Off Shore Muse

Emmett Kelly

(1898-1979)

The World's Most Beloved Clown.

Emmett Leo Kelly was an American circus performer who created the clown character "Weary Willie" based on the hobos of the Great Depression in the 1930s.

Emmett Kelly was one of the most recognizable clowns of all time, delighting audiences throughout the world for more than 50 years. Although he began his circus career as an aerialist, Kelly is best known for developing a down-on-his-luck clown. This character resonated with audiences when he debuted during the Great Depression and continued to be a favorite of both young and old. Kelly interacted with the other acts during circus performances, making Kelly's clowning style very different than others at the time. Emmett Kelly possessed extraordinary artistic abilities he used throughout his lifetime including drawing cartoons, painting portraits and even painting whimsical scenes on circus wagons. His talents also extended into television, film and the stage. Although Kelly's later career evolved away from the circus, he continued to perform as a clown until his passing.

Emmett Kelly married Eva Mae Lewis (1903-1991) in 1923 and they performed together as the Aerial Kellys during the 1920s. They had two sons, Emmett Kelly, Jr. and Patrick. Emmett and Eva later divorced and he married Elvira Gebhardt, acrobat from Germany on April 20, 1955. Emmett and Elvira were married for 23 years. They had 2 daughters, Stasia and Monika.

Elvira and Emmett

Circa 1955

In 1949, after a charity circus performance in Los Angeles, Emmett was approached by an agent representing David O. Selznick. On October 8, while Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey was in Tucson, Arizona, Kelly signed an exclusive one-year contract.

At the age of 51, the idea of starting a new career in motion pictures appealed to Kelly and when the circus closed in Miami, Florida on November 25, he immediately left for California and Hollywood. He made a movie called The Fat Man though after release of the movie Kelly's agent reached out to Cecil B. DeMille who was in Sarasota filming early scenes for The Greatest Show on Earth. The circus allowed Emmett to leave the tour for 15 weeks so he could join James Stewart and Betty Hutton on the Paramount backlot. Kelly spoke only one word in the DeMille epic. In the middle of the train wreck scene, Hutton told Emmett to get the clowns ready for the parade and Kelly responded, "Parade?" According to Emmett, it took two takes to get it right.