Summary
The pastoral stagnation of Bird Center, a provincial enclave defined by its singular hotel and solitary theater, is violently disrupted by the impending arrival of the Rawsbury Sisters. This vaudevillian duo becomes the catalyst for a subterranean rebellion among the town's self-styled 'sheiks'—five husbands whose domestic lives are governed by the iron-fisted morality of the local Censors. As the sisters descend upon the hotel, owned by one of the very men tasked with policing public virtue, a clandestine economy of gift-giving and flirtation emerges, only to be shattered by the Purity League’s sudden intervention. Deemed a 'contaminant' to the citizenry, the sisters are ostracized and left financially destitute, facing the specter of the Sheriff. Their desperation pivots on a telegram offering employment—contingent upon them possessing blonde tresses. Their frantic attempt at chemical transformation via hair dye is misinterpreted by a lurking, eavesdropping sheik as a suicide pact. The resulting civic hysteria, involving a full-scale fire department deployment, culminates in a slapstick crescendo where a literal coma serves as the only bridge back to the suffocating safety of domesticity.
Synopsis
The little town of Bird Center boasting of one hotel and theatre, was in a state of uproar. The Rawsbury sisters were expected at-the theatre that week and the five "sheiks" whose wives comprised the board of Censors had great expectations of a good time. The great day at last arrived and the Sisters were duly installed in the hotel (belonging to one of the Board) and the "sheiks" welcomed them with presents. The festivities were just at their height when the Board swoops down to pass on the act. After viewing the act, a meeting was called at the Purity League where it was voted to ban it and ask the Sisters to leave town before they contaminated the citizens. Not having the wherewithal to pay their bill and being threatened with the Sheriff, the Sisters were undecided what to do, when just at the crucial moment a telegram arrives offering than work if they were blondes. They decide to dye their hair and proceed to do so, but while talking among themselves one of the "sheiks" overhears them and thinking they are about to kill themselves has the fire department rushed out which again creates an uproar, during which he is knocked in a state of coma and awakens to find himself in his loving wife's arms.
Review Excerpt
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The Architectural Morality of Bird Center
In the cinematic landscape of 1924, Flapper Fever stands as a biting, if kinetic, indictment of the provincial American psyche. Bird Center is not merely a setting; it is a psychological pressure cooker. The film establishes its geography with a ruthless efficiency—one hotel, one theater—symbolizing the dual altars of commerce and culture upon which the town’s residents sacrifice their authenticity. Unlike the sprawling urban angst seen in Life's Shop..."
