Cary Grant Played a Partying Ghost in This Comedy That Kickstarted His Career

Everybody has to start somewhere, and the dashing debonair Cary Grant burst into Hollywood superstardom with Topper, a screwball comedy that delves into the spiritual world through a comical set of circumstances. Adapted from the 1926 novel of the same name, the film was a giant success. Playing a partying ghost alongside Constance Bennett as well as Roland Young in an Academy Award-nominated performance, Grant utilized his innate charm and charisma – as well as a little bit of hard work and luck – to endear audiences, kick-starting an iconic career that would forever be etched in the annals of the cinematic world.

What is ‘Topper’ About?

Topper tells the story of its titular character, Cosmo Topper (Roland Young), the president of a bank who lives a systematic, boring, and repetitive life, heavily controlled by his overbearing wife, Clara (Billie Burke). While his profession becomes more of a justification for his mundanity, he is intrigued by the exciting gusto with which the party-going couple, George (Cary Grant) and Marion Kerby (Constance Bennett), live their days. As fate would have it, George and Marion are involved in a car crash where they perish, but remain in this world as two souls. Apparently, they were denied entry into the pearly gates of heaven, and would need to do a great deed to be let in. When Cosmo restores and buys their vehicle, and coincidentally drives it to the same spot where it was first wrecked, George and Marion decide that they should turn the executive’s life around. Cosmo, who is tired of his wife tugging at his leash, decides to go with this plan, leading to numerous instances of hilarity.

When he was loaned to Hal Roach’s studio, Grant already had several films under his belt, from Nikki, Singapore Sue, to Born to be Bad and Wings in the Dark. Jerry Vermilye in his book Cary Grant notes that the actor’s performances in them garnered mixed reviews, acknowledging that while he had great potential, he was also expendable. Topper was just the bolt of lightning Grant needed in his career, and he has never looked back since. The roots of Grant’s eventual brand of being the epitome of film elegance, can be found in this film. His magnetic appeal – a mishmash of his working-class sharpness and aristocratic allure – became one of the shining pillars of this picture. One need not look further than the captivating opening sequence of this film, where George and Marion enjoy the pleasures of driving, drinking, and partying. Grant waltzes through every single moment he is in with the utmost grace, complex flair, and dazzling masculine appeal. It was the personification of a complex and classy machismo that had everyone swooning – a characteristic that he would bank on for decades to come.

Grant’s engrossing screen performance is the cherry on top of a film that has some unexpected depth. While it may seem to be merely a screwball comedy chock-full of gags, there is also a certain philosophical fabric in its attempt at drawing laughs from the audience. One can easily surmise the poignancy in the central conundrum of this picture, which is a last-ditch attempt by a couple to atone for their lack of initiative in life. Is it not quite mistaken to realize this when they are already dead? Is it then a genuine attempt to make up for lost time? Or is it merely a ruse so that they can successfully enter the pearly gates of Heaven? All of these are genuine questions, intricately weaved into the gaiety of its premise. This blend of enticing acting jobs from its leads and an intriguing story made Topper into one of the most popular films of 1937. Its critical and financial success led to it becoming a franchise all its own, spawning two sequels, Topper Takes a Trip, and Topper Returns, as well as a television series that ran for two seasons in 1973. However, despite the numerous additions to the catalog, Cary Grant never reprised his role in any of them – a presence that was badly missed due to the gravitas he brought to the character.

How Did ‘Topper’ Impact Cary Grant’s Career?

After the immense success of Topper, Grant turned into a household name. His stellar acting performance in the film was responsible for him being cast in Leo McCarey’sThe Awful Truth. His ascendance was not without its own bumps in the road. Geoffrey Wansell further adds in Cary Grant: Dark Angel that The Awful Truth director, Leo McCarey, had a reported dislike for the actor. Grant reportedly mocked McCarey by emulating his mannerisms on screen, but this dispute didn’t stop the two from making film magic. While they certainly did not see eye-to-eye, the filmmaker recognized Grant’s talent and encouraged him to improvise and draw upon his vaudeville roots to maximize his blooming potential, which more than showed in his subsequent features, Bringing up Baby, and of course, the immortal His Girl Friday.

More than just the film that changed his life, in retrospect, Topper represents an interesting period in Cary Grant’s career. It was the culmination of years of wearing multiple hats, from school misfit, vaudevillian performer, and struggling actor, to Hollywood icon. Today, he is enshrined as one of the finest actors to have ever stepped onto a movie set, and it is all thanks to his immeasurable talent, decades of hard work, and the great big push he received by displaying his innate brand of pure, unadulterated glamour as a party going ghost in Topper. If one needs to be reminded of the sheer magnetism Grant exuded on the silver screen, one has to look no further than George Kerby driving a humongous contraption of a vehicle while he shows his perpetually picturesque smile.

Topper is available to stream on Fubo in the U.S.