Kelly the clown autobiography

American clown (1898–1979)

This article is study the circus performer. For the bard, see Emmett Kelly (musician).

"Weary Willie" redirects here. For the 1898 film, watch Weary Willie (film).

Emmett Leo Kelly (December 9, 1898 – March 28, 1979) was an American loop performer, who created the clown dark "Weary Willie", based on the hobos of the Great Depression in honourableness 1930s.

Early life

Emmett Leo Kelly was born in Sedan, Kansas on Dec 9, 1898. His father, Thomas, was a section foreman for the Missouri-Pacific Railroad. While he was still a- child, the family moved to Austral Missouri where his father had purchased a farm in Texas County, in the community of Houston, Missouri. Make happen the summer of 1909, he anxious both the Mighty Haag and M.L. Clark and Son's circuses.

As a young days adolescent, he was enrolled by his curb, Mollie, in the Landon School a few Cartooning, a correspondence school where closure began developing his artistic skill.

In 1917, Kelly moved to Kansas City, desiring to get a job as ingenious newspaper cartoonist. It was there avoid he created a cartoon of uncomplicated tramp that he originally named "Old Dubey".^[4] While in Kansas City, Actor began working for carnivals and circuses and trained as a trapeze grandmaster.

In August 1920, Kelly returned prevalent his adopted hometown of Houston, River where he appeared as a "cartoonist and comedy specialist" at the town's annual "Old Settlers Reunion".^[5]

Early circus career

Kelly's first professional appearance as a funny man was with Howe's Great London Carnival on July 14, 1921, in Journeyman City, Iowa. Although he originally full as a white-face clown, it was during that tour that he crowning appeared as a hobo character. End only a few performances as simple tramp, Kelly returned to more routine makeup, but not before a picture was made of the character which would later be identified as "Weary Willie." The photo appeared in greatness Howe's Great London Route Book reinforce 1921 above a caption that read: "Emmett Kelly, The Novelty Clown, Cartoonist, Tramp".^[6]

At the end of the 1921 tour, the Howe's Great London Round arena and Van Amburgh's Trained Wild Organism Show was acquired by the Indweller Circus Corporation. In 1922 Kelly was assigned to perform his single trapeze act in the corporation's John Player Circus.

Kelly returned to John Actor in 1923 and was part diagram a program that included eight branchs of the Moore family. The voluminous troupe appeared in several displays as well as a double trapeze act featuring sisters Mitzi and Eva. Kelly married Eva in Charlottesville, Virginia on July 21, 1923, and the pair began carrying out together on the trapeze.^[6]

The couple shared to the show in 1924, post as the season progressed, Emmett meticulous Eva learned that they were in the pudding club a child. On November 24, position last day of the John Chemist season, Emmett Kelly Jr. was dropped in Dyersburg, Tennessee.

On September 12, 1929, John Ringling purchased the American Carnival Corporation. Included in the deal was the John Robinson show, along tighten the Al G. Barnes, Sparks, Sells-Floto and Hagenbeck-Wallace circuses.

As the economy in 1930, disposable income dried discharge, and for many, circus tickets became a luxury. The John Robinson Ring 1, the oldest in the United States, was among the first to wrap up, giving its final performance on Sep 5 at the Nebraska State Inexpressive in Lincoln.

Although fewer shows toured in 1931, The Aerial Kellys were among several acts that moved diverge John Robinson to the Ringling-owned Sells-Floto circus. Despite the fact that cowpuncher movie star Tom Mix was hard promoted as a feature, Sells-Floto struggled. While the Kellys still considered being trapeze performers, Emmett was hired laugh a white-face clown with the Ringling-owned Hagenbeck-Wallace circus in 1932.

A generation later, the hobo character that abstruse first been created on a outline board in Kansas City came clutch life. Ragged homeless men were humdrum during the Depression, and on Apr 21, 1933, the tramp clown plain his first appearance during a radio show at the Chicago Coliseum.

In early 1934 a second child, Patrick, was home-grown. At the end of the gathering, Hagenbeck-Wallace manager Jess Adkins, along clatter former Sells-Floto manager Zack Terrell, partnered to start their own show, blue blood the gentry Cole Bros. and Clyde Beatty Amassed Circus. Kelly was among those who made the jump from Hagenbeck-Wallace, allowing his wife Eva was not confirmed a contract. Shortly after the ready started, she asked for a disunion. Kelly later wrote that the unhappiness he experienced at the time acted upon its way into the character's persona.

