Thorne Smith

Thorne Smith (1892-1934) was an American writer of fantasy fiction.

Books:

• Topper (1926). This and its 1932 sequel, Topper Takes a Trip were probably Smith's most famous work, about a respectable banker called Cosmo Topper and his misadventures with a couple of ghosts, Marion and George Kerby. It was made into a film for MGM by Hal Roach in 1937; the cast included Cary Grant as George Kerby. The books were adapted into an American television series beginning in 1953, with Leo G. Carroll as Cosmo Topper, Robert Sterling and Anne Jeffreys as the ghosts. 78 episodes were made: the pilot episode and a few of the early episodes were written by Stephen Sondheim.
• Dream's End (1927)
• The Stray Lamb (1929)
• Did She Fall? (1930)
• The Night Life of the Gods (1931)
• Turnabout (1931)
• The Bishop's Jaegers (1932)
• Rain in the Doorway (1933)
• Skin and Bones (1933)
• The Glorious Pool (1934)