Turnabout is a novel by Thorne Smith written in 1931. It follows the adventures of an advertising executive and his wife who were constantly bickering, often in front of the ancient Egyptian statue on their mantlepiece. One day, they say exactly the wrong thing in front of the magic statue, and they find their bodies have been exchanged. They go through months as each other until they are finally given back their correct bodies. During this time, Tim must write advertising copy for Sally to take to work with her. And, Sally must also deal with office politics with a boss who feels threatened by Tim's competence. Eventually, she will also have to spend some time keeping an eye on an adventurous client out on the town. Tim must deal with the romantic advances of one of their friends. And, he must live through Sally's pregnancy and give birth. After the birth, their bodies will finally be restored.
One curious detail in the novel is that each of them keeps their voice and must do their best to disguise their mis-matched voices. The made it to the 1940 film version, but was dropped from the subsequent 1979 series and other movies based on this novel.
Turnabout contains examples of:
- "Freaky Friday" Flip: An Egyptian statue causes Tim and Sally Willows to exchange bodies.
- Gender Bender: Tim and Sally Willows have their bodies swapped, forcing each of them to live as the opposite sex.
- Swapped Roles: Sally gets a new appreciation for how difficult Tim's job can be, while Tim freaks out when he discovers that Sally is pregnant.
- Voices Are Mental: Tim and Sally's voices go with their minds, which produces an unsettling effect when each speaks with the other's voice. They must work to adjust their voices to fit their new bodies.
