, and it does not end there- Dennis O'Keefe as a taxi driver and Patsy Kelly as Mrs. Topper's maid had some very funny lines! Even the non-funny actors were excellent-Carole Landis, H.B. Warner, George Zucco, Trevor Bardette, and Rafaela Ottiano! Do not miss this movie!

I enjoy digging this movie out from time to time. Nice to see it's on DVD. And for a good reason. Joan Blondell! Whether on tape or DVD make sure you have good freeze frame features Why? Because Blondell is quite bra less in many of the longshots. I couldn't believe so much revealing nippage could make it into a feature of the period and not be censored. She seems to have ripped a page out of Jean Harlow's book of ice-on ni**les before filming. Don't think the filmmakers planned it this way. Perhaps this was a hurried along production and nobody thought to correct the bralessness in the dailies. The editor must have had a field day editing some of Miss Blondell's scenes on the cutting room floor. The picture itself is standard fair and many will like or dislike it for their own reasons. To tell the truth I enjoyed it more than the Cary Grant/Constance Bennett original made 5 years earier. TR falls more into the haunted house melodrama genre more than anything else. But it's good for a few laughs. I should suspect that the DVD print is a lot sharper than what has traditionally aired on tv through the years. Also some VHS copies are exceptionally sharp considering the age of the movie. But I enjoyed the movie not only because of Joan Blondell and the braless thing, she's actually quite funny in this, but also because of HB Warner, Eddie Anderson, Carole Landis, Billie Burke, Roland Young, Patsy Kelly and others who round out the fun cast.

A sterling line-up of stars in a comedy * whodunit that never seemed to fire on all cylinders for me. Billie Burke is brilliant as Topper's space cadet wife, and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson has one funny allusion to his other regular job to interrupt the horrible portrayal of a nervous, silly and superstitious African-American servant he is forced to create, a la Mantan Moreland and other black actors forced to play servants in this era. One scene in which he is repeatedly, and I mean repeatedly slapped down into a pool of water by a seal sitting on the edge of a pier is particularly repugnant. The rest of the cast don't come close to their best performances in other films. In particular, the two central characters, played by Roland Young and Joan Blondell, never seem to click comedically. Blondell and Carole Landis do a better job at the beginning of the film as two young girlfriends, but then Landis isn't given much of a chance to shine the rest of the way. She is wasted. You get George Zucco predictably playing a creepy doctor. Pretty much everything is predictable, including who the murderer must be, though you won't really care. That wouldn't make any difference if the film were full of yucks. But I hardly laughed. I found the film mildly diverting and perhaps historically significant for its parade of popular actors of the era. I didn't really need to buy the DVD though.

I don't think this movie holds up well over time, and it certainly wasn't as good as the first two movies. I especially liked Topper Takes A Trip, and found myself laughing uncontrollably in several places. While I like Joan Blondell, and the other actors, I just found that this movie missed. I didn't find it funny at all, just annoying. Maybe it was a case of going to the well too often. In general, very few sequels are as good as the original movie. In this case, third time's a clunker. Roland Young and Billie Burke are always delightful, but even they couldn't save this movie. It could cure insomnia. The first two movies sparkled, and could stand alone on their own merits, and as part of a series. This one just seems out of place, and not worthy to be considered a sequel. Maybe my expectations were simply too high. Having thoroughly enjoyed the first two Toppers, I expected a laugh riot in this one. I don't remember laughing in this one at all, which surprised me. Maybe Topper's time had passed by the time this one was made. I would watch it again to see if it was just me or the movie, since I suspect it's a little of both.

Cosmo TOPPER RETURNS and this time he's involved with murder! Hal Roach Studios presents one more look at the continued supernatural adventures of Cosmo Topper. The Old Dark House routine is trotted out as our hero finds himself in a spooky cliff-top mansion replete with strange disappearances, hidden passageways and a fiendish knife-wielding killer. Roland Young & Billie Burke are back one final time as the Toppers and they remain a delight--Mr. Young owl-like & serious in the scariest of situations and Miss Burke forever sweetly vague and befuddled. They are joined by vivacious Joan Blondell (who actually snags top billing) as a ghostess intent on forcing poor Topper into discovering who's just murdered her. More new costars are on hand to help liven things up: lovely Carole Landis as a rich girl in much need of protection; Dennis O'Keefe as a taxi driver willing to provide that protection; gaunt H.B. Warner as Miss Landis' invalid father; menacing George Zucco as his sinister doctor; Rafaela Ottiano as a frightened housekeeper; Donald MacBride as a moronic cop; and the delightful Patsy Kelly, underused as the Toppers' tough maid. Best of all is Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson,' more or less playing himself (he even makes a gag about returning to 'Mr. Benny') who rivals Miss Burke in getting the best lines in the picture. Contemporary references to Orson Welles' radio plays and the Alfred Hitchcock movie REBECCA (1940) should amuse cognoscenti. The serious viewer must not expect to have all the mysteries solved by film's end; indeed, most of the loose ends remain resolutely untied. Just sit back and enjoy the comedic chills served-up by this group of very fine performers. This was the third of a 3-film series, coming after TOPPER (1937) and TOPPER TAKES A TRIP (1939).

