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The Olive Thomas Collection: The Flapper/Olive Thomas - Everybody's Sweetheart

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Unless you are a silent film enthusiast (and if you're reading this review you most likely are) then you've probably never heard of Olive Thomas. Her death in 1920 at the age of only 25 under mysterious circumstances has kept her name from being totally forgotten but this DVD is the first opportunity for us to see first hand what made her "everybody's sweetheart".

Judging from the film THE FLAPPER which makes up more than half this disc, Olive Thomas was a gifted performer who combined the madcap qualities of Mabel Normand with the affable sincerity of Mary Pickford. The film is an occasionally witty somewhat clever comedy about a naive young girl at boarding school who gets mixed up with thieves. It was written by Frances Marion (the top screen writer of the silent era), directed by Alan Crosland (THE JAZZ SINGER), and produced by Lewis Selznick (father 0f Myron and David O.). That's a pretty good pedigree and shows how highly Olive was regarded by her contemporaries. It would be her penultimate film.

At this time Olive had been married to Jack Pickford (Mary's brother) for a few years. It was on a second honeymoon trip to Paris that she suddenly died after taking bichloride of mercury. Was it suicide, murder, or just a horrible accident? We will never know although the Timeline Films documentary OLIVE THOMAS: EVERYBODY'S SWEETHEART that fills out the DVD does draw its own conclusion. It is informative and well produced although a little shallow. There are a wealth of clips and photos and it features narration from Rosanna Arquette.

But back to THE FLAPPER. The print from the George Eastman House is absolutely first rate with hardly a blemish and it's even color tinted and has the original illustrated title cards. It's one of the best silent film prints I have ever seen. The piano accompaniment from Robert Israel compliments the action quite nicely. It's great to have this truly talented actress available once again. Hopefully some more of her films can be reissued (very few have survived) so that she can continue to cast her spell on a whole new generation of moviegoers. Thanks again Milestone Films for another job well done.

I had only seen photographs of the beautiful Olive Thomas prior to seeing this delightful film. Olive had more than beauty; she was a marvelous actress and she definitely had star quality. The documentary is a marvelous added bonus which shows clips from what remains intact of her all too brief film legacy. I'd very much love to see her other films whether they are in pristine condition or not. Olive had a definite knack for comedy. It doesn't matter that she was not a virtuous little girl in real life. What is important is that, had she lived, she may have gone on to be one of the biggest stars in the 1920s
and I feel that she would have succeeded. When she is on screen, she dominates every scene she is in and that is star quality. I do hope Milestone will release more of the existing Olive Thomas films. Her talent is on the level of Mary Pickford, Marion Davies, and Clara Bow. It is time for Olive Thomas to receive the credit she deserves. I have become an Olive Thomas fan after seeing only one film of hers. That says a lot. It is tragic that she died just prior to her 26th birthday. Before stars were truly stars, seeing Olive in this superbly directed comedy leaves one wondering, "What if she had lived longer?" It made me think of the great Jean Harlow who died near Olive's age. Both had a great deal more to offer and both had great talent. I am very glad I have "discovered" Olive Thomas and may more of her films be released on DVD and may more that are "presumed lost" be found. I am ready to see more of this actress' work!

This is yet another excellent DVD by Milestone Films, this time putting together all the available material on Olive Thomas, a popular actress of the mid to late 1910s who has been almost forgotten in our day. This collection contains one very entertaining feature film from 1920, "The Flapper", an interesting and nice hour-long documentary about Olive, and other delightful bits of bonus material to round out the picture. I was impressed by "The Flapper", first of all for its perfect picture quality, and for the high standard of the film in general. One thing that caught my attention was the unusually good art work accompanying the intertitles, and which adds a special touch to the film. But the main focus is, of course, on Olive Thomas and her bubbly personality as she plays a sprightly 16-year-old whose typically-teenage desire to be more grown-up lands her in trouble. With a script by famed screenwriter, Frances Marion, and direction by Alan Crosland, "The Flapper" was a sure hit, and after 85 years it is still as entertaining as ever. There are no complex plots or deep issues; simply a fun, charming and also interesting ride through society of 1920. Olive's peformance is the highlight of the film, and she often reminded me of her famous sister-in-law, Mary Pickford, and it's a shame that hardly any other Olive Thomas films have survived. Judging by snippets from her other films presented in the documentary, her performances were always entertaining, and no doubt she was very popular for both her pesonality and her attractiveness. The documentary helps us to understand Olive better as it covers her entire life, including her start in showbusiness in the Ziegfeld Follies and her tragic death at barely 26 - just when her film career seemed to be really taking off. I enjoyed this documentary for its use of much footage from Olive's other films besides "The Flapper", and the other bonus material and stills complete this collection perfectly. All up, a great DVD and a feature film almost anyone is sure to enjoy, even if you're not too familiar with silent films.

