Topper Season 1 Episodes

Episode 1

Topper Meets the Ghosts

Fri, Oct 9, 195330 mins

George and Marion Kerby are celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary by going on a ski trip. On the trip, one of Marion's skis break. They then encounter an inebriated St. Bernard that Marion names Neil. Suddenly, all three are killed in an avalanche. Three months later, Cosmo Topper buys their home and discovers that the three are haunting the house. Since Topper discovered their spirits, he is the only one who can see or hear them.

Episode 2

The Movers

Fri, Oct 16, 1953

The Toppers move into their new home with a little help from George and Marion.

Episode 3

Hiring the Maid

Fri, Oct 23, 1953

The Toppers old maid had quit and Henrietta places an ad for a new one. George leaves a note for an out of work Burlesque dancer to apply for the position with disastrous results.

Episode 4

The Hypnotist

Fri, Oct 30, 1953

An old school chum proves irksome and gets treatment.

Episode 5

Reducing

Fri, Nov 6, 195330 mins

George becomes jealous after his wife, Marian, develops a crush on Topper's new personal trainer.

Episode 6

The Spinster

Fri, Nov 13, 195330 mins

Henrietta's friend Thelma Gibney, a spinster, is dating an insurance salesman, who is more interested in selling insurance to her and the Toppers than he is in her.

Episode 7

Bank Securities

Fri, Nov 20, 195330 mins

Trouble begins when Topper loses valuable securities.

Episode 8

The Kid

Fri, Nov 27, 195330 mins

The Kerbys use their ghostly wiles on an obnoxious child that Topper wants to "adopt".

Episode 9

Burglar

Fri, Dec 4, 195330 mins

George is determined to catch a neighborhood thief known as The Phantom Burglar.

Episode 10

Uncle Jonathan

Fri, Dec 11, 1953

A suspicious looking uncle comes to the Toppers in search of the Kerbys. The uncle, unaware that the Kerbys are now ghosts, claims he made a fortune in India and wants to give them some money.

Episode 11

The Car Story

Fri, Dec 18, 1953

The Kerbys want Cosmo to get a sports car for Henrietta's birthday.

Episode 12

Christmas Carol

Fri, Dec 25, 195330 mins

Henrietta reads a Christmas Carol to Topper and their guests. Topper falls asleep during the reading and dreams he is Scrooge.

Episode 13

Masquerade

Fri, Jan 1, 195430 mins

To celebrate the new year Mrs Henrietta Topper, the wife of Cosmo Topper wishes to visit friends to celebrate the coming of a new year. The only problem is that the party is a masquerade ball and Topper refuses to go. Henrietta heads to the party alone as Cosmo promises he will head along later as their is a problem with his costume. This of course is a ploy to not attend, however the Kerbys have other ideas and in their usual way get Cosmo to change his mind. However Cosmo and the Kerbys get the address where the party is totally wrong, and soon Cosmo is arrested for house breaking and insanity due to his masquerade party outfit.

Episode 14

Second Honeymoon

Fri, Jan 8, 195430 mins

Henrietta is showing Thelma photos of the Black Swan Inn where she and Cosmo spent their honeymoon 25 years ago. She's hoping Cosmo will take her there for their upcoming silver anniversary. Cosmo pretends that he has forgotten about the big date. He tells Henrietta that he has an unbreakable date to take a woman to dinner that night. As her face falls, he announces that it's her. Henrietta makes a ploy for the Black Swan Inn by bringing out the photo album for him to see. Marion has to spell things out for him -- he needs to make a reservation and seem like he's really looking forward to a second honeymoon. As the day arrives, Marion is packing to come along. Topper makes her promise not to. They head for the inn via train and arrive as a storm brewing. The same desk clerk greets them that was there in 1928. The bridal suite has been reserved - Room 213. It's too spooky for Henrietta to sleep. Then the lights go out. Cosmo goes for help and thinks he sees Marion and George -- but its not them. There is maniacal laughter. Next, the clerk enters their room at 4 a.m., thinking that Cosmo wanted to go fishing. Back in the city, Marion is worried about Topper, so the two of them head up to the inn. They are spooked to find a body in the closet - it's just a dummy. The laughter continues. Cosmo sends George through a ventilator grate to follow the laughter. He ends up in the basement where the clerk is playing sound effect records. George starts messing with him. Playing records himself. He makes shoes walk on their own and pours wine on him. The clerk flees in panic.

