Flirting with Death

During a showy stunt in a traveling circus, an aviator loses his life, and the spectacle shuts down in a burst of rumor and suspicion. Two slick con men working the sideshow, nicknamed Sky-High Billy Wardell and Domino Dominick, get nabbed for selling fake watches to Wheel of Fortune winners. Domino manages a jailbreak, and the pair bolts to a passing freight train that carries them into a neighboring town. There, Billy meets Jane Higginbotham and quickly falls for her, impressed by her generous spirit as she shares breakfast on her homemade pies. The chase and jokes that follow blend risk with streetwise humor in true silent era fashion. Colorful tents and posters set the mood before the chase begins.

Directed by Elmer Clifton with a story by Waldemar Young, this 1917 silent adventure comedy showcases brisk pacing and pratfall humor characteristic of early film sets. The movie reflects the era's fascination with carnival life and quick romantic turns today.

Box office figures for Flirting with Death from 1917 aren’t well documented; many silent era films had modest regional runs and sparse records. If anything, this title likely relied on word of mouth and theater bookings rather than wide grosses.

There are no widely known awards associated with Flirting with Death. Given its age and the fragmented nature of film records from 1917, it did not figure in major ceremonies or later retrospectives. The absence of nominations reflects the silent era's vast, uneven landscape of recognition for works of merit.

Reception likely leaned toward light entertainment, with audiences enjoying the collide of carnival zeal and quick witted banter. The movie centers on a boyish rogue in love and the lure of a welcoming hometown, delivering slapstick moments amid chases and sly capers typical of silent era comedies and enduring charm.