Emmett Kelly, Jr. Movies
Emmett Kelly Jr. carried the torch of his father, Emmett Kelly Sr., as one of the best-known and most instantly recognizable American circus clowns, and, unlike his dad, an iconic presence in U.S. films and television programs. Born November 13, 1923, in Dyersville, TV, Kelly debuted as an onscreen presence in the early '50s. All of his film roles entail variations on the clown persona -- most extreme and unconventional.Kelly's initial bow, in 1951's The Fat Man, exemplifies this trend. Director William Castle's attempt to spin a Nero Wolfe-style yarn involves a gourmand detective (Jack Smart) who investigates the murder of a dentist and a dental hygienist; Kelly plays the wonderfully named Ed Deets, a homicidal clown responsible for the crimes, brought triumphantly to justice by Smart. Kelly chose a more traditional path in Cecil B. De Mille's 1952 Best Picture winner The Greatest Show on Earth, with a supporting role as himself, in full clown regalia. He then joined the cast of Nicholas Ray's oddball 1958 naturalist drama Wind Across the Everglades, as Bigamy Bob, a clown with multiple wives. In 1968, Kelly headlined the truly bizarre (and best forgotten) so-called "children's film" The Clown and the Kids. This U.S.-Bulgarian joint production cast Kelly as The Piper, the head of a family circus traveling through the Balkans, who summons a bunch of children with his flute and induces them to destroy an evil miller. The catchy soundtrack includes such numbers as "I Hate Kids," "I Mean He's Mean," and "I Used to be a Griper." Perhaps taking the film's disastrous reception as a cue, Kelly then ducked out of big-screen motion pictures altogether.
Prior to, during, and immediately following Kelly's onscreen work, he toured with a myriad of circuses and entertained at over 2,800 hospitals. He became a fixture on television commercials and in print advertisements, particularly during the 1970s and '80s. Emmett Kelly died in Tombstone, Arizona, of complications from pneumonia, on November 29, 2006. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 1985
This video-taped performance of the famous clown's circus is hosted by Anthony Newley. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1968
Always worth watching, Emmett Kelly portrays a sad-faced clown who teaches a town to stand up for themselves to secure their own happiness. The people of a small mountain village find laughter through the auspices of Kelly's character and find the strength to rise up against the evil ruler who is oppressing them. A Pied Piper tale that would have fallen flat but for Kelly's sterling personality. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Wind Across the Everglades represents the once-in-a-lifetime collaboration between director Nicholas Ray and screenwriter Budd Schulberg, and a strange little picture it is indeed. In his second film appearance, Christopher Plummer plays bibulous 19th-century Florida game warden Walt Murdock, who declares war on the poachers in his region. This brings him in direct conflict with the legendary Cottonmouth (Burl Ives), the spiritual leader of a group of illegal birdhunters. The highly eccentric supporting cast includes Gypsy Rose Lee as a sensuous farm wife, boxer "Two Ton" Tony Galento as a lout named Beef, circus clown Emmett Kelly as the much-married Bigamy Bob, novelist Mackinlay Kantor as the regional judge, and Peter Falk in his film debut, as an owlish writer. After Wind Across the Everglades, Nick Ray's Johnny Guitar will seem as antiseptic as Heidi. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burl Ives, Christopher Plummer, (more)
Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth is a lavish tribute to circuses, featuring three intertwining plotlines concerning romance and rivalry beneath the big top. DeMille's film includes spectacular action sequences, including a show-stopping train wreck. The Greatest Show on Earth won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Story. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde, (more)
- 1951
The popular radio detective series The Fat Man was brought to the screen in 1951, with the series' original star J. Scott Smart retained in the title role. Smart plays porcine sleuth Brad Runyon, who tackles the mystery surrounding the murder of a Los Angeles dentist. With the assistance of general factotum Bill Norton (Clinton Sundberg), Runyon follows the trail of clues all the way to a three-ring circus. Famed Barnum & Bailey clown Emmett Kelly makes his screen debut as one of the suspects; others essential to the action are such up-and-comers as Rock Hudson, Julie London and Jayne Meadows. The film's flashback-within-flashback structure helps to enliven its more verbose passages. For the most part, The Fat Man plays more like a radio show than a movie--at least until the exciting climax, inventively staged by director William Castle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Smart, Julie London, (more)
