Emmett Kelly, Jr.

Emmett Leo Kelly, Jr. (November 13, 1924 - November 29, 2006) was one of the "World's Most Famous Clowns". He was the son of Emmett Kelly, Sr., who was also a legendary circus clown. Emmett, Jr. successfully carried on his father's character "Weary Willie," famous for sweeping away the spotlight.

Early life

Emmett Kelly, Jr. was born in Dyersburg, Tennessee on the day the John Robinson Circus, his father's employer, was doing its last show. Emmett, Jr. spent his first few years traveling with his parents. When he reached school age he was sent to live with his grandparents and then back to traveling with his family during the summer. He finished school during World War II. He joined the Navy at age 18 and spent approximately three years in the Pacific participating in major operations in Iwo Jima and Okinawa. [ [http://www.emmettkellyjr.com/emmettsbio.html Emmett Kelly, Jr.] ] Despite being raised around the circus, Emmett, Jr. chose to become an automotive mechanic and a railroad switch tender after the war.

Career

It wasn't until 1960 (four years after his father retired) Emmett, Jr. was encouraged and trained by his father and debuted himself as "Weary Willie" at the Circus Festival in Peru, Indiana. He was his father's apprentice and guided by their manager, Leonard Green, for the next four years. He toured a daredevil auto show called "Austin's Motor Derby" during the night and would arrive just hours before the next show. In 1963 Emmett was the featured performer of the Hagen-Wallace Circus as they traveled nationwide.

In 1964, Eastman Kodak was looking for a suitable representative to appear at the company's Pavilion during the New York World's Fair. Emmett Kelly, Jr. met Eastman Kodak executives in their board room and wowed them with his mime performance. He was immediately signed up and became one of the top attractions during the World's Fair two year run. Kodak was so pleased and impressed by Emmett's success during The Fair, that they asked him to become a touring Ambassador of Goodwill for them. This lasted for over four years during which Emmett visited thousands of towns and hospitals. It was during this six year period that Emmett, Jr. became America's most photographed and recognized clown. He spent approximately six months a year on tour throughout the country to promote various lines of merchandise, which bear his name and likeness. [ [http://www.emmettkellyjr.com/emmettsbio.html Emmett Kelly Jr ] ]

While traveling to a Kodak performance in San Diego, California, Emmett drove to Tombstone on a sightseeing detour. He said he had four days to get to San Diego and he was well ahead of schedule so he wanted to see Tombstone, Arizona. He loved the town and wanted to retire there. Emmett would snowbird each year in Tombstone until he moved there in 1980. It was then that he joined the Arizona Rangers and the Tombstone Company. [http://www.arizonarangers.org/Emmett%20Kelly.htm Calendar ] ]

In 1972 Emmett, Jr., with help from his manager, established his own circus which toured nationally and was the only circus to perform at the White House, not just once but twice -- once in 1972 and again in 1973 during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. [ [http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/marketing-advertising-overview/6539409-1.html World's Most Famous Clown Character Emmett Kelly, Jr. Joins the Circus for MDI Lottery Promotions. | Marketing & Advertising > Marketing & Advertising Overview from AllBusiness.com ] ] Throughout his life, Emmett Kelly, Jr. donated his time to several charities including The Make A Wish Foundation, The American Cancer Society, Save The Children Foundation, and FACES--The National Association for the Craniofacially Handicapped and was honored by Presidents, First Ladies, Kings and Queens, and numerous heads of state. [ [http://emmettkellyjr.com/emmettsbio.html Emmett Kelly Jr ] ] A weekend event in Tombstone, Arizona was named after him. Emmett Kelly, Jr. Days, which is held in November, includes clown school and other events. It is done to raise funds for a scholarship for a Tombstone High School graduate. In 2004, Kelly retired from clowning, and “passed the nose” in August 2004 to “Emmett Kelly, Jr. the Second,” Mr. David Town.

On his last birthday he requested to retrieve his Ranger Badge. He died sixteen days later. The badge was presented to his daughter by LTC Lathan Varnado, State Adjutant. In a gold framed case, Mrs. Kelly-Knapp was presented an Arizona Ranger Patch flanked on the left by a Ranger Badge and a Ranger Belt Buckle on the right. Also laying on the field of blue felt was a plaque inscribed “Emmett Kelly, Jr., Arizona Rangers, Tombstone Company, 1982, Badge # 405.”

Unlike his father, Emmett, Jr. starred in films and television shows starting in the early 1950s. His first movie role was in "The Fat Man". [ [http://www.fandango.com/emmettkelly,jr./biographies/p37512 Emmett Kelly, Jr. Biography ] ]

Since he worked for the railroad, Emmett's hobbies outside of the circus included collecting model trains which later inspired him to create the Emmett Kelly, Jr. Circus Train collection. He was also a race car enthusiast.

Death

Emmett Kelly, Jr., as said by his daughter, CherryAnn Kelly-Knapp, died of complications of pneumonia on Wednesday November 29, 2006 in Sierra Vista, Arizona at the Sierra Vista Regional Health Center which is near his home in Tombstone, Arizona. Emmett’s family, friends, and The Arizona Rangers were at his bedside when, at 3:05 p.m. (MST), he took his final breath. He is survived by two other daughters and three sons. He was 82. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/04/arts/04kelly.html Emmett Kelly Jr., Clown, Dies at 83 - New York Times ] ] [cite news
title = Emmett Kelly Jr., Clown, Dies at 83
url = http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/04/arts/04kelly.html?_r=1&ref=obituaries&pagewanted=all
publisher = The New York Times
author = Associated Press
location = New York
date=2006-12-04]

He was buried with full military honors provided by a Navy Color Guard. The sounds of Taps echoed among a daunting silence, and the Rangers, standing at attention, offered their final salute. He is buried in Southern Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Sierra Vista, Cochise County, Arizona.

Personal life

After his discharge from the military, he married and raised five children. He worked at a variety of jobs, in various locations, before settling down in Peru, Ind. He worked as a brakeman with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, struggling on $134 every two weeks.

Emmett toured despite his wife's pleas, eventually ending in a divorce in the '60s, saying that his character Willie had taken over her husband. Not long after he went on the road with Willie, his son, Paul Anthony Kelly, lost a leg in a train accident. Emmett, Jr. heard of the accident and came home, but after a brief visit departed, saying “Willie’s got itchy feet.”

After high school, Paul Kelly went on tour with his father as his prop boss. In 1977 the then twenty-year-old Paul served some time in prison. It was there one night, while sleeping, that Willie came to him in a dream. His father would soon retire, and Willie told him, "Don’t let me die." He awoke in the morning determined to be the third Weary Willie and started calling himself Emmett Kelly III, a name Willie could relate to. On November 26, Oceanside Police Department arrested Paul Kelly for the murder of Brent David Bailey and Henry Kuizenga. [http://dspace.nitle.org/bitstream/10090/355/2/fulltext.pdf]

Although he was not close to his father, Emmett Kelly, Jr. said he heard from a mutual friend that his dad was proud of him.

References

External links

* [http://emmettkellyjr.com Official Website]
* [http://flambro.com Official Figurines ]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=16906572 Gravesite]
* [http://search.aol.com/aol/image?query=%22Emmett%20Kelly%2C%20Jr.%22 Emmett Kelly, Jr. images ]