Topper (1937)
- kbroer
- Apr 14, 2023
- 2 min read
Constance Bennett, Cary Grant, Roland Young, Billie Burke
Directed by Norman Z. McLeod
Available to stream on YouTube
Get out your cocktail shaker and get settled in for the most lighthearted ghost story you'll ever see. In this classic from 1937, the antics of glamorous ghosts Cary Grant and Constance Bennett disrupt the dull lives of banker Roland Young and his proper wife Billie Burke.
Why we love it: Unique and lighthearted, Topper is fun and fast-moving, with some but not too much slapstick comedy, and with plenty of glamour in the persons of suave, young Cary Grant and the super-slim Constance Bennett. The nightclub scenes, Constance Bennett's glamorous wardrobe, the wonderful Art Deco ultra-ritzy backgrounds -- it's all so fun! This is one of the movies that propelled Cary Grant to true stardom.
Fun facts:
Hoagy Carmichael, famous composer of "Star Dust," "Georgia on my Mind," "The Nearness of You," and many other well-known songs, appears as the piano player in one of the nightclub scenes. Topper was his on-screen debut and he composed "Old Man Moon," which the Kirbys sing with him in the nightclub.
The Toppers' neighbor, Mrs. Rutherford Stuyvesant, was played by Hedda Hopper, famous Hollywood gossip columnist.
Featured Cocktail:
Pink Lady
A classic 1930's cocktail that appears throughout the movie.
60 ml (2 oz) gin
25 ml (5 tsp) fresh lemon juice
2 dashes (1/4 tsp) Grenadine
1 egg white (about 30 ml or 1 oz)
Pour all ingredients into a shaker two-thirds full of ice cubes. Shake very well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.
(For a frothier top, shake with ice then strain the cocktail, discard the ice, and shake again without ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.)
For a Pink Lady Mocktail: Shake 2 oz. heavy cream (or half and half) and 2 tsp. Grenadine syrup with ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass and enjoy!
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