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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.

This isn't the first time that I have observed that the Male actors in this transition period had been too off the mark to be anything less that an eye-sore. It is always left to the poor women to carry the movie on their shoulders. In this movie too, not only Clara and Kay, but other women, the two uncredited co-showgirls and May Boley (the mother figure) too were good, especially Roy Barnes (the Pa against the Ma) and Charles Brown (the Assistant to Pa?). Newell was still OK, but the real failure in execution was Arlen.

Clara played the role of a teenage show girl - and I was surprised to see she did look mid-teen, even at the mid twenties, some of the activities, I don't know directed, or naturally, like scratching her legs while talking to Arlen, showed the 'girlish' mind. She looked quite lovely. may be a bit overacting by today's standard, but I would rather say it was quite good, considering that this was one of the transition era movies, when talkies were not even infant, may be almost in pre-natal ward.

Kay has played a bit of complicated role, of being in love with the lesser of the group, but ready to flirt with the star, so that the bacon is ensured at home, even going to the extent of hiding her marriage, so that the allure on the star isn't lost. Well, one could call that manipulative/ heartless, but it might as well be survival instinct. After walking out, the couple had miserably failed, and were on almost dole, till the Star brought them, or her, back.

One probably weakness I could find - sacking of the girl - the owner, and his wife behaved almost like parents of the girls, and this looked to be the favorite 'daughter'. Sacking was really unexpected, but may be he said that at the heat of the moment, and the girl took it seriously. Unless she was thrown on street, there won't have been the drama.

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!!

Clara Bow is excellent in this picture- she really could act...very animated, very ebullient performance. Remember that this was something like only the second 'talkie' that she had ever done, but she knew how to modulate her voice (she did have a Brooklyn accent, but that was kind of interesting). Hands down the best actor in the movie.

Another impressive aspect of this film was the quality of the sound- for 1929 it was impressive with articulate dialogue, clear audio.

This, I believe, is Kay Francis's first film. Francis is beautiful with a sultry voice; not too difficult to see how her career took off like a rocket.

For her second talking film appearance, Paramount presented Clara Bow (as Pat Delaney) in the audience pleasing "circus" genre, with a "Wings" co-star, Richard Arlen (as Larry Lee). Although the formula seemed like a blockbuster in the making, the film was disappointing. Bow is cast in an inappropriate, and dull, "change of pace" role. She is unconvincing as the demure girl who becomes a "high wire" circus star. At one point, we are expected to believe Bow's pleasingly plump figure passes for Mr. Arlen, in a clown costume, on the high wire! Arlen is also unconvincing, playing the tending to be tipsy alcoholic "King of the High Wire". Kay Francis (as Zara Flynn) rounds out the expected "love triangle". Bow's "stand around and wait" attempt to pry Arlen's interests from Ms. Francis' arms is uncharacteristic.

On the plus side, the cast and crew put some obvious effort into a sound production.

The "Dangerous Curves" referred to in the title are plainly stated as Arlen's trials and tribulations with job, alcohol, and women. So, the film's content may have been altered to focus on Arlen, then a lesser box office star than Bow. Still, it was a Bow film, and audiences undoubtedly bought tickets to see Clara Bow's "Dangerous Curves". And, as a Bow starring vehicle, "Dangerous Curves" was a modest success. For the year 1928-29, Clara Bow was the US #1 "Box Office Star", according to the industry standard list compiled by Quigley Publications. After "Dangerous Curves", box office receipts declined sharply. Suddenly, Clara Bow's reign was over.

*** Dangerous Curves (7/13/29) Lothar Mendes ~ Clara Bow, Richard Arlen, Kay Francis

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.

I haven't seen all of Clara Bow's talkies, but this is easily the worst I've seen. Of course some of the clumsiness is simply because it's a very early talkie—but the primary problems are with the script and acting, not with the direction or technology. The dialogue is moronic, to the point where you wonder if the characters are really intended to be moronic—or did they think audiences were so simple they required simpleminded figures on screen to relate to? OK, the characters are circus people, but Clara in particular talks like what we might today call "white trash."

That makes her dully sincere character irritating—no wonder Richard Arlen's hero doesn't reciprocate her obvious romantic interest until a convenient last-minute turnabout—and helps rob her of the spark Bow usually had. Admittedly, she probably wasn't yet fully comfortable with sound acting, and her voice was always a blunt instrument. But really, you'd have no idea why she was popular then or a cult figure now if you only saw her here. She's unappealing, sometimes downright amateurish.

The other performers are at least professional, including Francis as Clara's elegant rival (so elegant it's ridiculous—it's as if she were employed by some separate, old-money Upper West Side circus while Clara works for one in the Bronx). David Newell, whose acting career strangely dried up soon afterward (though he stayed in the industry, mostly doing makeup), cuts a handsome figure as the fourth side of the conflicted love quartet.

