Rediscover an American Humorist
Greatest Gen Readers Knew Thorne Smith—Now Boomers Need His Humor
May 2, 2007
Smith’s novels, written in a far more innocent age than ours, used sly and often completely zany humor, some risqué language, and outrageous plots, usually involving bizarre things happening to very staid characters. Given the continual news barrage of terrorism, both domestic and foreign, school shootings, pet and human food contamination, and other various maladies of the 21st century, returning to Thorne Smith’s fantasies are well worth the effort to collect his books. Many of his works are still available in inexpensive versions through various sites such as Amazon.com, eBay, and Half-com.
James Thorne Smith (1892-1934), eked out a living in his early adult years as a copywriter for various advertising agencies and wrote and published some poetry. His first novel was The Stray Lamb (1924), in which a man named Lamb begins turning into various animals leading him to new insights about life in general and his own personal situation.
His next book was Topper (1926), the story of an uptight banker named Cosmo Topper plagued by two mischievous ghosts, George and Marion Kirby. The high living couple (before their death), were infamous in their circle for their boozy escapades and madcap life. After they died in an automobile accident, George persisted in believing that the “Till death do us part” clause in their wedding ceremony was inoperative. Marion, on the other hand, believed a girl should be free for new adventures.
When Topper, in a fit of rebellion, purchased the sports car in which George and Marion died, the ghostly pair returned to haunt him through two books, Topper and Topper Takes a Trip (1932). Both these books were made into movies in 1937 with Roland Young playing Topper and Billie Burke Cosmo’s wife. Cary Grant and Constance Bennett played the annoying but lovable ghosts. Both movies are currently available on DVD. There was a short-lived television series (1954-1955) with 78 thirty-minute episodes, starring Anne Jeffreys, Robert Sterling, and Leo G. Carroll as Topper. A continuation of Topper’s adventures in movies was Topper Returns (1941). According to the International Movie Database, Steve Martin may play Topper in a 2008 version.
Several other Smith books became movies: The Night Life of the Gods (1935), Turnabout (1940), and The Passionate Witch, retiled as I Married a Witch. Turnabout, in which a husband and wife switch bodies, also was a short-lived TV series in 1979. The plot has been used in a number of movies as well—often with a parent and son or daughter switching places. The book was unfinished at Smith’s death, and completed in 1941 by Norman Matson. The movie version starred Fredric March, Veronica Lake, and Susan Hayward in the cast. The television series Bewitched may have derived its theme from I Married a Witch.
Thorne Smith wrote two serious novels, not particularly well reviewed. His fame, and the books that can still make you smile, are the ones mentioned earlier plus The Bishop’s Jaegers (1932), Rain in the Doorway (1933), Skin and Bones (1933), and The Glorious Pool (1934).