I've read about Olive Thomas in movie history books but couldn't get a full grasp on her importance to movies. Everyone agreed she was beautiful, fascinating, charismatic. Like so many of the old stars, none of her movies are available for viewing or have been lost over the decades. She's been totally forgotten over the decades except among a small band of film buffs and movie historians. She died mysteriously in a Parisian hotel room in l920 and her death was shrouded in mystery. Now we have The Olive Thomas Collection and it's a fascinating revelation of this long forgotten star. "The Flapper" is revealed to us in a beautiful restoration, complete with tinted scenes and wonderful intertitles. You can finally appreciate what all the excitement was all about. Thomas shows us a personality who has fully grasped the art of film acting. While many of her female cohorts were still using exaggerated gestures and bulging their eyes, Thomas was much like Pickford in using subtle gestures and facial expressions. It's not going too far to speculate that if Olive had endured into the l920s, she could have become one of the greatest of silent screen stars. She had that indefinable charisma and personality that comes through the camera lenses. The documentary, "Everybody's Sweetheart" is also a total revelation as we follow Olive's amazing ascendancy from her poor Wisconsin background to the celebrated star of the Zeigfeld Follies and later of Selznick films. She was way ahead of her time in using her personal gifts for climbing upwards, becoming mistress to both Florenz Zeigfeld and then later Myron Selznick. We'll never know how she came to ingest poison that night in l920. It's fascinating to know that even today, her ghost is reported to haunt a Broadway theater. The cast and crew there touch a huge portrait of Olive as a good luck gesture. Now, if we can only get a collection out on Mae Murray and the Talmadge Sisters.

It is exciting to see such an unknown actress of the silent era presented with a "collection." Olive Thomas had a short career first as a Ziegfeld Girl and then as a silent movie star. Her life was cut short when she ingested mercury pills, rendering her blind and mute before she died. Perhaps her tragic end is the reason for this release, but her fans are given quite a nice tribute to the star.

The Flapper is the only one of Olive's films on the disk, an innocent, sweet film. Olive plays a feisty girl who is quick to impress her schoolmates by pretending to be a flapper, or a girl who gets around. She sets her sights on an older, sophisticated man who is interested when he hears she is older, but scorns her when he is told her real age. He worries about her still when her flapper antics begin to get her into trouble.
The film shows Olive in a very early example of the flapper, a more innocent and toned down version. She seems more like a southern belle than a sex symbol. However, Olive exudes plenty of personality. In some cases, she is reminiscent of Clara Bow who became a highly charged flapper in the late 20s in her dancing scenes and when she cuts up a dress to go out with a sophisticated man. There is one scene that is somewhat disturbing because of Olive's death. Her character contemplates hanging herself because the man she is infatuated with dismisses her. It turns comical, but only brings up the fact that no one knows for sure if Olive meant to take the mercury pills or if it was only an accident.
The picture is amazingly clear. The scenery is amazing whether it be the snowy country setting or the city life. The title cards are rather artistic and fun especially for 1920. Robert Israel's score is average and accommodates the film well enough.

The documentary on this disk is a real treat. It is not even an hour long, but it contains much information that has never been compiled together and some that is new. The choice in narrator is rather strange, much as it normally is for these types of documentaries, but Rosanna Arquette does a good job. Fans and distant relatives provide commentaries. There are some annoying reenactments and some fake accents used when reading quotes, but on the whole, Olive Thomas: Everybody's Sweetheart is wonderful. It begins by telling that Olive's ghost is said to haunt the New Amsterdam Theater where the Ziegfeld Follies were held, an interesting claim that could drive tourists to the theater. It details Olive's early life and her success on the stage. Many of her films look interesting and will hopefully be released to the public. One story should have been detailed further because it is so unique; a few of Olive's films were found under a swimming pool in Alaska. Olive's relationship with Jack Pickford is discussed in detail including Mary Pickford's stance on the two. It ends with a great epilogue telling about Olive's contribution to the film industry, including speculation on whether David O. Selznik's middle initial is a tribute to Thomas.

There are a few interesting extra features on this DVD as well. There are many Thomas stills, several of them quite rare. There is an audio presentation of a newspaper article written by Olive's first husband that is illustrated by stills and film clips. There are two reenactments of stories told by Billy Bitzer and Lenora Coffee which are silly and fun. Finally, there are two songs played that were written for Olive.