Anyway, this is watchable as a curio. But it's exactly the kind of movie that makes people who think they "don't like old movies" believe that films made this long ago aren't just antiquated, but kind of remedial in other ways, too. Maybe Paramount just didn't have enough competent screenwriters to go around at this early point in the talkie revolution. Whatever the reason, "Dangerous Curves" (a title that, by the way, makes no sense whatsoever, since Bow plays one of her least sexualized roles and the circus performers are tightrope walkers) is pretty simpleminded even for a programmer of the era—and this in a year when Clara Bow was the #1 attraction in the nation, so by any rights her vehicles should have been top-shelf. She complained they gave her just any old script, and this is a movie that proves her right.

Dangerous Curves (1929) is Clara's second talkie and she really carries the movie. The male lead isn't very strong or very likeable but Miss Bow makes up for any shortcomings with her charm and likeable vulnerability. Dangerous Curves is a must own for any Clara Bow fan.Pretty rare on dvd,never getting a official DVD release,but worth getting a hold of if you love the IT girl like I do.

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.

Clara Bow's father was a famous hire-wire man. Now she's a bareback rider. She loves Richard Arlen, who is a wire-walker, but he only has eyes for his partner, Kay Francis. She likes a little nip before the show, and she's cheating on him. So when Arlen takes a tumble, she's off with the other guy, and there's no one to argue his case but Miss Bow, who takes a cut in her salary to convince circus owner Anders Randolf to take Arlen back. He's shaky at first, but comes up with a brand new act for them.... but figures he needs an experienced partner, and sends for Miss Francis.

Miss Bow's second sound film is a lot more suitable for her, with her natural accents no impediment, and a good circus atmosphere to ease the pressure on her. Miss Francis looks predatory and elegant, even with less than half a dozen costume changes, and Arlen gets a drunk scene. Paramount may have swung into sound before it was ready, but they were certainly making an effort for Miss Bow. With Joyce Compton, Charles Brown, and Stu Erwin.

In the late silent era, Clara Bow was the biggest starlet in Hollywood...with one hit after another. However, in the sound era her career languished and I've read books that said it was because of her thick New York accent...it just wasn't right for the talkies. Well, I think this is pure crap. She sounded just fine and could act...but the studios (particularly Paramount) kept giving her inferior material...like movies like "Dangerous Curves"...a poorly written film with an unlikable leading man.

Pat (Bow) is a very sweet girl in the circus. She's kind and decent...and for some reason she's interested in Larry (Richard Arlen)...a complete jerk in every possible way. Larry is completely indifferent about decent Pat and instead chases after the selfish Zara (Kay Francis)...even though she treats him like dirt. Eventually, she leaves him and the circus for another man. Larry begins drinking heavily and Pat rescues him and brings him back his self-respect. But as soon as he's sober and has created a new act with Pat, he dumps her and brings back Zara!! What an idiot...and that is THE main trouble with the character. Additionally, Arlen himself is pretty bland and both Francis and Bow act circles around him...so to speak.

The story just makes no sense. Larry is a louse and his interest in Zara and disinterest in Pat is confusing to say the least. Additionally, you wonder WHY...why would Pat like such a jerk. In fact, you wonder why she wouldn't just spit on him or worse! Yet, the plot is a longsuffering woman plot...and it's bound to turn off most viewers...along with Arlen's blandness.

With a few more films like this as well as her own declining mental health, it's very understandable how Bow was pretty much finished in Hollywood by the time she was only 28! My, how fickle Hollywood was when it came to her...much like Larry in this film!

There are only so many stories, especially stories of love.

This is rather ordinary. It consists of three threads.

The first is of a relatively plain girl who loves a star, but he loves another, a vamp who doesn't care for him but manipulates him. But our gal sticks with it, even though the guy is an unfaithful, lying drunk. Eventually she does something heroic and saves his reputation. Impressed, he falls in love with her. Ho hum. That someone once related to this is mildly interesting.

And then there's the spectacle of the circus. In 1929, this would have still thrilled, what with the risks and spectacular falls.

But the reason to watch this today is because the "plain" girl is played by Clara Bow! Only a couple years before, this was the sexiest woman in the world, our first redheaded film sex symbol. She, the IT girl. Here, she is absolutely the least attractive girl in a skimpy costume. Here, she lacks all the poised seduction she had mastered before. Its because she speaks, I think.

The stories are well known, how she froze with insecurity. How audiences abandoned her instantly when hearing her low class, Yiddish-tinged Brooklyn squeak. This, the sexiest woman in the entire world of media.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.