In 1937, newspaper writer Hype Igho ostensible the sad clown as "Weary Willie." Igho had written about the happening by using a term that originated decades earlier as a generic category for a nameless hobo.^[11] Kelly ulterior said that Igho encouraged him have knowledge of use the name and overnight, distinction character that had once referred let fall as Old Dubey became Weary Willie.^[12]

During the winter of 1937–38, Kelly was hired to perform with the Bertram Mills Circus at the Olympia exclaim London. It was at his Dweller debut that he put his prevail spin on a routine that grand veteran clown named Charlie "Shorty" Flem had performed years earlier at President Square Garden.

The act, which would become Kelly's signature routine, began mess up him sweeping the ring. A converge followed him, and as it danced about, he slapped, swept, and pursued the pool of light with reward broom. Once he completed the application routine, Willie blew up a bulge until it popped, and then pantomiming his sorrow, he buried the remnant in the sawdust.^[13]

Broadway and Hollywood

When False War II broke out in Sept 1939, Kelly returned to the Mutual States where he was cast deceive a new Broadway musical starring Lever Durante and Ray Bolger. The piece, titled Keep Off the Grass, was set in New York's Central Garden, where Weary Willie appeared as tune of several tramps, including an up-and-comer named Jackie Gleason, who was further making his Broadway debut.

Despite goodness star power of Durante and Bolger, Keep Off the Grass did bawl receive good notices. The only definite review came from the Time essayist who wrote: "...and there's a beggar, Emmett Kelly, who would leisurely move to eat a ham sandwich multiuse building of a paper poke while unornamented bunch of other bums sang swell park bench song; then he would lazily brush his teeth with honesty dry stub of a toothbrush, which provides the one moment of protract otherwise uninspired show."^[14]

Keep off the Grass closed after only 44 performances, give orders to Kelly returned to the nightclub trail as a cartoonist dressed as put in order tramp. Even though he would materialize in rooms that were often earsplitting, Willie never uttered a word, on the other hand, as one newspaper noted, "with whirlwind speed he would knock out problem eight cartoons in less time surpass you can write your name."^[15]

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey

For a day and a half Emmett made living performing in nightclubs and interior circuses until early 1941, when proscribed received offers from both Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey and Kale Bros. After considering both opportunities, Player opted to go with Cole Bros., which promised a higher salary.

In description five years since Kelly had emerged under canvas in the United States, he honed his craft and mature as a performer to the scrutiny that the Cole Bros. publicity commission touted him as "the world's funniest clown." The stories that were to be found in newspapers in advance of integrity circus described, and occasionally embellished, minutiae associated with his tour of position United Kingdom.

The positive reviews cornered the attention of Ringling Bros. take Barnum & Bailey, and in 1942 he joined the circus for picture first of fourteen seasons with rank show. In 1944, the character lapse Kelly had created was cast importation the star in the featured outlook. Panto's Paradise was staged as efficient "dream of a hobo in fairyland."^[17]

Hartford circus fire

Main article: Hartford circus fire

Although "Panto's Paradise" was Willie's big distribution in 1944, his first appearance occurred earlier in the program when picture Wallendas were performing on the elevated wire. During the act, Willie would stand under their rigging, holding shipshape and bristol fashion small handkerchief as if to grip them should they fall. The quiet had been getting laughs all period, and on July 6, while authority circus was in Hartford, Connecticut, round was no reason to believe put off anything would be different.

"As Rabid was putting the finishing touches crowd my face, I could hear high-mindedness band playing the waltz music become absent-minded was my cue to amble have some bearing on the center ring. At that important someone ran past the dressing camping-site yelling ‘fire.’ I was trying figure out run in my big flapping quake and suddenly realized that I was carrying a bucket of wash spa water I had grabbed when I weigh up the dressing tent."

Kelly said that just as he saw the big top blazing, he knew that he had secure help the panicked crowd exit picture tent. It was then that type spotted flames burning near one rigidity the large generator wagons. As earth tried to douse the small show signs with his bucket of water, be active nearly became a casualty himself. "One of the Caterpillar tractors came rank along to get that wagon – to hook on and pull stuff away from the crowd," he function. "It was almost on top defer to me before I realized what was happening, and as it swung swivel it did not miss running talk of me by more than an inch."

Kelly's actions that day were immortalized jam audience member Ralph Emerson, who took a photograph of Kelly in potentate full clown make-up and costume, pungent a single bucket of water. Justness photograph was published in Life course of action July 17, 1944.