Overall, this collection is a gem and a must-have for fans of silent films.

Although Olive Thomas's life and acting career were far too short, the film presented here makes it obvious why she was called "Everybody's Sweetheart" and known as the most beautiful woman in the world. 'The Flapper' is a delightful, sweet, charming, cute movie, even though most people wouldn't consider it very complex or a classic or great film. When it boils down silent cinema was much like modern-day sound cinema, in that the majority of films were like this one, fun date movies or something cute and lightweight you'd watch on a rainy day, not epic classic masterpieces that win awards or that leave the viewer very powerfully and emotionally moved at the end. Olive plays Genevieve "Ginger" King, who is banished from the tiny town of Orange Springs, Florida, for having gone out to the local soda fountain with her boyfriend Bill without permission, and sent away to boarding school. Olive is very natural and believable as the smalltown girl who wants to fit in and be herself yet still have a good time and act grown-up, along the way getting herself mixed up with some unsavory elements who don't have her best interests at heart. The quality of the print used is fantastic, with a nice piano score and beautiful original art intertitles.

The hour-long documentary is also very charming and informative, narrated and presented in a very informal friendly way instead of having an overly scholarly and pompous feel to it, being more serious than informative yet also enjoyable and fun. There are also a bunch of great extras, an illustrated interview with Olive's first husband, re-enactments of some colorful incidents in Olive's life, and two songs written about Olive, accompanied by images of some of her other films. It's obvious she was talented and beautiful, and it's such a pity she died so young with so much more yet to give; it seems likely she could have advanced into the next stage of the silent era, in the 1920s, and possibly even transitioned to sound eventually. Quite a few stars from this era died young, but only a few of them are still as well-remembered as Olive; anyone can die young, but that doesn't mean your legacy will be well-guarded unless you have what Olive did, a combination of looks, talent, promise, and appeal lasting far beyond that particular era.

Olive Thomas is now a lost name of the silent era yet in her day she was a top star. This DVD has an entertaining yet informative documentary on her life and tragic demise as well as one of her lost films, "The Flapper." After watching this DVD I only wished there were more surviving Olive Thomas films around to enjoy. Well worth the money for any fan of silent film.

Chances are...that many people today have never heard of the silent actress Olive Thomas. If anything, for most people who frequent the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City, her name is known as the ghost that is supposedly haunting the theatre.

Sure, there are many people today who are familiar with Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, Norma Shearer, Gloria Swanson, Clara Bow and many female actresses of the era, but Olive Thomas seems to have been forgotten. And perhaps its because many of her silent films are lost (many silent films are lost and unfortunately shot on combustible nitrate film which many have suffered massive acid deterioration or were destroyed in a fire caused by the nitrate film) and have not had the distribution like Pickford, Swanson and Bow.

But Olive Thomas was one of the most popular actresses at the time and earning the nickname "Everybody's Sweetheart". Even rivaling Mary Pickford who was dubbed "America's Sweetheart". Not only was she Florence Ziegfeld's #1 go to lady for the Ziegfeld Follies but she was also a favorite of Hollywood's most popular producers, the Selznick brothers. Her beauty and girl-next-door looks captivated many that knew her and similar to a big star of today, she graced many magazine covers, was on many product advertisements, on film and to everyone's surprised, Olive Thomas married her screen rival's brother, Jack Pickford.

And unlike the silent film actresses I named earlier, Olive Thomas, who had a radiant life and career that was skyrocketing but in 1920, after a night of partying hard in France and hoping to strengthen her deteriorating marriage to Jack Pickford, Olive Thomas was dead at the young age of 26.

Her death was reported as accidental as the actress supposedly woke up early in the morning to grab an aspirin but ended up grabbing Jack Pickford's syphilis medication (mercury bichloride), which was supposed to be used topically but she put it into her drink and by then, the poison started to work in her body and within a few days she was dead.

Like many actresses and young socialites of today who fill the tabloid papers for their hard partying and worries that their lifestyles may lead to their premature death, Olive Thomas was the celebrity in which media took her death and shown to the public and warned them of hard partying, the Hollywood and France life. But the intrigue and public mourning of Olive Thomas led to many theories of her death. From accidental death, to suicide or even a case of murder which people blamed Pickford for Olive's death.

Olive Thomas, known as "Everybody's Sweetheart" was so loved by her fans and she was more popular than many of the young silent film actresses at the time and it's unfortunate that many of her films are lost and that the legacy of this fine young actresses has not stood out compared to other contemporaries due to the fact that people today have had not much access to any of her films unless you attended a silent film festival.