Episode 15

The Socialite

Fri, Jan 15, 195430 mins

Cosmo is unhappy about having to accommodate a pair of boring guests, so the ghosts drive them away by interfering with the proceeding card game.

Episode 16

The Surprise Party

Fri, Jan 22, 195430 mins

Henrietta's friend Thelma has been seeing one Dr. Lang socially. To bring the two closer together, Henrietta arranges for herself and Cosmo to receive medical checkups from Dr. Lang. Later, Henrietta invites the new couple over. It's Marion's birthday, though, so at the same time, the Kerbys have invited some of their old friends, who are strangers to the Toppers.

Episode 17

Decorating

Fri, Jan 29, 195430 mins

When the ghosts rearrange a window display and the result draws a crowd, the store owner credits Henrietta with having done it; but he is only flattering her in order to sell her some furniture.

Episode 18

Astrology

Fri, Feb 5, 195430 mins

After seeing an astrologist, Katie is convinced the astrological charts indicate that Cosmo will be ruined financially, if he goes to work the next day.

Episode 19

Trip to Lisbon

Fri, Feb 12, 195430 mins

The bank's branch in Lisbon, South Carolina is not being well managed. It's largest account owner, Harry Devon, has threatened to move his business elsewhere. Topper's boss, Mr. Schuyler, asks Cosmo to catch a train down there and straighten things out. He is supposed to phone the Washington, D.C. branch manager, Isaac "Ike" Lester, and meet him at the train station to go south together. George and Marion are watching a TV spy program when they hear a news item that the president is sending a special delegation of State Department officials and financial advisers to Lisbon for an undisclosed mission. When they overhear Topper call Ike in Washington for their train station rendezvous, Geroge and Marion are chomping at the bit to shadow him. They think he is involved in a real spy caper so sneak onto the train to protect him. They fear a woman who follows him to the club car is going to poison him. Using dematerialization, they manage to switch plates and glasses in case there is poison in anything. The couple in the compartment adjacent to Topper's are going to Lisbon, too. The husband fixes a radio and is then going to take a nap and sets an alarm clock. George and Marion are sure he is fabricating a time bomb. They enter the room, push the man's bed into its closed position against the wall and tear everything apart. Topper goes in to release the poor man from his closed berth just as the conductor and the wife return. They are ready to prosecute him until invisible George saves the day by making the berth close "on its own" in front of everyone. The man is then grateful, even more so when he finds out who Topper is. The neighboring couple was none other than Harry Devon and his wife, the unhappy bank clients. Mr. Schuyler is complimentary of Cosmo's handling of the mess.

Episode 20

The Proposal

Fri, Feb 19, 1954

Marion helps herself to a fancy hat from the downtown hat shop window. Donning it, she is disappointed when George is more interested in his sandwich than her "ravishing" appearance. The hat is still there when Harriet comes down the stairs. Cosmo quickly tells her that it is a gift. Mariona stays mad at George, declaring that their vows of "until death do us part" make them now no longer married. She insists he needs to court her again. Just to make George extra angry, she manages to be giving Topper a hug when he walks into the room. George says, "Fine. I'll go find that red-headed ghost we met at the theater." That's not really the case. He decides he will woo her again and appears at the door in a raccoon coat and a college pennant, trying to rekindle their old romantic past. Cosmo is so distracted by the goings on that he duplicates George's mistakes. He fails to notice Harriet is wearing her new gift hat. She leaves in a huff to go downtown. A short time later, she is back with a policeman escorting her. It seems the shop owner recognized the missing hat and demands payment for it. In a last-ditch effort, George quotes some of Cosmo's old love letters to Harriet. "Life without you is dark and dank." It works. He is back in Marion's good graces. Cosmo picks up the letters as they disappear. Harriet sees what he has. He reads the dark and dank line, and she is over her snit, too.

