Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I bought this DVD, because I had a vague recollection that I had loved this television series as a child. I also have always had a great liking for the actor Leo G. Carroll. Moreover, the price of the DVD seemed to be a bargain.
Based upon the characters created by Thorne Smith in his best selling book of the same name, this television series followed on the heels of the success of the Topper films that were made for the silver screen. The television series was also a hit and ran for several years during the nineteen fifties. I am not surprised at its success, given the quality of some of the writing. A number of the episodes were written by Stephen Sondheim, who later went on to greater fame and fortune. Mr. Sondheim's involvement in the television series was something of which I was unaware, until I received the DVD.
The thrust of the story is that the dapper and elegant Cosmo Topper (Leo G. Carroll) is vice-president of a bank. He is married to the sweet but dim Henrietta (Lee Patrick). They live in a house that they bought from the estate of an unfortunate young couple, George and Marion Kirby (Robert Sterling and Anne Jeffreys), who died in a skiing accident after being swept away by an avalanche. Their St. Bernard, Neil, who was unable to rescue them, also died with them. To Cosmo's surprise, his house is haunted by their ghosts and that of their alcohol imbibing St. Bernard. The problem is that only he can see or hear them. This allows for a lot of funny episodes, as the Kirbys tend to complicate Cosmo's life. As soon as I heard the theme song for the series, I was transported back in time.
There are four episodes on the DVD. Everyone one of them is guaranteed to bring a smile to the viewer's face. The role of Topper was perfectly cast, as Leo G. Carroll makes a delightful Topper. Lee Patrick is darling as his well-meaning, sweet and silly wife. Anne Jeffreys is terrific as the beautiful Marion Kirby, and Robert Sterling is great as her freewheeling husband. Of course, our cocktail loving St. Bernard is wonderfully portrayed by Buck. Moreover, the sponsor for the series is Jello and several of the episodes include some of the original commercials, which certainly takes the viewer on a trip down memory lane and provides its own share of laughs.
In terms of the quality of the DVD, well, one gets what one pays for, as the quality of the DVD itself is dreadful. This DVD seems to have been made from an old, dirty print and not remastered or cleaned up in any way, shape, or form. At times, there is some very distracting background noise, as well as visuals that are somewhat grainy, at best. Still, notwithstanding that, I would buy this DVD again, simply because I love this series. While the quality of the DVD rates a two, at best, the content of the DVD rates a high five. I only wish that some television honcho would consider a remake of this wonderful television series.
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