Funamboli

Clara Bow (Pat Delaney) loves star tightrope walker Richard Arlen (Larry Lee), but he loves his partner Kay Francis (Zara Flynn), who is two timing him with the third partner David Newell (Tony Barretti).

Acting and some of the dialog is OK, but there is not much to recommend the picture for. Other than the tightrope walking, there are few circus acts to be seen.

If there were any doubts about Clara Bow making the transition from silent to talkie films, then this ought to put those to bed. That said, it's not the most imaginative of plots that sees her "Pat" and married, mischievous and dipso circus trapeze artist "Zara" (Kay Francis) seemingly squabbling over the attentions of the handsome but rather drippy "Larry" (Richard Arlen). Now we know that the latter lady has an ulterior motive but neither of the others do and so as the emotions kick in, well let's hope they have a safety net! We also discover that alcoholism might be contagious and bitterness and jealousy are amongst it's best friends, so things start to look quite precarious for the airborne "Larry" too as the poor man isn't quite sure where to turn - or fall! It is a bit wordy, procedural and perhaps even earnest at times, but there is still plenty active swinging going on - even if I doubt either the studio nor their insurers would have allowed Miss Bow much more than four foot off the ground. These films were all an integral part of cinema's recalibration to sound and at times there's a bit of rigidity to the set piece scenes here as it looks like both Arlen and Bow are a shade uncomfortable finding their microphone spots from time to time. The lively circus scenario allows for plenty of fluidity from a production and direction that delivers quite proficiently a story that does just about enough.

For early talkie fans this is of interest to see Bow's contrasting style vs. early Kay Francis. Beautiful boozer and trapeze artist Francis comes out ahead in the intrigue department. She vies for the affections of fellow trapezer Richard Arlen with bareback-rider Clara Bow. Kay's romance with Arlen is "just pretend" as she is simply trying to earn money for her and her husband (David Newell) like any good wife until they can get their collective feet on the ground. Kay isn't so much complicated as she is busy complicating. The story is often a bit stodgy and Bow hasn't quite honed her talkie skills as an actress -- tends to overplay, but has some moments of genuine emotion.

Silent film superstar Clara Bow made three talkies in 1929. This is her second talkie (The Wild Party and The Saturday Night Kid were the other two). In this circus picture Bow plays a 2nd-rate bareback horse rider with an eye for Larry Lee (Richard Arlen) billed as the world's greatest high wire walker. He's nuts for his co-star Zara (Kay Francis) but she's two-timing him.

Bow discovers that Francis is seeing this other guy and spills it to Arlen. That night on the high wire he catches Francis kissing the other guy and goes nuts and falls to the ground. Out of the hospital he quits the big top but Bow tracks him down and talks him into returning in a new act with her as co-star. Everything goes well until Francis returns (she's been dumped).

Solid film with good atmosphere and zippy dialog. The acting is a little rough (it's 1929 after all) since the stars are still learning to "talk." Interesting to see Clara Bow as the "good girl." May Boley, Stu Erwin, Joyce Compton, T. Roy Barnes, Charles Brown, Anders Randolph co-star.

Why are some reviewers saying Clara Bow's acting in this is amazing and fantastic? It's not - she's OK at best. Just before this, she was in Dorothy Arzner's superb WILD PARTY. In that she was amazing but Mr Mendes didn't have Miss Arzner's directing talent.

When people say how great she is in this, it belittles how surprisingly great and natural she was in her first talkie. Maybe great is an exaggeration because WILD PARTY was such a well made picture, her short comings were somewhat shielded. What grouping all Clara Bow films together does is belittle how competent an actress she eventually became by the time she stared in her best work: CALL HER SAVAGE. Now that was good! Yes, in a couple of years she'd be a decent actress - in 1929 she wasn't.

This film is a massive disappointment after her first talkie - Paramount's first talkie - that was clever, mature and beautifully written. This is a trashy story rushed out simply as a mindless excuse to put Clara Bow on the screen to bring in, as they used to say, 'serious coin.' It's not however as unimaginably awful as her next film: SATURDAY NIGHT KID. Why was her agent trying to destroy her career?

Miss Bow is certainly not the worst actor in this. Neither is it Richard Arlen who is pitiful but those two are like Olivier and Leigh compared with that unfeasibly untalented acting phenomenon known as Kay Francis! Special shriek with horror award goes to her hair....of lack of. Oh my God, was that look considered sexy back then? She looks like a little boy with a big fat face! And that "acting!" If ever there was a case against the old practice of young actresses getting parts based on their performance on the casting couch, Kay Francis was it! She's absolutely terrible - but she must have been amazing elsewhere!!