rd1102
Ahh, those screwball comedies from the 30's are still a delight, and it is hard to find anything better. The actors in this comedic tour de force are outstanding, and well cast. Roland Young and Billie Burke are pure comedy gold together. No one else could do vague, bemused, bewildered, bedevilled as well as these two. Pair them together, and you have a recipe for instant success. Constance Bennett was a gorgeous blonde in an era famous for gorgeous blondes. Unlike many of the others, she had talent, and was a delight in a comedy. I had seen the series as a child, but I didn't appreciate them until I was an adult. Roland Young's physical comedy, was a definite asset to the series, but his female co-stars, and their delivery was a sheer delight. I also enjoyed Alan Mowbray, who was the suave villain in a few of the Sherlock Holmes films, as the sympathique butler in this little gem of a movie. He was extraordinarily talented, but was woefully typecast as the heavy in many period pieces. I liked this kinder gentler side of the actor, and hope to find something similar from him again. There are no missteps in this one. If you like a nice unsophisticated bit of fluff and froth, you will love this movie. The only thing comparable to me, for entertainment value was "The Women", which came out the same year. Both of the films had me laughing out loud many times, and are films that I watch again and again. Spend some time with Topper, and you won't be sorry, but you will be holding your sides from laughter, and you will appreciate the brilliant comedic timing behind the zingers and barbs that fly in this film.
oldmovieman
The main characters less Cary Grant reappear for a second act in the Topper saga. Because Marion Kerby materialized by Topper's side in a hotel in the first movie (gasp), Mrs. Topper wants a divorce. Ghostly Marion thwarts the New York divorce proceedings but Mrs. Topper goes to France for a quickie divorce. Topper and Marion follow but, unfortunately, hilarity does not ensue in this slow-moving, predictable farce. The jokes are tedious variations on the first films antics and don't bear reuse; there aren't any really funny moments here. But -- Constance Bennett is gorgeous as always and ever so elegantly dressed. And Roland Young's remarkable physical comedy, e.g., lurching about as if he were being pushed or pulled by the invisible Marion, is worth watching. Bottom line: if you're an old movie buff and want to flesh out the Topper series, invest a few hours when you have nothing else to do and treat it as an educational investment. Don't expect many laughs.
drednm
Topper Takes a Trip just never gets going. It's an OK comedy sequel to the 1937 smash hit but without Cary Grant. That leaves Marion (Constance Bennett) alone to hound Topper (Roland Young) but the film is missing the marital sparring that made the first one so good.Mrs. Topper (Billie Burke) is seeking a divorce because Topper and Marion had stayed at a hotel together in the first film. Slim plot device then has the Mrs. heading to France for a quickie divorce where she falls among thieves: her "friend" and a phony baron. Topper and Marion head to France to stop the divorce and foil the setup.Roland Young is still very good with his blank face and funny body movements (when the invisible Marion is prodding him). But there's just too much talk in this one. Bennett is as always beautiful and breezy. Burke is hilarious as the dithery Mrs. Topper in a way that no one else could copy. Alan Mowbray is back in the thankless butler role as is Spencer Charters as the judge. Verree Teasdale plays the acid friend, Alex D'Arcy the faux baron, and Franklin Pangborn is the French hotel manager. Grant appears via flashback from the original film, but his absence is not well explained. Asta (the dog) is funny too.Not a bad film but it could have been funnier.
David (Handlinghandel)
The Topper movies do not hold up well today for several reasons. Two are primary: Through no fault of their own, the gimmick of disappearing and reappearing has become very ho-hum in large part because of television shows like "I Dream Of Jeannie" and "Bewitched." ("Blithe Spirit" is another movie affected by this, also, of course, retroactively.) Equally significant is their reliance on the ostensible hilarity of being drunk. We know today that is not funny and finding these movies charming is therefore very difficult.This first sequel, also, is very routine. It begins with clips from the original Topper movie, with Constance Bennett (in this movie too) and Cary Grant, who is not in the movie itself.Many of the performers are great character performers but their characters are not filled out. They are sketched in. Billie Burke and Alan Mowbry are among those who suffer. Not to mention Franklin Pangborn, playing a desk clerk as he frequently did but here a desk clerk in Paris who speaks English with a (bad) French accent.The two standouts are D'Arcy as a baron who woos the Burke, who is separated from Roland Young (also a fine performer but just not funny in these movies.) The scene on the beach in which invisible Constance Bennett snatches away his bathing suit is about as close as the plot gets to genuine humor.Veree Teasdale, as Burke's tough society woman pal, walks away with the whole thing. She is extremely funny. Is her role a bit of stereotype? Yes. But the writers fleshed it out
AD
