Editing Emmett Kelly (section)

==Early circus career==
Kelly's first professional appearance as a clown was with Howe's Great London Circus on July 14, 1921, in [[Mason City, Iowa]]. Although he originally performed as a white-face clown, it was during that tour that he first appeared as a hobo character. After only a few performances as a tramp, Kelly returned to more traditional makeup, but not before a photograph was made of the character which would later be identified as "Weary Willie." The photo appeared in the Howe's Great London Route Book of 1921 above a caption that read: "Emmett Kelly, The Novelty Clown, Cartoonist, Tramp".<ref name=oroute >John Dusch, Official Route Book Season 1921, Howe's Great London Circus, pp. 17, 28.</ref>

At the end of the 1921 tour, the Howe's Great London Circus and Van Amburgh's Trained Wild Animal Show was acquired by the American Circus Corporation. In 1922 Kelly was assigned to perform his single trapeze act in the corporation's [[John Robinson Circus]].

Kelly returned to John Robinson in 1923 and was part of a program that included eight members of the Moore family. The large troupe appeared in several displays including a double trapeze act featuring sisters Mitzi and Eva. Kelly married Eva in [[Charlottesville, Virginia]] on July 21, 1923, and the pair began performing together on the trapeze.<ref name=oroute />

The couple returned to the show in 1924, and as the season progressed, Emmett and Eva learned that they were expecting a child. On November 24, the last day of the John Robinson season, [[Emmett Kelly Jr.]] was born in [[Dyersburg, Tennessee]].{{Sfn|Kelly|1954|p=92}}

On September 12, 1929, [[John Ringling]] purchased the American Circus Corporation. Included in the deal was the John Robinson show, along with the [[Al G. Barnes Circus|Al G. Barnes]], Sparks, [[Sells-Floto]] and [[Hagenbeck-Wallace]] circuses.{{Sfn|Kelly|1954|pp=110–111}}

As the economy suffered in 1930, disposable income dried up, and for many, circus tickets became a luxury. The John Robinson Circus, the oldest in the United States, was among the first to close, giving its final performance on September 5 at the [[Nebraska State Fair]] in [[Lincoln, Nebraska|Lincoln]].

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

A year later, the hobo character that had first been created on a drawing board in Kansas City came to life. Ragged homeless men were commonplace during the Depression, and on April 21, 1933, the tramp clown made his first appearance during a performance at the [[Chicago Coliseum]].{{Sfn|Berry|2021|p=13}}

In early 1934 a second child, Patrick, was born. At the end of the year, Hagenbeck-Wallace manager Jess Adkins, along with former Sells-Floto manager Zack Terrell, partnered to start their own show, the Cole Bros. and Clyde Beatty Combined Circus. Kelly was among those who made the jump from Hagenbeck-Wallace, although his wife Eva was not given a contract. Shortly after the season started, she asked for a divorce. Kelly later wrote that the sadness he experienced at the time worked its way into the character's persona.{{Sfn|Kelly|1954|p=124}}

In 1937, newspaper writer Hype Igho described the sad clown as "Weary Willie." Igho had written about the act by using a term that originated decades earlier as a generic description for a nameless hobo.<ref>"Hurt Him", ''Los Angeles Daily Express'', May 16, 1895, p. 8.</ref>  Kelly later said that Igho encouraged him to use the name and overnight, the character that had once referred to as Old Dubey became Weary Willie.<ref>"Weary Willie is a happy accident", ''Minneapolis Star Tribune'', December 4, 1977, p. 309.</ref>

During the winter of 1937–38, Kelly was hired to perform with the [[Bertram Mills]] Circus at [[Olympia London|the Olympia]] in [[London]]. It was at his European debut that he put his own spin on a routine that a veteran clown named Charlie "Shorty" Flem had performed years earlier at [[Madison Square Garden]].

The act, which would become Kelly's signature routine, began with him sweeping the ring. A spotlight followed him, and as it danced about, he slapped, swept, and chased the pool of light with his broom. Once he completed the spotlight routine, Willie blew up a balloon until it popped, and then pantomiming his sorrow, he buried the remains in the sawdust.<ref>David Langford, "Remember Weary Willie? He's Still Clowning Around", ''Boston Herald'', Feb. 26, 1973, p. 24.</ref>