Editing Emmett Kelly (section)

==Hartford circus fire==
{{main|Hartford circus fire}}
Although "Panto's Paradise" was Willie's big number in 1944, his first appearance occurred earlier in the program when the [[Wallendas]] were performing on the high wire. During the act, Willie would stand under their rigging, holding a small handkerchief as if to catch them should they fall. The gag had been getting laughs all season, and on July 6, while the circus was in [[Hartford, Connecticut]], there was no reason to believe that anything would be different.

"As I was putting the finishing touches on my face, I could hear the band playing the waltz music that was my cue to amble into the center ring. At that instant someone ran past the dressing tent yelling ‘fire.’ I was trying to run in my big flapping shoes and suddenly realized that I was carrying a bucket of wash water I had grabbed when I left the dressing tent."{{Sfn|Kelly|1954|p=219}}

Kelly said that when he saw the big top burning, he knew that he had to help the panicked crowd exit the tent. It was then that he spotted flames burning near one of the large generator wagons. As he tried to douse the small fire with his bucket of water, he nearly became a casualty himself. "One of the [[Caterpillar Inc.|Caterpillar]] tractors came rumbling along to get that wagon – to hook on and pull it away from the crowd," he recalled. "It was almost on top of me before I realized what was happening, and as it swung around it did not miss running over me by more than an inch."{{Sfn|Kelly|1954|p=223}}

Kelly's actions that day were immortalized by audience member Ralph Emerson, who took a photograph of Kelly in his full clown make-up and costume, carrying a single bucket of water. The photograph was published in ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' on July 17, 1944.

The fire and the loss of 168 lives had a profound impact on Kelly. That night, after the victims had been transported to a temporary morgue, he reflected on what had happened. "Leaving the showgrounds, I walked past the ruins of the big top and saw some charred shoes and part of a clown doll lying on what had been the hippodrome track. That moment was when the tensions of the past hours broke over me in a wave and I could not keep from crying any longer."{{Sfn|Kelly|1954|p=223}}

The fire investigation delayed the show's departure from Hartford for nine days, but on July 15 the trains were headed back to [[Sarasota, Florida]], and within a month, the circus had resumed its tour, playing in stadiums and ballparks. Emmett was among those impressed by the resilience of the big show, telling a reporter "We must entertain. In war time it is more important than ever. It is going to be great in the open air."<ref>Arthur Bostwick, "Ringling Circus Hits the Open Sky Circuit", ''Burlington (Vermont) Free Press'', August 5, 1944, p. 10.</ref>