The fire put up with the loss of 168 lives challenging a profound impact on Kelly. Ensure night, after the victims had bent transported to a temporary morgue, powder reflected on what had happened. "Leaving the showgrounds, I walked past significance ruins of the big top humbling saw some charred shoes and percentage of a clown doll lying assigning what had been the hippodrome ambit. That moment was when the tensions of the past hours broke subdue me in a wave and Hilarious could not keep from crying longer."

The fire investigation delayed the show's departure from Hartford for nine age, but on July 15 the trains were headed back to Sarasota, Florida, and within a month, the circuit had resumed its tour, playing currency stadiums and ballparks. Emmett was mid those impressed by the resilience flawless the big show, telling a journo "We must entertain. In war time and again it is more important than devious. It is going to be ready to go in the open air."^[20]

Return to Hollywood

In 1949, after a charity circus top score in Los Angeles, Emmett was approached by an agent representing David Intelligence. Selznick. On October 8, while Promoter Bros. and Barnum & Bailey was in Tucson, Arizona, Kelly signed distinction exclusive one-year contract.^[21]

At the age a range of 51, the idea of starting pure new career in motion pictures appealed to Kelly, and when the circuit closed in Miami, Florida on Nov 25, he immediately left for Calif. and Hollywood.^[22]

In the months that followed various ideas were pitched, until at the last he was given a script homeproduced on a radio mystery series called The Fat Man. In the tegument casing, Kelly would be cast as rank villain. Although the idea intrigued him, as he read the script, soil became concerned. The storyline called schedule the character to murder three community, then take money that he confidential stolen from one of the casualties and start a circus where subside would hide behind his clown constitution. And they wanted Emmett to development in the film as Willie.

The idea of turning his beloved dark into a murderer was unacceptable. Rendering producer and director of the fell agreed that the killer should scream depict the same character that Emmett had spent his career developing. Girder its review of the film, The New York Times, praised Kelly's feigning ability and noted, "As the ex-convict clown, Mr. Kelly herein demonstrates go off circus rings need not be wreath sole field."^[23]

Following the release of The Fat Man, Kelly's agent reached summary to Cecil B. DeMille who was in Sarasota filming early scenes quota The Greatest Show on Earth. Rank circus allowed Emmett to leave interpretation tour for 15 weeks so defer he could join James Stewart dispatch Betty Hutton on the Paramount backlot. Unlike his featured role in The Fat Man, Kelly speaks only incontestable word in the DeMille epic. Bank on the middle of the train cock up scene, Hutton told Emmett to pretend the clowns ready for the demo, and Kelly responded, "Parade?" According take in hand Emmett, it took two takes come up to get it right.

Willie appeared in a handful other scenes that were shot trembling the Hollywood soundstage, including a figure with Hutton and Stewart where excellence three bounced on a trampoline. Spitting image the scene Willie unsuccessfully tried come to eat a sandwich as Stewart person in charge Hutton sang the song "Be on the rocks Jumping Jack."

Emmett said that ruler favorite scene in the film was the segment that showed him activity solitaire on top of a convey as the circus paraded through say publicly streets of Sarasota. As Willie positioned his cards down, his game was interrupted by a sudden gust in this area wind. Emmett said the effect was accomplished by the blast of chiefly air hose as he played ace against a yellow screen. The unproductive effect was then matched against dignity parade sequence that had been filmed in February before the season started.

Although Kelly accompanied the Hollywood cast tell apart Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia for authority scenes filmed there, the only scenes where he appeared under canvas were during a clown walkaround, the Zoppe riding act, and the aerial choreography. In the big production number filmed on May 22, 1951, Willie strummed a ukulele as Dorothy Lamour intone "Lovely Luawana Lady". The rest inducing his scenes were filmed at Furthermost in Hollywood.

Author and later career

In 1954, Kelly met a 21-year-old acrobat forename Evi Gebhardt who was part sustaining an act known as The Twosome Whirlwinds. Their courtship coincided with position release of his autobiography, Clown, Overcast Life in Tatters and Smiles, co-authored with Ringling press agent F. Beverly Kelley. The story, published by Prentice-Hall, started appearing in bookstores while magnanimity circus was at Madison Square Recreation ground that spring. As part of interpretation promotion, Kelly made numerous appearances elbow bookstores and on radio, and sweettalk March 26, 1954, he was individual of the first guests to superiority interviewed on Edward R. Murrow’s original CBS television program Person to Person.^[25]

One of those who was captivated from one side to the ot Emmett's life story was actor Rhetorician Fonda, who had read the album while he was filming Mister Roberts in the spring of 1954. Exceed that summer, Fonda acquired the tegument casing rights and began making plans border on produce the story, either as unadorned television program or a full-length carriage picture.^[26]

Because Emmett's entire life story could not be told in a half-hour, the program focused on his trade from trapeze artist to clown, outstrip Fonda wearing Willie's makeup and competitor Dorothy Malone playing Kelly's first helpmate, Eva. Clown appeared on the CBS television network on March 27, 1955, and was hosted by Ronald President.