As of today, around 12 of her films (many in bad shape) have been found but only one of her films "The Flapper" (1920) is available on DVD courtesy of Milestone Film & Video/Image Entertainment. And also includes the fantastic Olive Thomas documentary "Olive Thomas: Everybody's Sweetheart".

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

"The Flapper" is presented in Dolby Digital Stereo. The film is presented with a piano score by Robert Israel which matches the film quite well. The documentary "Olive Thomas: Everybody's Sweetheart" is presented in Dolby Digital and dialogue and music are clear and I found no problems with the audio.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"The Olive Thomas Collection" comes with the following special features:

* Stills Gallery - Featuring still galleries of Olive Thomas which can be viewed via remote.
* Re-Enactments of anecdotes about Olive Thomas s told by Billy Blitzer and Lenore Coffee - (4:23) Re-enactments featuring actors about Olive working with Billy Blitzer (D.W. Griffith's cinematographer) and Lenore Coffee (writer) that were not used in the documentary.
* Illustrated Interview with Bernard Krug Thomas, Olive's first husband, found in "The Pittsburgh Press (May 4, 1931) - (11:10) Featuring a narrated featurette from a 1931 interview as Bernard Krug Thomas reminisces his marriage with Olive Thomas and how things were during their marriage and the divorce. How Olive Thomas wanted to become a Ziegfeld girl and that was her dream and thus her divorce to Bernard. Also, what transpired between the two after their divorce.
* Two songs written especially for Olive Thomas - "The Glorious Lady" and "The More I See of Somebody Else, The More I Think About You" - Of the three songs about Olive Thomas that were found, Milestone presents two of the songs.

JUDGMENT CALL:

One night, I discovered Olive Thomas by mistake. I was going through various sites reading about Louise Brooks and more on the Flapper trend of the "Roaring Twenties" and when it came to women that people looked at being the quintessential Flapper, I noticed Olive Thomas listed. I asked myself, who is Olive Thomas? As I was familiar with the other women on the list except her.

As I started to do my research on Olive, I was shocked but what I found. Here is one of America's top actresses, who worked hard and played hard and lived a short life. Married the brother of Mary Pickford (an actress that she did not want to be like) and created a career for herself and was loved and adored by many. I asked myself, "how can I not know Olive Thomas?" and it's simple. Similar to how Harold Lloyd is not easily remembered because of his lack of film distribution on television for nearly 80 years, the same can be said about Olive Thomas but worst.

Where Harold Lloyd have creative control over his films and literally took great care of them and fortunately had sibling that would carry the torch for him and many to rediscover his work many decades later, the same can't be said for Olive Thomas as her films are either lost and those that were found are in terrible shape. A few that have been screened at film festivals but nothing released on DVD but one film.

So, we have one film, "The Flapper" included in "The Olive Thomas Collection" and an awesome documentary detailing Olive's career and personal life and bits and pieces of her work from other films and that is it.

"The Flapper" was a good film and I can imagine by Thomas playing this wild character in the film, in the '20s - teenage girls probably loved it while conservative parents more than likely scoffed by such a character. But this film was a the kickoff to the flapper trend and has its place in American pop culture history.

But was "The Flapper" one her best films? I'm not sure if this question will ever be answered because of the lack of release of her films on the video market and there are many films that are lost. Obviously, from watching "Olive Thomas: Everybody's Sweetheart", we learn how popular of an actress she was back then. We see clips of her playing a variety of roles and again, its rather unfortunate that these are not available, so people of today and audiences of tomorrow would know who she is aside from a ghost haunting the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York.

"The Flapper" was a good film that seemed a bit disjointed and farfetched at times. It's hard to believe that she comes from this quaint but small upper class area in Florida, moves to a boarding house where it's all snow and wherever she goes, the boy that likes her and the man she meets is there and also at home. There are some hilarious moments and also scenes that show us New York and its crowded streets ala early 1920, we get to see Olive Thomas playing the innocent school girl to becoming a wannabe vamp and also, we get to see Norma Shearer and her sister in one of their earlier roles as extras.

But the real gem in "The Olive Thomas Collection" is the documentary "Olive Thomas: Everybody's Sweetheart". It is a well-made, well-researched documentary that really goes into depth of Olive Thomas, her career and personal life.

The special features are also quite entertaining but the illustrated featurette with the interview with Olive's first husband Bernard Krug Thomas was very interesting and also gives us another perspective of Olive Thomas not shown in the documentary.

