Topper (1937 Norman Z. McLeod)

Is that a Wombat we see in the hilarious opening, being driven by Cary Grant with his feet? He and Constance Bennett have escaped from their own anniversary party and to 'relax' before the next morning's Board Meeting, they go to a nightclub (where Hoagy Carmichael accompanies them on the piano)... finally arriving in the early hours outside the bank, where they promptly fall asleep. Come morning a crowd gathers, Grant wakes up, realises he's late for the meeting and hops out of the car, in that way only Grant can do, leaving her surrounded by gawpers, still asleep.

This is written by Jack Jevne, Eric Hatch (of My Man Godfrey fame) and Eddie Moran, from Thorne Smith's novel. And as to the Wombat - well (I've just looked it up on imcdb) - in the following year's Young in Heart, Roland Young, is driving a 1938 Phantom Corsair, whereas here we have a 1937 Buick Century - it's even a different colour, and they look nothing like each other.

Anyway, when the couple die, they come back as ghosts in order to try and make Roland Young live a more fun life - there's not even any booze in wife Beulah Bondi's house, and Alan Mowbray the butler always brings the same egg. Eugene Pallette turns up later, as a hotel detective who can't believe the ghostly things going on around him. Syd Saylor is the car salesman we thought we recognised but didn't.

This is an MGM production, photographed by Norbert Brodine. I noticed the attention to detail in a back-projected driving scene, there's some great lighting (or effects) which makes it look like reflections of the passing trees in the bonnet.

It would be even more fun were it not that our neighbours were moving an elephant around in their house.