Episode 21

Katie's Nephew

Fri, Feb 26, 1954

Episode 22

College Reunion

Fri, Mar 5, 1954

Episode 23

Economy

Fri, Mar 12, 1954

Cosmo wants to economize on home expenses. Henrietta and the Kerbys agree. However, their attempts at home repairs are disastrous, and lead to Topper's spending more money than ever.

Episode 24

The Diamond Ring

Fri, Mar 19, 195430 mins

Episode 25

Topper Runs for Mayor

Fri, Mar 26, 1954

Cosmo decides to run for mayor, but then finds out that his boss is the campaign manager for his opponent.

Episode 26

The Painting

Fri, Apr 2, 1954

Henrietta and Marion take up painting as a hobby, but after Cosmo and George get a look at their "artworks", they try to come up with a way to discourage their wives from pursuing it any further.

Episode 27

Henrietta Sells the House

Fri, Apr 9, 1954

Henrietta spots the badminton net that Marion and George have set up in the backyard. This triggers a thought that their house is much too big for just she and Topper. Without any input from Topper, it prompts her to declare that she intends to sell the house. Marion and George are very upset by this because they have to stay with whoever buys the new house. They have been very satisfied with Topper. Later that day, they appear in Topper's office at the bank and suggest that the bank can loan them the money to buy if for themselves. Topper refuses their suggestion because he is aware that they have no income with which to repay the loan. Marion says they don't need an income, that they can get all the money they want. To show it is so, she disappears and returns carrying about half a dozen bundles of currency from the bank safe. It is awkward because the bank president is there offering a dinner invitation to Topper and Henrietta. Back at home, Topper arrives to hear Henrietta announce that the house has already been sold to a Colonel Newby, a retired army officer. He'll allow them to stay until they find a place. As Topper and Harriet get set to dine, the doorbell rings repeatedly, bringing Newby, his wife, his son, his daughter, and his parrot. It's bedlam, especially when the daughter uses a bugle to sound the day's various activities. Marion and George manage to make the house seem beset by ghosts and termites. The latter is created by having Neil chew on a bone in the kitchen to simulate termite munches. Newby declares the sale void and storms out.

Episode 28

Legacy

Fri, Apr 16, 195430 mins

George and Marian's grandfather Augustus Kerby dies, leaving them a million dollars. However, since they're already dead, that could pose some legal problems.

Episode 29

Topper Goes to Las Vegas

Fri, Apr 23, 195430 mins

Henrietta has talked Cosmo into spending the weekend on their boat. Marion and George are anxious to come, too. But his boss, Mr. Schuyler, says a trip to Las Vegas will be required. An important bank client, Harvey Middleton, wants submit a bid in on a hotel that is for sale. Henrietta is disappointed until she learns that she is flying with him. One of the house detectives, Lafferty, is suspicious of Cosmo as he checks in. This grows when he sees dice floating (because they were held by the invisible George). Then he overhears Cosmo talking to his boat mechanic about a crooked deck and completing a big bank job. While Henrietta is out, Marion and George try to get him to the casino. He refuses, so they bring a slot machine and a roulette wheel to the room to teach him how to gamble. Lafferty is watching through the window. Lafferty brings his boss, Miller, into the room to show him the equipment that seemed rigged. But George and Marion removed it as Henrietta was due back, only under an agreement that Cosmo would join them in the casino later. They have him place a dollar on the craps table and help him roll a series of sevens and elevens and point rolls. Miller gets pulled in when the dice hang in the air until Cosmo is reminded of his point. He takes Cosmo and Henrietta aside and accuses them of being big time crooks. Lafferty shows up with a telegram. It announces the hotel has been sold to Middleton and that Cosmo will be in charge until he arrives. Cosmo gives Lafferty the head of security position with Miller as his assistant.