Overall, Olive Thomas may be one of the forgotten actresses from the silent era and a name that may not be recognized by people today but she was the actress who was known for working hard, playing hard. She was determined, passionate and wanted to be the best actress in Hollywood. Her career was ended before she could win any Academy Awards, lay a handprint or her signature on wet cement on Hollywood's Walk-of-Fame and before her career could be ever, fully recognized.

But for those who are silent film fans, especially the new generation of fans who are discovering the films right now and are researching various DVD's to purchase for their collection, "The Olive Thomas Collection" is a must-own DVD.

Definitely recommended!

THE FLAPPER was one of the first silent movies I watched. In fact, I still haven't watched a whole lot of them, but I am starting to, and though I haven't watched many silents like I said, I have a feeling THE FLAPPER is one of the better silents made in that period (1920-1925). I bought this because I was reading about Olive Thomas in this book called THE ZIEGFELD FOLLIES and it was really good, and I thought Olive's life sounded very interesting, and from what the book said, she seemed like a very good actress. So I bought this, and it was AMAZING!!!!! Olive is MIRACULOUS!!!!! She is very funny at times, and at the scene where Ms. Paddles, her boarding school mistess, makes her leave the Country Club Dance, you feel sorry for her. She seems pretty normal at first, but as the movie goes on, she keeps on getting more bubbly and full of energy, and she is so VERSATILE, and it's just so FUNNY!!!!! THE FLAPPER is about a girl in a small town, Genevieve "Ginger" King (Olive), who is shipped off to a boarding school for girls in New York, which is run by this old lady named Ms. Paddles. After a small while, the girls all accept Ginger, and they have fun at school, but there is this snobby, cheap girl named Hortense who looks about 40, so I was like, " Why is she a student?" But she is and there's nothing anybody can do about it now. Norma Shearer is in here as one of Olive's school mates, and I personally think she would make a better Hortense than this Katherine Johnston. But Katherine does a good job of being a nasty, lying, sleazy schoolgirl/crook. Then there is this boy named Bill (Theodore Westman Jr.) who lives near Olive at her small town, and also goes to this military school near hers. He has a crush on her, and it is cute how he takes her for sleigh rides, and tries to impress her. The whole movie is very cute, so here is a basic plot outline before I get carried away: Olive goes to a boarding school, tries to get a handsome mystery man to fall in love with her, gets mixed up with some crooks, attempts to play a big prank on her fammily back home, and that's all, because I don't want to spoil anything for you. And just so you know, the print is terribly pristine and is definitely one of the best restorations of a silent picture I've seen. And now for the documentary: It's a really interesting, artful, and good summary of Olive's life, what kind of person she was, and good stuff like that. And there are even more extras, and there's nice too. And now, thse are the few silent movies I've seen and I reccomend them all: Wings (1927) A good/okay war drama brightened up by Clara Bow, and my VERY FIRST silent. The Plastic Age (1925)- a good,funny sint that gets boring in parts, again saved by Clara Bow. Intolerance (1916)- A marvelously artful film by D.W. Griffith, that is VERY, VERY good, but can be difficult to sit through, because it's long. The Show Off (1926)- A great, side-splitting funny silent that also makes you feel sad, a REALLY goodmovie. I reccomend this movie for starting your silent movie collection, also a great family film, because my mom liked it too. The Garden of Eden (1928)- THE BEST SILENT MOVIE I"VE EVER SEEN EXCEPT FOR THE FLAPPER!!!!! HIGHLY RECCOMENDED AS A GREAT FLAPPER FLICK!!!!! The Affairs of Anatol (1921)- A wonderful, ornate dramadey with Gloria Swanson, Wallace Reid, and Bebe Daniels. Worth buying just for the sets, costunes, and the scene where Wallace smashes up an apartment with gusto. And that's all I've seen so far. I hope to see many more great silents, and I hope this review was helpful. And aside form silents, I reccomend you watch a great movie titled THE BROADWAY MELODY OF 1936, the best musical I've ever seen. June Knight would've made a good silent actress with her amazingly expressive face. Bye, pearls in your oysters!

The majority of silent films are lost forever and this one starring Olive Thomas, who died two years later in Paris under mysterious circumstances, is a good addition to your film library. The film itself is better than average and a good example of a film of that time. The special feature documentary about Olive narrated by Rosanna Arquette is fascinating, but another feature recreating scenes that indicate Olive's personality starring one of her descendants doesn't work. But overall the movie and special features are worth it.