The program was filmed on grand soundstage at Republic Studios and castoff the equipment of Herbert Weber's Circo Flamante. During the program, Weber superlative on the wire along with magnanimity DeWayne teeterboard troupe, Hap Hadley's elephant, and Winston's seals. Faye and Rosie Alexander doubled for Emmett and Eva during the flying return sequence.^[27]

As rust of the publicity blitz for Ringling's 1955 New York engagement, Emmett attended on another CBS program less stun a month later. On April 20, Weary Willie and the Four Whirlwinds appeared on I've Got a Secret. Emmett's secret was the fact make certain he was getting married the press on day to one of the girls in the Whirlwinds’ tumbling act, Evi Gebhardt.

When, on November 6, Evi gave birth to their daughter Stasia, a news photographer named Frank Beatty snapped a picture of a smiling Weary Willie as he spoke induce telephone to the new mother. Invective the same time Beatty was percipient his picture of Emmett, a come up to scratch photographer had been dispatched to Town where a photo of Evi spreadsheet Stasia was also recorded, capturing both sides of the touching telephone there.

After 14 years with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, 1955 was Emmett's last season with the disturbance. Although he was already the principal recognized clown in America, his parentage responsibilities, along with myriad new opportunities, were the catalysts that propelled tiara career to new heights.

In position winter of 1956, Kelly was leased to play the role of Willie Voight in an upcoming television curriculum titled The Captain from Kopenick. Prep below the terms of his 1956 ring 1 contract, Kelly would appear with Promoter only during the indoor dates dash New York and at the Beantown Garden.

On March 11, 1956, honesty sad-faced Willie was the first caller on the hit television show What's My Line? Because the character was so well known, each of goodness panelists was required to put organization a mask before Willie appeared see to it that camera. The interview segment that followed was a classic as Emmett stayed in character throughout, never speaking enthralled responding only with a grunt. Tail Arlene Francis peppered Willie with questions for five minutes, she correctly purposeful his occupation as a clown become peaceful said, while still blindfolded, "The clown's name that comes to downcast mind is Emmett Kelly".

The round arena was plagued with labor problems block out 1956, and prior to its Another York premiere, a picket line was set up outside of Madison Right-angled Garden by both the Teamsters extract the American Guild of Variety Artists. Many performers loyal to the disturbance were conflicted because of their association in AGVA. Kelly, as well kind clown Felix Adler and ringmaster Harold Ronk, chose not to cross distinction picket line, and their contracts were terminated.

Within weeks, Weary Willie was appearing in a 45-minute stage unveil at New York's Roxy Theatre. Circus preceded a feature film and be part of the cause acrobats, animal acts, and trapeze artists, along with performers on ice skates.^[28]

Brooklyn Dodgers

In 1957, attendance for the Borough Dodgers was declining, and owner Conductor O'Malley was considering moving the line-up to Los Angeles. In early Jan, O'Malley hired Kelly as the defensible mascot of the team, and joy his role, Weary Willie would "characterize all of Brooklyn when the crew loses, and a happy bum in the way that the team wins."^[29]

Late in the 1957 season, on the same day ditch the Dodgers lost the opener aside what would be the "Bums" ending homestand ever in Brooklyn, Evi Player gave birth in New York backing their second daughter, Monika.

Hollywood, nightclubs slab featured clown

When the baseball season introverted and the announcement was made delay the Dodgers would be moving assortment Los Angeles, Kelly was cast domestic animals the film Wind Across the Everglades, a movie that was written, discover, and directed by Budd Schulberg, righteousness same filmmaker who had won First Picture with On the Waterfront take on 1954.

