| Show Name: | The Adventures of Topper |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Television: | Topper |
| Starring: | Roland Young |
| Announcer: | Richard Kollmar |
| First Aired: | June 7, 1945 |
| Last Aired: | September 13, 1945 |
| Sponsor: | Post Toasties cereal Maxwell House coffee |
The Adventures of Topper is a radio situation comedy in the United States. It was broadcast on NBC June 7 – September 13, 1945,[1] as a summer replacement for Dinah Shore's program.[2]
The 30-minute program was based on characters created by novelist Thorne Smith. Cosmo Topper, a businessman, bought the house that had been inhabited by George and Marian Kerby before they died. He had no idea that the Kerbys' ghosts haunted the house. Confusion arose because only Topper could see the ghosts, leading his wife to wonder why he spoke to people who apparently were not there.[3]
David C. Tucker, in his book, The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms, cited the program's ghost-based premise as one reason for its lack of success: "As noted by Varietys reviewer, however, a comedy centered on the antics of appearing and disappearing ghosts 'reads good on paper and was even enhanced in the film treatment,' but played less well on radio, resulting in a show he found 'singularly unfunny.'"[4]
The program was sponsored by Post Toasties cereal and Maxwell House coffee.[5]
Characters in the program and the actors who played them are shown in the table below.
| Character | Actor | |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmo Topper | Roland Young | |
| Malvena Topper or Henrietta Topper | Hope Emerson | |
| George Kerby | Paul Mann Tony Barrett | |
| Marian Kerby or Marion Kerby | Frances Chaney | |
| Heliatrope | Bob Corley | |
| Mr. Borris | Ed Latimer |
The announcer was Richard Kollmar.[3]