After a fatal car accident driven by a cabman (Dennis O'Keefe), Anne (Carole Landis) and Gail (Joan Blondell) are going to mansion of Anne's father (H.B.Warner) . There is murdered Gail and goes back as ghost . Cosmo Topper (Roland Young) married to Clara (Billie Burke) helps her find the man who mistakenly killed her . This funny picture contains enjoyable humor , ghostly adventures , awesome comedy , a little bit of whodunit about the killing and besides , being pretty entertaining . The casting is frankly well . Thus , it shows up a gorgeous Carole Landis who unfortunately committed suicide at twenty-nine-years old , after a romance with Rex Harrison . Joan Blondell is a likable ghost , she was a great comedian actress with much successes and long career . Roland Young is agreeable , sympathetic as Topper , this role was always splendidly played by him . He was actually nominated to an Oscar to the original film , no this one . Humorous Roland along with Billie Burke make a completely delight duo . Special mention for the black servant , Eddie Anderson , as the coward and unfortunate chauffeur . In the film appears known secondaries especially of terror cinema as George Zucco (Mad ghoul , Mummy's ghost , Dead man walking) as a doctor , Raffaela Ottiano (Devil doll) as a housekeeper (similar to Rebeca) and even Dennis O'Keefe (Leopard man) as the taxi driver . The special effects sequences are especially amusing and were nominated for an Oscar . The film was well produced by Hal Roach (Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy films) and compellingly directed by Roy del Ruth . It's preceded by two movies with similar actors : ¨Topper¨ (1937) directed by Norman Z McLeod with Gary Grant and Constance Bennett ; and ¨Topper takes a trip¨ (1939) . Followed by TV series and remade as TV movie (1979).

Having watched the mildly amusing antics of the first Topper movie and vaguely remembering an enjoyment of the Leo G. Carroll television series, I was unprepared for how terrible this episode of the long-running ghost story was. Joan Blondell as the ghost is constantly making wisecracks, none of which can be regarded as witty. Eddie "Rochester" Anderson is thoroughly wasted in a role that is overtly racist. Falling down a well not once, not twice but three times only to be inexplicably clubbed by a seal, has to be one of the low points of his comic career. The murder mystery angle is worthy of a bad Scooby Doo episode. And the whole thing seems only barely tolerable as fodder for the Mystery Science Theatre treatment.

Topper was a surprise. I bought it for 3 dollars at a dvd sale and it turned out to be funny and my kids thought there was some scary parts too. The concerns over race issues are silly. Eddie the driver was a funny guy in the movie but paranoia over racial issues from people in 2004 is sad. Let's face it the 3 Stooges were daffy; Laurel and Hardy were goofy; Hope and Crosby were silly. How about Abbott and Costello or Joe E. Lewis or Jerry Lewis? The list goes on and on and race is never an issue. Lets face it, the bad guy at the end of Topper was not the driver. Our society is so paranoid. But this flick has no paranoia, just good old fashioned fun and talent.

Sexy, wise-cracking Joan Blondell, who has accompanied her best friend back to her stately home to meet her father after many, many years, mysteriously is knifed after having traded rooms with Carole Landis - the intended victim. In true Topper fashion, her ghost finds the next-door neighbor who had given them both a lift earlier, one Cosmo Topper. He sees dead people all the time, way before it became quite so fashionable in The Sixth Sense. Topper Returns is the third and last of the Topper series, all of which starred Roland Young as the lead and Billie Burke as his annoying wife. Young plays the role to perfection again and Burke is equally up to the challenge. Lots of support in this one for Young and Burke as the old, spooky haunted house genre serves as primary backdrop when Topper goes to the scene of the crime and then we get mixed identities, hidden panels, scores of red herrings pointing out everyone's guilt except for the killer but generously dosed with lots of amusing quips from Young, wise-cracking one-liners from Blondell in ghostly form, by-play between Burke and her maid, the underrated Patsy Kelly, and chauffeur/fraidy cat Eddie "Rochester" Anderson basically playing himself and hamming it up as only he can. Anderson is easily the brightest spot in the film for me, even at one point making reference to former employer Jack Benny! But the cast also has the eerie likes of George Zucco, H. B. Warner, Donald MacBryde, and Rafaela Ottiano playing one creepy housekeeper. While definitely not as polished a production as the original Topper, Topper Returns is a whole lot more fun in Hal Roach fashion. It is my favourite of the three Topper films as it mixes comedy with horror rather well for its time.

Most of the film takes place in a spooky mansion with secret doors, hidden passageways and a creepy knife-wielding killer lurking in the shadows. Roland Young reprises his role as Cosmo Topper, the straight-laced, bespectacled banker. In the original, Cary Grant and Constance Bennet were the ghosts who only Topper could see. This time it's Joan Blondell who is accidentally murdered. Billie Burke is the hysterical and somewhat dotty Mrs. Topper. Donald MacBride is a flustered police sergeant straight out of keystone cops. Check out Joan Blondell's friend, Carole Landis, as the rich girl who was the intended murder victim. Landis was in her early 20's and committed suicide at 29. She was an absolutely gorgeous woman who, unfortunately, is not remembered. The actor who steals the film is Eddie "Rochester" Anderson as the chauffeur. He played Jack Benny's sidekick Rochester on radio and TV. He has the movie's best lines and was an extremely talented comedian. This was the final film in the series after TOPPER (1937) and TOPPER TAKES A TRIP (1939). If you want to see one of the original haunted house mysteries with lots of darkness, sound effects and screams this is it.