 In 1967, he starred in the musical "The Clown and the Kids", which was shot and produced in Bulgaria.On July 6, 1944, Kelly was preparing to perform in a matinee show of the Ringling Brothers Circus for an audience of 6,000 in Hartford, Connecticut.Twenty minutes into the show, the circus tent, which had been waterproofed with paraffin wax and gasoline, caught fire.