Topper / Topper Returns ( Double Feature) (1941)
A classic screwball comedy with a supernatural twist,Topperstars  the incomparable Cary Grant and sparkling Constance Bennett as George and  Marion Kirby, a fun-loving couple who cap an evening of jazz and champagne  by running their car into a tree. They return as ghosts with a mandate to  liven up the straight-laced hen-pecked life of bank president Cosmo Topper  (Roland Young), who's hungry for just such a shake-up. Before long he's  boozing, dancing, and getting into fights, all of which gives him a rakish  reputation--much to the consternation of his wife (Billie Burke, best  known as Glinda the Good Witch inThe Wizard of Oz). The sequel  replaces Grant and Bennett with Joan Blondell, who can't quite compare,  but she's charming in her own way.Topper Returnsis a rambunctious  murder mystery with some gorgeous sets and elegant cinematography--the  sequence of Blondell's death and ghostly rise is dazzling.--Bret  Fetzer