Topper Returns

Topper Returns (1941) is the third and final entry in the initial series of supernatural comedy 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 plays Cosmo Topper, a mousy banker who gets into trouble because of his ability to see and speak with ghosts, and Billie Burke plays his wife, who's constantly befuddled by his strange antics. The plot revolves around a murder mystery. Joan Blondell portrays a slain woman who seeks out the reluctant Topper and enlists his help in identifying her killer and saving her friend, played by Carole Landis. Most of the action takes place in a spooky mansion filled with eccentric characters, trapdoors and secret passages. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Special Effects (Roy Seawright and Elmer Raguse) and Best Sound, Recording (Elmer Raguse). A TV series of Topper premiered in 1953 and ran for two seasons. A pilot called Topper Returns (1973) was later made for a proposed TV series. There was also a made-for-TV remake of the original film Topper in (1979). In 1969, "Topper Returns" entered the public domain in the United States due to the failure to renew the film's copyright registration in the 28th year after publication.