A 1928 issue of the studio publication, Paramount Around the World, announced Dangerous Curves as the second talking picture to star Clara Bow. The title was reportedly “suggested by one of the subtitles” from Bow’s previous film, The Wild Party (1929, see entry). According to the 11 May 1929 Motion Picture News, principal photography was currently underway.
       Bow later told the Sep-Oct 1930 Talking Screen that the film had been her most difficult “talkie” to date. In various sequences, she was required to wear heavy clown makeup, which she described as “anything but nice,” perform scenes at high altitudes on a trapeze platform, and work outdoors on rainy nights.
       Cast members included Rita La Roy (17 Apr 1929 FD) and Monte Collins (24 Apr 1929 Var). The 1 May 1929 and 22 May 1929 issues of Var noted that forty-eight female “aerial ballet” artists and 200 clowns were used in the picture. The 31 Aug 1929 Hollywood Filmograph attributed “traveling shots” to camera operator Archie Stout. An article in the 7 Aug 1930 Exhibitors Daily Review and Motion Pictures Today identified B. F. Zeidman as associate producer. The score was composed by Constantin Bakaleinikoff , as stated in the 29 Jun 1929 Hollywood Filmograph. The Dec 1929-May 1930 New Movie Magazine credited former Ringling Brothers Circus general manager Al Copeland with creating the five-ring circus set. According to respective advertisements in the 15 Jun 1929 Hollywood Filmograph and Aug 1929 International Photographer, Mills Theatrical and Street Footwear provided shoes for the cast; DuPont chemicals were used to develop the negative.
       While the 3 Aug 1929 Motion Picture News listed 13 Jul 1929 as the official release date, the 13 Jul 1929 issue reported that the picture had opened several days earlier in some locations. Reviews were generally unenthusiastic, with the 13 Jul 1929 Motion Picture News and the 28 Jun 1929 Film Mercury suggesting that the plot was derived from another Paramount Pictures release, The Dance of Life (1929, see entry). Both went on to say that the title was misleading, and that Clara Bow was carrying the film. The public was less critical, evidenced by articles in the 3 Aug 1929 Motion Picture News and 17 Aug 1929 Hollywood Filmograph, which deemed the picture a financial success. A silent version was also released, according to the 21 Sep 1929 Harrison’s Report.
       A news item in the 3 Jul 1929 Var noted that Dangerous Curves was scheduled to begin a two-week engagement the following Friday at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago, IL, an unprecedented event in the venue’s history. However, the 17 Jul 1929 issue later revealed that the second week had been cancelled due to disappointing attendance.
       Nearly a year later, the manager of a Ridgeway, IA, theater reported in the 26 Jul 1930 Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World that the film was no longer drawing patrons, and described Clara Bow as “a fallen star,” possibly due to recent scandalous revelations about the actress by her former secretary, Daisy DeVoe.