Episode 30

Topper Goes West

Fri, Apr 30, 195430 mins

Bank president Schuyler brings Mr. Van Horn, a time and motion study expert, to analyze Topper's efficiency. After Van Horn remarks that the file cabinets are a bit far from the desk, George and Marion invisibly help Topper file second mortgage papers without him having to get up. They sharpen his pencil without help, too. Topper explains he has ghost who assist him. Van Horn smashes his stopwatch in disbelief. Schuyler, seeing Van Horn's distress, thinks Topper needs a break. He sends Topper to New Meixco to inspect a ranch that an important depositor, Mrs. Oglethorpe, owns. Topper takes Hqarriet with him and, of course, George and Marion follow along. The ghost pair think that the response letter that Topper wrote for the ranch foreman is too weak. They spice it up with language sure to spur some animosity ahead of time. It works because the foreman, Dave, and his assistant, Charlie, set up a bucking bronc for Topper to ride from the train station in Indian Wells to the Bar M ranch that is 20 miles away. They can't believe the way Cosmo mounts the horse with the unseen help of Geroge and Marion. The horse bucks and plunges with Topper staying aboard in the saddle. When the ghost couple congratulate each other for holding Topper in place, they discover neither one was. Topper actually rode the beast on his own. The meek banker shouts as he passes by yet again, "See you at the bunkhouse, hombres." Later, as Topper asks to see the ledgers, Dave tells him, "Not now. The men want to see you with rope and gun." The ranch hands quickly strap a holster and six shooter around his waist. Charlie is their best fast-draw and trick shot artist. With George and Marion's help, Topper finds the gun in his hand so fast that Charlie never saw his hand move. Then Topper outdoes a trick shot of a silver dollar off a fence. Finally, the ranch hands set up a fake berserk cowboy in the local bar. Topper declares that he will take him on alone. The ranch pair are horrified to see the berserk cowboy is not their plant, but a stranger. Unarmed, Topper challenges him to a contest to grab a pistol off the bar. George and Marion keep scooting it away from the cowboy until they can break a whiskey bottle over his head. Topper has won the respect of the Bar M crew. In a subsequent poker game, the Kerby's dog Neil is cleaning up.

Episode 31

Sweepstakes

Fri, May 7, 195430 mins

As Cosmo is getting set to count the payroll for the Hercules Corp., Marion and George waltz in with suggestions that they take some of the money to the horse races and win big. They disappear as Mr. Schuyler walks in. He is upset at seeing Topper with the racing forms and all that cash, that he quickly repacks the valise with the bill bundles and disappears. Once outside the office, he hears the horse race being called on a radio broadcast. Later, as Cosmo picks up a paper at the newsstand, Marion and George surreptitiously place a bunch of turkey raffle tickets in his hat band. When he returns to the office, Mr. Schuyler is again upset to see Topper sporting evidence of gambling. He is critical again. George and Marion think Mr. Schuyler's treatment of Topper is unreasonable. They feel that Topper would have more courage if he had a little more money to back his confidence. Together, they place a call to Cosmo telling him that he has won $800,000 in the Irish Sweepstakes. They then tell Topper that he should have Mr. Schuyler apologize to him. He calls Schuyler in, makes him sits down, and then quits his job. Marion and George are now worried what Topper will do thinking he has so much money. At the house, Topper and Henrietta return from a shopping trip. She is wearing a new fur coat and a diamond necklace. The IRS man is at the door a short time later. He indicates that there will be sizable taxes due on the prize. Any winnings above $300,000 are taxed at 92%. He claims he'll do his best to keep Topper out of the poor house. Next, a woman claiming to be his wife from a marriage 26 years ago appears with her twin sons named Cosmo and Osmoc. Mr. Schuyler has also arrived hoping that Topper will reconsider his resignation. Cosmo is so wrought up over everything, he wishes he had never won. George and Marion insist they can make it go away. The pair close their eyes and pretend to concentrate. "We did it. You never won." Seeing the newspaper report that his win was an error, the IRS man and the false wife head out. Topper accepts his old position back.