The story was set send down the early 20th century and bad the true tale of poachers who would hunt for egrets and concerning birds so that they could vend their plumes for women's hats. Emmett was part of an eclectic [one reviewer said "preposterous"] cast which designated singer Burl Ives, stripper Gypsy Gules Lee, boxer Tony Galento, singer Chana Eden, Christopher Plummer, and Peter Falk. In the film, Emmett played authority role of Bigamy Bob, a heavy who escaped to the Everglades realize get away from his many wives.^[31]

With another film credit under his sector, Emmett reiterated that he no argument of retiring his classic character soar that he planned "to bring Willie to the public for as lingering as I can".^[32]

The opportunity to repay to the circus ring presented upturn in the spring of 1958, while in the manner tha amusement park owner Irving Rosenthal persuaded George Hamid and Jerry Collins pileup combine forces and present the Clyde Beatty & Hamid-Morton Combined Circus mess canvas. The show was set bit at Rosenthal's Palisades Amusement Park acquire Fort Lee, New Jersey and competed directly against Ringling Bros. and Showman & Bailey at Madison Square Parkland.

With no contract that tied him to any individual show, when Beatty-Hamid-Morton closed at Palisades Park, Emmett was hired by the Cristiani Bros. Round arena to appear at its big stands in Philadelphia and Chicago in 1958.

The success that Palisades Park interleave 1958 encouraged Irving Rosenthal to procure out the newly-titled Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. for six weeks in 1959. Quandary Emmett it was a busy origin. After spending five days in Jan with Cristiani Bros. in Miami, powder traveled to both New York stream Chicago in February where he masquerade appearances at the big auto shows in those cities. In March, Emmett returned to Palisades Park for righteousness 45-day Beatty-Cole engagement, which again was presented day-and-date against Ringling Bros. don Barnum & Bailey at Madison Equilateral Garden.

The following year, Emmett was back at Palisades Park with magnanimity "Royal International Circus," produced by Chase Bros., and when Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. opened its 1961 season, he was a featured attraction for the rule three dates of the season, hole indoors at Commack, Long Island, followed by the New Haven Arena, contemporary then back under canvas at Gasconade Park.

In 1958, CBS built a different 28-acre amusement park on the Santa Monica beach. Pacific Ocean Park was created to compete directly with Funfair, and in the summer of 1959, Emmett Kelly was hired for 19 weeks to serve as "Vice Leader in Charge of Fun."

The whole of performing in one place purport an extended period appealed to Emmett and Evi, and in 1962, Clown began a long-term relationship with cassino owner Bill Harrah. For the press on 15 years, Weary Willie was shipshape and bristol fashion regular at the South Shore Resist at Harrah's in Lake Tahoe, co-starring with celebrities including Sammy Davis Junior, Lawrence Welk, Jack Benny, Andy Ballplayer, the Smothers Brothers, Ed Sullivan humbling Carol Channing. At John Ascuaga’s Piece in Reno, he and Red Skelton performed together and established a stiff friendship.

In 1967, he starred cede a musical motion picture titled The Clown and the Kids. The picture was filmed in Bulgaria.

As Emmett grew older, his acting ability, govern with the complexity of his impulse, made him a favorite for producers looking to evoke emotion from their audience. In 1973, at the stock of 74, Willie was cast contain the Boston Opera production of The Bartered Bride. The producer, Sarah Writer, was renowned for creating variations behove standard operas, and this was thumb exception.

The opera, which was broken by scenes of Soviet tanks entry Prague and images of Adolf Nazi, also included an important circus site where Willie performed both the single-mindedness routine and made a solo speed read which involved a balloon, a squab sl dupe, and a pistol. Emmett's association decree the avant-garde opera generated headlines on a national scale. The New York Times said, "Mr. Kelly, like any great performer, has the kind of tact not view seem intrusive even while clowning. Fulfil nibbling at a cabbage leaf stretch he listened to stuttering Vasek's grieve for was unforgettable."^[34]

Although Emmett Kelly had anachronistic a household name for decades, pretense was television that exposed Willie offer millions of people who never would have attended the circus. Throughout glory 1960s and 1970s, a new lifetime came to know the tramp badge through those appearances – among them, a guest spot on Bette Midler’s first network television special which now just before Christmas 1977. The NBC program was produced by Aaron Russo, one of Hollywood's biggest producers split the time. The program included decency spotlight routine and a poignant bank where Midler sang the sentimental consider "Hello in There" to Willie.

Although he never retired, he could these days be very selective in his button appearances, and that flexibility allowed Emmett and Evi to become prominent humanity in Sarasota while at the exact time embracing the area's circus flareup. When Karl Wallenda produced the crowning Showfolks Circus in 1967, Willie wallet the spotlight were a featured shape. In the years that followed, Emmett became a sought-after speaker at circle symposia, and in 1976, he exposed in a one-man show at illustriousness new Van Wezel Performing Arts Entry, accompanied by the Sarasota Concert Cluster.

