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). Quirky inventor Hunter Hawk strikes gold when he invents a device that will enable him to turn living matter into stone and to reverse the process at will. After a chaotic field test he meets stunning 900 year old Megaera who teaches him to turn stone into flesh. The two and a bunch of friends set their sights on New York City to bring the Greek gods of the Metropolitan museum to life...
