The Flapper
Encyclopedia
The Flapper is a 1920 American silent
comedy film
starring Olive Thomas
. It was the first movie in the United States
to portray the "flapper
" lifestyle which would soon become a 1920's fad
.
where having a soda
with a boy is scandalous. Because of her behavior and yearning for a thrilling life her father decides to send her to a boarding school, which is run by strict disciplinarian Mrs. Paddles (Marcia Harris
).
Despite the strictness, the girls have fun getting into flapper lifestyle trouble including flirting. Richard Channing (William P. Carleton), an older man, rides past the seminary every day, prompting romantic fantasies among the school girls. When 16-year-old Ginger connives a sleigh ride with Channing, she tells him she's 'almost twenty'. She ends up falling for him.
Ginger gets in trouble with the headmistress when she sneaks out to the local country club where Channing is having a party. One of her schoolmates named Hortense (played by Katherine Johnston) tells on her, but her motive is to get the headmistress out of the way so she can rob the school's safe and sneak away with her crooked boyfriend Thomas Morran (Arthur Housman
). Thanks to a vague note Ginger goes to a hotel in New York
on her way home from school where Hortense and her boyfriend are. They force her to take the suitcases back with her. The suitcases end up containing the valuables, which include fancy clothes and jewels.
Knowing that Channing has gone to Orange Springs on a yachting trip, Ginger decides to use the clothes and jewels and pretend to be a woman of the world when she goes home. The plan backfires, and her father believes she is lying when she says its a joke. Detectives show up wanting to know why she has stolen loot, and both her young admirer, Bill, and Channing think she has really become a wicked woman.
wrote the screenplay which was responsible for bringing the term flapper into popular use in the US. Thomas would go on to portray the flapper role in her remaining films (she died later that year).
The Flapper used African-American actors prominently in the film, however, they appear only as musicians and waiters with no dialogue.
The events in the lives of Ginger King and another character are presented as incidents in a (non-fiction) newsreel at the end of the movie, a device later used in Citizen Kane
(1941).
in 2005 as part of The Olive Thomas Collection. Unlike most silent films, The Flapper has survived the years largely unscathed and fully complete. All but a few small intro cards have survived and even the original color tinting remains. Minus the missing intro card the rest of the original title cards are intact.
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
starring Olive Thomas
Olive Thomas
Olive Thomas was an American silent film actress and model. She is best remembered for her marriage to Jack Pickford and her death.-Early life:...
. It was the first movie in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to portray the "flapper
Flapper
Flapper in the 1920s was a term applied to a "new breed" of young Western women who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior...
" lifestyle which would soon become a 1920's fad
FAD
In biochemistry, flavin adenine dinucleotide is a redox cofactor involved in several important reactions in metabolism. FAD can exist in two different redox states, which it converts between by accepting or donating electrons. The molecule consists of a riboflavin moiety bound to the phosphate...
.
Plot
16-year-old Genevieve 'Ginger' King (Thomas), is growing up in the boring town of Orange Springs, FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
where having a soda
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
with a boy is scandalous. Because of her behavior and yearning for a thrilling life her father decides to send her to a boarding school, which is run by strict disciplinarian Mrs. Paddles (Marcia Harris
Marcia Harris
Marcia Harris , born Lena Hill was an American actress. She appeared in 48 films between 1915 and 1932.She was born in Providence, Rhode Island, USA.-External links:*...
).
Despite the strictness, the girls have fun getting into flapper lifestyle trouble including flirting. Richard Channing (William P. Carleton), an older man, rides past the seminary every day, prompting romantic fantasies among the school girls. When 16-year-old Ginger connives a sleigh ride with Channing, she tells him she's 'almost twenty'. She ends up falling for him.
Ginger gets in trouble with the headmistress when she sneaks out to the local country club where Channing is having a party. One of her schoolmates named Hortense (played by Katherine Johnston) tells on her, but her motive is to get the headmistress out of the way so she can rob the school's safe and sneak away with her crooked boyfriend Thomas Morran (Arthur Housman
Arthur Housman
Arthur Housman was an American actor in films during the Golden Age of Hollywood.-Career:Initially as a leading man, Housman later became known as Hollywood's most familiar comic drunkard in films of the 1930s, usually playing cameo parts in features but with better opportunities in short films...
). Thanks to a vague note Ginger goes to a hotel in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on her way home from school where Hortense and her boyfriend are. They force her to take the suitcases back with her. The suitcases end up containing the valuables, which include fancy clothes and jewels.
Knowing that Channing has gone to Orange Springs on a yachting trip, Ginger decides to use the clothes and jewels and pretend to be a woman of the world when she goes home. The plan backfires, and her father believes she is lying when she says its a joke. Detectives show up wanting to know why she has stolen loot, and both her young admirer, Bill, and Channing think she has really become a wicked woman.
Cast
- Olive ThomasOlive ThomasOlive Thomas was an American silent film actress and model. She is best remembered for her marriage to Jack Pickford and her death.-Early life:...
as Ginger King - Warren CookWarren CookWarren Cook was an American film actor of the silent era. He appeared in 68 films between 1914 and 1927.He was born in Boston, Massachusetts and died in New York, New York...
as Senator King - Theodore Westman, Jr. as Bill Forbes
- Katherine Johnston as Hortense
- Arthur HousmanArthur HousmanArthur Housman was an American actor in films during the Golden Age of Hollywood.-Career:Initially as a leading man, Housman later became known as Hollywood's most familiar comic drunkard in films of the 1930s, usually playing cameo parts in features but with better opportunities in short films...
as Tom Morran - Louise Lindroth as Elmina Buttons
- Charles Craig as Reverend Cushil
- William P. Carleton as Richard Chenning
- Marcia HarrisMarcia HarrisMarcia Harris , born Lena Hill was an American actress. She appeared in 48 films between 1915 and 1932.She was born in Providence, Rhode Island, USA.-External links:*...
as Mrs. Paddles - Bobby ConnellyBobby ConnellyRobert Joseph "Bobby" Connelly was an American child actor of silent films. He is one of the first male child stars of American motion pictures beginning his career in 1913 at the age of four.-Career:...
as King, Jr. - Athole ShearerAthole ShearerAthole Shearer was an actress most noted as the sister of motion picture star Norma Shearer and film sound engineer Douglas Shearer....
as Extra (uncredited) - Norma ShearerNorma ShearerEdith Norma Shearer was a Canadian-American actress. Shearer was one of the most popular actresses in North America from the mid-1920s through the 1930s...
as Schoolgirl (uncredited)
Production notes
Frances MarionFrances Marion
Frances Marion was an American journalist, author, and screenwriter often cited as the most renowned female screenwriter of the twentieth century alongside June Mathis and Anita Loos.-Career:...
wrote the screenplay which was responsible for bringing the term flapper into popular use in the US. Thomas would go on to portray the flapper role in her remaining films (she died later that year).
The Flapper used African-American actors prominently in the film, however, they appear only as musicians and waiters with no dialogue.
The events in the lives of Ginger King and another character are presented as incidents in a (non-fiction) newsreel at the end of the movie, a device later used in Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, directed by and starring Orson Welles. Many critics consider it the greatest American film of all time, especially for its innovative cinematography, music and narrative structure. Citizen Kane was Welles' first feature film...
(1941).
Release
The Flapper was released on Region 1 DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in 2005 as part of The Olive Thomas Collection. Unlike most silent films, The Flapper has survived the years largely unscathed and fully complete. All but a few small intro cards have survived and even the original color tinting remains. Minus the missing intro card the rest of the original title cards are intact.