JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Despite the fact that if you bring up Thorne Smith in social or literary circles you will mostly be greeted with blank stares, his contribution to popular culture has been immense.
Even here in Jacksonville, where he got his first big break into writing: Advertising copy for a Jacksonville bank that showed Santa chilling out on a beach. Not exactly the most auspicious start for a literary career, but one which convinced him you could make a living in writing. And lucky for us.
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Thorne's ideas have been borrowed (and sometimes stolen) extensively by radio, television, motion pictures, and literature. The genre wherein his influence has been felt most is Science Fiction and Fantasy. Many of today's older authors, writers and entertainers site Smith as a source of inspiration, in fact, while recently talking with Neil Gaiman he chanced to wander over to my fairly huge collection of Thorne Smith work. We ended up talking about Thorne for about a half hour, and Gaiman cited him as a huge influence on his work.
Topper, was his biggest commercial success--so successful that he wrote a sequel. (Topper Takes a Trip) and a few movies were made out of the story. It was released in 1926, and is still in print today.
But most of his work is out of print and only available through rare bookstores or auction sites. Locally, Chamblin's Book Mine is always good for a copy or two, as is Gene's Books. But there are true enthusiasts. Rarities such as Lazy Bear Lane, Dream's End, and signed first editions cost thousands of dollars.
Several of his books have been turned into movies. Turnabout, Topper,Topper Takes a Trip, The Night Life of the Gods and I Married a Witch were made in the late 30's and early 40's. Only the Topper series of films could be deemed as successful, spawning two sequels and several television series.
Movie Poster for Turnabout, the Thorne Smith novel which switches the bodies of a Man and his Wife in 1920s Suburbia
The Passionate Witch, was the original inspiration for Bewitched, and his ideas are still widely used in film today, (there are still currently film options on his books.)
Thorne's writing style is a blend of smart talk, witty dialogue and screamingly funny observations mixed with an offhand and casual criticism of the Babbitry of the era.
A fairly typical storyline follows characters who are overwhelmed with the stifling mediocrity of their lives as they go through a complete transformation of their morals and character. Usually through the office of a supernatural interference that is always of a comedic nature.In the absence of the supernatural, a nudist colony or two substitutes nicely.
Topper, his most famous work follows the former formula. A middle aged banker, modelled perfectly on Sinclair Lewis' Babbitt finds himself visited by the restless (and loosely moraled) dead n the form of the ghosts of George and Marion Kirby.
Thorne's work is delightful and for any fan of 20s literature, a brilliant addition to a collection. Most of the work is passing out of copyright, and can be found online in its entirety. This brilliant author deserves a much wider audience. His stories and observations about human nature as well as his social outlook are as contemporary as any presently writing author, with a good deal more humor.
Article By Stephen Dare | Comprehensive list and summaries of Thorne Smith's works
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