The Flapper

Between the constant churn of new releases, The Flapper in Australia on JustWatch TV, and in the US on JustWatch TV and Public Domain Movies is the comedy actually worth stopping for. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. With 17 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Olive Thomas leads a cast with real comic timing. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on JustWatch TV.

There is a reason The Flapper keeps coming up in conversation. The Flapper does what great comedies rarely manage — it is actually funny, consistently, across the whole run. A Southern teen at a ritzy boarding school gets into mischief while acting the sophisticated grownup to impress a suave gentleman and match wits with a pair of jewel thieves. The chemistry Olive Thomas and William P. Carleton bring to it does a lot of the heavy lifting. It hit screens in 1920. The real test of any comedy is whether it is still funny once you know all the jokes, and The Flapper holds up on rewatch in a way that separates it from one-off curiosities. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

The Flapper is the kind of thing you put on in the background and end up fully watching. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Olive Thomas anchors an ensemble with real chemistry. Genuinely funny, consistently, across the whole run.

The Flapper was released in 1920, directed by Alan Crosland. The full 88-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.