EMMETT KELLY SR. - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED CHECK 10/29/1970 - HFSID 254433

EMMETT KELLY SR.

The famous clown pays his union dues ($37.50).

Check signed: "Emmett L. Kelly", 8¼x3. Sarasota, Florida, 1970 October 29. Check No. 2259; a photograph of Kelly as "Weary Willie" printed at upper left corner. Drawn on his personal account at Palmer First National Bank and Trust Company of Sarasota, payable to A. F. T. R. A. for $37.50. Emmett Lee Kelly (1898-1979) began his circus career, which spanned 55 years, after a starting out as a cartoonist. First performing as a trapeze artist, he later went into clowning, creating his most famous character, "Weary Willie", from a cartoon character he had drawn years earlier. In 1942, Kelly joined the Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus, where he would star until 1956 (one of his most famous routines was "sweeping the spotlight"). In 1957, he joined the Shrine Circus and settled in Florida (Sarasota is the winter home of the Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus). Kelly, America's most famous clown, continued appearing in commercials and performed in special shows until he was 80. His son, Emmett Kelly, Jr. (1923-2006), followed successfully in his father's footsteps and rivaled his fame, forming his own Emmett Kelly, Jr. Circus in 1972."AFTRA," the payee here, is the American Federation of Television and Radio Actors. Ink stamps on face and verso. Edges frayed. Fine condition.