If you got the chance to watch the "A Christmas Carol" episode of the TV series "Topper," I'm sure you'll agree it's an amusing piece of early TV history.
Several TV and radio shows over the years have done take-offs on "A Christmas Carol," sometimes with a character dreaming they're in the story as they doze off while someone is reading the book, as Cosmo Topper does here.
We had previously heard Dagwood Bumstead dream that he was the Bob Cratchit stand-in on the "Blondie" radio series, as discussed here and here.
As mentioned last time, it's fun that Leo G. Carroll, who plays Topper had played Marley's Ghost in MGM's 1938 "A Christmas Carol" adaptation. He must have remembered acting in that movie, so did he think much about it while filming this TV episode?
The premise of the "Topper" series (which ran from 1953-1955) was that the ghosts of George and Marion Kerby were "haunting" Topper (he was the only one that could see them) and a lot of the amusement was seeing Topper try to explain wacky supernatural happenings.
Leo G. Carroll is sort of getting karmic retribution, as his Marley's Ghost caused Scrooge to call the neighborhood watch, which led to Scrooge looking foolish!
The "Topper" TV series starred Anne Jeffreys and Robert Sterling as the Kerbys. They were married in real life as well, so that's fun.
The breakout star of the show, however, was Neil, the big St. Bernard who had also perished in the avalanche that led to him and the Kerbys becoming ghosts on the first place.
Neil was known for enjoying the contents of his little barrel as well as any other adult beverages he came across in a bit of harmless, but perhaps non-PC fun!
He even got a co-starring comic book!
Neil was not a character in the "Topper" series of three movies from 1937-1941, which featured Roland Young as Topper.
It may seem odd to later audiences that Constance Bennett is billed above Cary Grant, but he wasn't quite Cary Grant yet and she does carry the movie!
Even without Neil, those are a lot of fun, though, with Constance Bennett and Cary Grant as the Kerbys in the first movie, then just Constance Bennett in "Topper Takes a Trip (1938), then Joan Blondell as Marion in "Topper Returns" (1941).
As far as Cosmo Topper's name, I presume it's a coincidence that his last name is the same as Fred's friend from "A Christmas Carol."
But I have often wondered if his first name inspired the first name of the Kramer character from the "Seinfeld" TV series when they did the big reveal. Hmmm...
In any event, it's fun to see a TV series starring ghosts take on our favorite ghost story!