Episode 32

The Package

Fri, May 14, 1954

When a package for the Kerbys arrives at the Toppers' house, Henrietta sends it back to the post office's Dead Letters Office. George and Marian, wanting to know what the package is, enlist Cosmo's help in getting it back.

Episode 33

Neil Disappears

Fri, May 21, 1954

Episode 34

The Picnic

Fri, May 28, 1954

Topper's cousin Willie Johnson visits from Minnesota. He is brimming with enthusiasm for anything to do with the outdoors. George and Marion decide that they could have some fun if everyone went for a camping trip. The two ghosts could pull some tricks on Willie to take away his God's-gift-to-woodsmanship attitude. Cosmo and Willie go shopping at the sporting goods store. Willie who is supposedly up on gun safety manages to fire a gun in the store because George and Marion loaded it when no one was looking. Even the salesclerk falls victim to their shenanigans. One in the woods, the pranks continue. Willie sets up a metal bottle for target practice. He thinks he knocked it off with his shot, but it keeps popping back up with hidden help. When Cosmo tries his luck, he shoots a trout out of the sky. It was a 'flying fish". When a rabbit shows up, Willie misses again and again as it mysteriously is able to leap straight up in the air. The rumble of thunder has Henrietta heading for the car while the two men gather up the gear. As they do this, George and Marion hide the path by pulling some shrubbery across it. Willie is surprised to not find the way back to the car. He heads left and sends Cosmo to the right. George and Marion reveal the path to Cosmo, leaving Willie to fend on his own. Willie returns to the spot where they left some gear only to find his way blocked by a bear. So much for Willie's woodsy savviness.

Episode 35

The Wedding

Fri, Jun 4, 1954

Topper's secretary is getting married and Henrietta is planning a wedding for her niece, who suddenly elopes. Henrietta is devastated. The ghosts suggest that Topper hold the wedding for his secretary.

Episode 36

Preparations for Europe

Fri, Jun 11, 195430 mins

Henrietta wants a trip to Europe. She enters a breakfast cereal contest, which the ghosts rig for her to win.

Episode 37

The Boat

Fri, Jun 18, 1954

On the trip to Europe by boat, Topper is mistaken for a card sharp and encounters two jewel thieves.

Episode 38

Theatricals

Fri, Jun 25, 1954

Confusion reigns as the ghosts conspire for Henrietta and then Topper to be cast in a play for charity.

Episode 39

George's Old Flame

Fri, Jul 2, 195430 mins

Marion makes overtures about being Topper's secretary. He rings for Miss Erskins, his real one, but every time she enters, Topper is telling the invisible Marion to go away. Miss Erskins and the bank president hear his comments to Marion about getting off his lap. Mrs. Bates comes to see him. It is Ellen, his twice-divorced goddaughter asking for his help in talking Aunt Emma into letting her marry the movie star Larry Hartford. Aunt Emma enters as Ellen is leaving and asks Topper for help in keeping Ellen from making another marriage mistake. A Saturday night dinner is planned. Henrietta is planning for a large affair - about 86 - but Topper says it is supposed to be small. When George asks about the dinner guests, he learns that Ellen will be coming. They used to date and Aunt Emma wanted them to marry. George is sure that Ellen still misses him and his unequaled good looks. Saturday night arrives and no one is home when George comes down for dinner. The others have gone to the Club 22 as he learns by eavesdropping on Katie's phone call with her sister. George shows up. Ellen feels a chill. She then mentions that the Toppers live in the old Kirby house. She talks about him sneaking her in one time when his wife was away. He switched off the lights. Next, Aunt Emma appears having been told in a note from George. The waiter's autograph business spoils all the attempts to keep Hartford's name out of the conversation. No need to try and hide it, Aunt Emma recognized him immediately. Hartford tells her off and she likes his honesty. She also went to see his latest movie and thinks he's a good actor, too. All is well.