The Topper Buick

Film released July 16, 1937. One of the biggest stars of the 1937 Hal Roach film "Topper" is Marion Kerby's "extreme-lined" convertible coupe. The car was unique and was not something made up by General Motors. Well, an important part of it was: the chassis was made by General Motors for the Buick Roadmaster. It was sold to the filmmakers so they could transform it into the sporty and luxurious roadster that the script demanded. In the film it is driven by the debonair Cary Grant (as George) and the timid but hilarious Roland Young (as Cosmo Topper.) After the car's first accident, Constance Bennett, as Marion Kerby, refers to it as her car.During the era of custom bodied cars, one of Los Angeles' most prestigious coachbuilders was Bohman & Schwartz, responsible for many "dream car" bodies ordered by customers in the movie colony. (One of their most famous designs was the Duesenberg created for Clark Gable in 1935.) Tony Gerrity, one of their designers, is the one responsible for the amazing transformation, which contained elements of several advanced design vehicles. Distinctive features included the incredible fin, the exhausts protruding like a supercharged Cord, a shark-like nose similar to the Graham, teardrop fenders, and a very slanted, divided windshield. Car collectors will notice the telltale appointments that were stock Buick accessories, such as the bullet-shaped parking lights on the fenders, and the "banjo" spoke steering wheel. (There were also hidden controls for a stuntman to operate when the car appeared to not have a driver.) The enormous dorsal fin made it impossible to have a rumble seat or trunk lid. But think of the stabilizing qualities it must have had! Legend has it that the director, Norman Z. McLeod, wanted to buy a new "coffin-nosed" Cord, but its body design was far more difficult to modify than the Buick. Elements of this car's styling must have worn off at General Motors, because a similar door-to-fender design was later used in building the Cadillac Special and other G.M. cars.The car stayed in the Roach Studio until 1939, when it was sold to Gilmore Oil. The oil company redesigned it as a parade car, with styling more in tune with the 1940s. It was used to promote their "Red Lion" gasoline, and rented for special events such as car shows and parades.After Mobilgas absorbed Gilmore Oil (in the late 1940s), the car was sent back to Bohman & Schwartz for new paint and some exterior updating. B&S designer W. Everett Miller created a new look for what would become the "Mobilgas Special."By 1954 the Buick straight-eight "Dynaflash" engine was showing its age. C. Bohman & Son (now minus Mr. Schwartz) was chosen again as the renovator for the Buick. The body was remounted on a 1954 Chrysler Imperial Newport chassis and now had a big Chrysler Hemi V8. When put back into service, it was "seen annually by more than five million people" when it glided through such events as the Tournament of Roses Parade, Rodeos, horse shows and the Seattle Seafair Pageant. Eventually the car became property of the Jim Brucker's "Movieland -- Cars of the Stars." Although it served as the Gilmore and Mobil car for most of its life, it is still referred to by many as the "Topper" car. Note: Watch for small parts played in the film by Ford-driver Tom Herbert (the brother of Hugh Herbert), bellhop Arthur Lake and farm boy Doodles Weaver.

Channel: Autos & Vehicles
Uploaded: November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am
Author: nedsparks

Length: 09:27
Rating: 4.61
Views: 19815

Tags: 1930s  accident  automobile  car  comedy  crash  glamour  Hollywood  movie  racy  roadster  streamlined  tree  

Video Comments