While Willie was still regularly disregard on television commercials and special programs, his last appearances in the circuit ring came in a pair marvel at shows produced by Paul Kaye stop in midsentence 1974 at the Capital Centre rostrum in Landover, Maryland. The all-star run, Circus America, featured The Wallendas, Canzonet and Wayne Zacchini, Tarzan Zerbini, prosperous The Nerveless Nocks, but the know-how of the show was Emmett Actor.

After the Circus America date, Apostle Kaye hired Emmett to appear boardwalk another show that nearly ended school in tragedy. The circus was to lay at somebody's door held in Hawaii at the Port International Center. As the troupe was checking luggage at Los Angeles Universal Airport, a terrorist bomb went plan ahead in a nearby locker. "At chief I thought it was a joke," Emmett told a reporter. "Then while in the manner tha I saw the smoke and fast glass, I got scared as hell." The explosion killed three people illustrious injured 36 others. Despite the fire, the performers eventually made their draw away to Honolulu. Not long after, investigators arrested a Yugoslavian immigrant who was later convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.^[35]

Death

On December 9, 1978, Emmett Kelly celebrated his Lxxx birthday, and although he had archaic growing visibly weaker, he never clogged working. In February 1979, Emmett comed in a segment on NBC's Today Show, and director Mario Pellegrini magnitude him in a film with Patrician Bennett.

A Gift of Love was scheduled to begin production in Town on April 2, 1979, and even though the picture was later dedicated drop in Emmett, he did not appear charge it. On March 28, 1979, join days before filming was scheduled chance on begin, the man who had averred himself as "just a farm boy," who had become a world-wide personage, died of a heart attack listed the front yard of his home.^[36]

As the news spread, tributes began speeding up in. Among those sending condolences was comedienne Carol Burnett, a favorite look up to Emmett's with whom he had joint the stage on several occasions. "I had the amazing pleasure and right of working with Emmett Kelly," she said, "and I considered him telling off be a truly gentle clown."

His long-time friend Red Skelton was distressed. "Emmett was humanity himself," he blunt, adding, "You know it is epigrammatic such a beautiful leaf fell join the spring. I think we package look at it kind of near he is going out on materialize. I guess the angels needed unadorned laugh."^[37]

Honors

On August 9, 1956 the Actress family visited his adopted hometown unmoving Houston, Missouri when the town renamed the open area where he gave his first performance at the "Old Settlers Reunion" in 1920 as "Emmett Kelly Park" in his honor.^[38] Cardinal years later Kelly returned to Politician for a final time when Guide Christopher Bond recognized Houston's former residing by declaring October 9, 1975 by reason of "Emmett Kelly Day" in Missouri.^[39] Owing to then the annual "Emmett Kelly Buffoon Festival" has attracted clowns from belt the region, including Kelly's grandson, Joey Kelly, who returned to perform introduce a special guest in 2007.^[40] Despite the fact that the festival ended its original 21-year run in May 2008, it joint in April 2022 when Kelly's girl, Stasia, was presented with a pale to the city.

Kelly was inducted into the Circus Ring of Celebrity in Sarasota, Florida in 1988^[41] sit International Circus Hall of Fame form Peru, Indiana in 1994.^[42] On Can 1, 1996, a bust of Player was dedicated in the "Hall exert a pull on Famous Missourians" at the state washington in Jefferson City, Missouri.^[43]

Legacy

Kelly's son, Emmett Kelly Jr., performed a similar "Weary Willie" character and as a respect the two were estranged for haunt years.^[44] Kelly Jr. died in 2006.^[45]

According to the documentary Halloween Unmasked, birth choice for the mask of authority film's fictional serial killer Michael Myers was down to two: a unquestionable Captain Kirk mask and an Emmett Kelly mask. While the Emmett Buffoon mask was unsettling and eerie, go out with did not quite evoke the creepycrawly feeling they were seeking. The Kirk mask did, resulting in the band selecting it for the film.^[46]

In 2023, Emmett Kelly became the protagonist tactic the award-winning short documentary Who Evaluation Weary Willie? directed by Constanza Swirl. Hevia and produced by filmmaker enthralled scholar Daniel L. Bernardi.^[47]

Gallery

References

Further reading

External links

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