Editing Emmett Kelly (section)

==Hollywood, nightclubs and featured clown==
When the baseball season ended and the announcement was made that the Dodgers would be moving to Los Angeles, Kelly was cast in the film ''[[Wind Across the Everglades]]'', a movie that was written, produced, and directed by [[Budd Schulberg]], the same filmmaker who had won [[Best Picture]] with ''[[On the Waterfront]]'' in 1954.

The story was set in the early 20th century and told the true tale of poachers who would hunt for egrets and other birds so that they could sell their plumes for women's hats. Emmett was part of an eclectic [one reviewer said "preposterous"]  cast which included singer [[Burl Ives]], stripper [[Gypsy Rose Lee]], boxer [[Tony Galento]], singer [[Chana Eden]], [[Christopher Plummer]], and [[Peter Falk]]. In the film, Emmett played the role of Bigamy Bob, a cutthroat who escaped to the [[Everglades]] to get away from his many wives.<ref>Mae Tinee, "Burl Ives Hams It Up in This Film", ''Chicago Tribune'', September 30, 1958, p. 31.</ref>

With another film credit under his belt, Emmett reiterated that he no intention of retiring his classic character and that he planned "to bring Willie to the public for as long as I can".<ref>"Emmett Kelly Tells Comics, TV Film Plans", ''The Billboard'', October 13, 1956, p. 66.</ref>

The opportunity to return to the circus ring presented itself in the spring of 1958, when amusement park owner [[Irving Rosenthal]] convinced [[George A. Hamid Sr.|George Hamid]] and Jerry Collins to combine forces and present the [[Clyde Beatty]] & Hamid-Morton Combined Circus under canvas. The show was set up at Rosenthal's [[Palisades Amusement Park]] in [[Fort Lee, New Jersey]] and competed directly against Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey at [[Madison Square Garden]].

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. Circus to appear at its big stands in Philadelphia and Chicago in 1958.

The success that Palisades Park in 1958 encouraged Irving Rosenthal to buy out the newly-titled [[Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros.]] for six weeks in 1959. For Emmett it was a busy year. After spending five days in January with Cristiani Bros. in Miami, he traveled to both New York and Chicago in February where he made appearances at the big auto shows in those cities. In March, Emmett returned to Palisades Park for the 45-day Beatty-Cole engagement, which again was presented day-and-date against Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey at Madison Square Garden.

The following year, Emmett was back at Palisades Park with the "Royal International Circus," produced by Hunt Bros., and when Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. opened its 1961 season, he was a featured attraction for the first three dates of the season, opening indoors at Commack, Long Island, followed by the New Haven Arena, and then back under canvas at Palisades Park.{{Sfn|Berry|2021|p=33}}

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

The idea of performing in one place for an extended period appealed to Emmett and Evi, and in 1962, Kelly began a long-term relationship with casino owner [[Bill Harrah]]. For the next 15 years, Weary Willie was a regular at the South Shore Room at Harrah's in [[Lake Tahoe]], co-starring with celebrities including [[Sammy Davis Jr.]], [[Lawrence Welk]], [[Jack Benny]], [[Andy Williams]], the [[Smothers Brothers]], [[Ed Sullivan]] and [[Carol Channing]]. At [[John Ascuaga]]’s Nugget in [[Reno]], he and [[Red Skelton]] performed together and established a strong friendship.

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

As Emmett grew older, his acting ability, along with the complexity of his character, made him a favorite for producers looking to evoke emotion from their audience. In 1973, at the age of 74, Willie was cast in the [[Boston Opera]] production of ''[[The Bartered Bride]]''. The producer, [[Sarah Caldwell]], was renowned for creating variations of standard operas, and this was no exception.

The opera, which was punctuated by scenes of Soviet tanks entering [[Prague]] and images of [[Adolf Hitler]], also included an important circus scene where Willie performed both the spotlight routine and made a solo appearance which involved a balloon, a dove, and a pistol. Emmett's association with the avant-garde opera generated headlines nationwide. ''The New York Times'' said, "Mr. Kelly, like any great performer, has the kind of tact not to seem intrusive even while clowning. His nibbling at a cabbage leaf while he listened to stuttering [[Vasek]]'s lament was unforgettable."<ref>Raymond Erickson, "Opera: Bartered Bride Fascinates and Maddens", ''New York Times'', January 28, 1973, p. 49.</ref>

Although Emmett Kelly had been a household name for decades, it was television that exposed Willie to millions of people who never would have attended the circus. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, a new generation came to know the tramp character through those appearances – among them, a guest spot on [[Bette Midler]]’s first network television special which aired just before Christmas 1977. The [[NBC]] program was produced by [[Aaron Russo]], one of Hollywood's biggest producers at the time. The program included the spotlight routine and a poignant segment where Midler sang the sentimental song "Hello in There" to Willie.

Although he never retired, he could now be very selective in his public appearances, and that flexibility allowed Emmett and Evi to become prominent citizens in Sarasota while at the same time embracing the area's circus heritage. When [[Karl Wallenda]] produced the first Showfolks Circus in 1967, Willie and the spotlight were a featured act. In the years that followed, Emmett became a sought-after speaker at circus symposia, and in 1976, he appeared in a one-man show at the new [[Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall]], accompanied by the Sarasota Concert Band.

While Willie was still regularly seen on television commercials and special programs, his last appearances in the circus ring came in a pair of shows produced by Paul Kaye in 1974 at the [[Capital Centre (Landover, Maryland)|Capital Centre]] arena in [[Landover, Maryland]]. The all-star production, Circus America, featured The Wallendas, Carol and Wayne Zacchini, Tarzan Zerbini, and The Nerveless Nocks, but the star of the show was Emmett Kelly.

After the Circus America date, Paul Kaye hired Emmett to appear in another show that nearly ended in tragedy. The circus was to be held in [[Hawaii]] at the [[Honolulu International Center]]. As the troupe was checking luggage at [[Los Angeles International Airport]], a terrorist bomb went off in a nearby locker. "At first I thought it was a joke," Emmett told a reporter. "Then when I saw the smoke and flying glass, I got scared as hell." The explosion killed three people and injured 36 others. Despite the bombing, the performers eventually made their way to Honolulu. Not long after, investigators arrested a Yugoslavian immigrant who was later convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.<ref>Leonard Lueras, "Terror Grips Circus Flight", ''Honolulu Advertiser'', August 7, 1974, p. 1.</ref>