La dernière enquête de Mr. Topper

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.

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).

For the third and final Topper film, Roland Young is now shed of the Kirbys from the two previous films and he and Billie Burke are now starting on a needed vacation with Eddie Anderson as chauffeur and Patsy Kelly as maid. Hey it's the best way to travel.

But the other world isn't finished with him yet. Carole Landis and her friend Joan Blondell are on their way to spend the night with her father, H.B. Warner, at the old family haunted estate. If it wasn't haunted before it sure gets haunted after Blondell is murdered by mistake because the killer is after Landis.

Of course that magnet for the other world Cosmo Topper attracts ghosts like moths to a flame and of course the now other worldly Blondell enlists him to find out who murdered her.

Rounding out this cast of some of the best character actors around are Dennis O'Keefe as a taxi driver trying to collect a fare, Donald MacBride as the perennial dumb cop and George Zucco as the doctor/friend of the Landis/Warner family.

The mystery has plenty of plot holes in it and we're never really told the reason why Landis is being targeted. One thing I will say though, given that the reader of this review might be knowledgeable in the typecasting of all these faces, don't think you've identified the culprit by that.

Roland Young probably could have gone on making more Topper films, but I'm willing to bet he decided to quit while ahead. In any event Cosmo Topper probably decided to go with the flow and left the banking profession to become a psychic.

You can't beat a movie where Billie Burke is afraid some other woman will run off with Roland Young! Roland Young reprises his role as "Topper," that poor man who sees ghosts, in this third "Topper" movie; the TV show would have Leo G. Carroll in the title role. I remember it well - I'd like to say I remember it from syndication but alas, I think it was the original series. I'm that old.

This time around, George and Miriam Kerby have finally passed over and aren't bothering Topper anymore, but he's still attracting ghostly presences. This time it's (ail Richards (Joan Blondell). Topper gives her and her friend Ann Carrington (Carol Landis) a ride to the Carrington estate. There Ann will be seeing her very ill father for the first time in many years, as she was raised in France. As Ann is to inherit everything, it's no surprise when a chandelier nearly beams her. Later that night, she switches rooms with Gail, who is enamored with the elaborate suite that Ann has, and Gail is murdered. She does what every person in Topper's world does when they die - she contacts him to help her find out whodunnit.

This is your typical haunted house mystery with a very witty and clever script. It's great fun - lots of darkness, sound effects, screams, and slapstick performed by a talented cast. Carol Landis was a gorgeous woman who didn't quite make it to big stardom and died at the age of 29, possibly realizing her time had passed. She's about 22 here, beautiful and with a graceful presence. Joan Blondell is top notch, pretty and funny. She just sailed through films like this. Roland Young is great as the befuddled, nervous Cosmo who just doesn't know how he gets into these situations.

Billie Burke is back as his heartbroken wife who fears she's losing her husband to yet another blonde. No one can say "Oh, Cosmo, Cosmo" like Burke. When she sees him drive by with Blondell on his lap, she's appalled and reads him out. "You could have at least waved," she sobs. "How could I?" he responds."She was on my lap!"

Sometimes these films are uncomfortable because of racism. In this film, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson is the chauffeur. While Anderson's part is somewhat stereotypical in that he acts terrified at times, his character seems to have a nice give and take with Topper. And let's face it - Eddie isn't the only one scared here. Anderson was a well-known personality, thanks to his wonderful association with Jack Benny. He was a very funny and talented man who never seemed particularly subservient. "Coffee," Benny would say. "No, thanks, I've had some," he'd answer. He brings a lot to "Topper Returns," and not in a way that's demeaning.

Recommended for its good script and great cast.

Unusual among films in the "old dark house" style for being about a ghost who comes back to solve her own murder. Disguised as a Topper film, and with Roland Young and Billie Burke again cast as Mr and Mrs Topper, this is really a clever murder mystery in reverse, a sort of "why he done it". Praise must be lavished on the script, co-written by murder-mystery novelist Jonathan Latimer (who also wrote some of the better Peter Falk Columbo episodes in the 1970s) and on the playing of Young, Burke and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, who steal the film from headliners Carole Landis and Joan Blondell -- it is Topper's film after all. More inspired by the late Thorne Smith's characters than based on anything he wrote, the film nonetheless will appeal to fans of this extraordinary novelist's humorous works. A must for anyone who like horror send-ups, Topper or Smith!