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It Happened at the World's Fair (1963)

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17 comments in total

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Entertaining if typical Elvis Presley vehicle, 11 January 1999
Author: pooch-8 from Fargo, North Dakota

Taking advantage of the Seattle World's Fair, frequent Presley director Norman Taurog does his best to spice up an otherwise routine programmer in which Elvis ends up the reluctant guardian of a cute little girl who has been separated from her folks. Chief among the delights that transcend the vanilla flavor of the picture is a scene between The King and scorching supernova Yvonne Craig in which the former croons the tune "Relax" while the latter deftly evades his prowling lips and paws. The mercury reaches the boiling point in record time, and fans of the gorgeous Craig will be transformed into Tex Avery's wolf, whistling vigorously, stomping on the floor, and bashing themselves repeatedly in the head with a large mallet.

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4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
funny movie, 20 August 2001
Author: kwbucsfan from Florida

This movie isn't quite as strong as its predecessors but is still a decent movie. This movie has a strong supporting cast with Kurt Russell and Gary Lockwood. It had an interesting plot, but the movie was not all that spectacular, though plenty watchable. This movie did have a strong soundtrack though.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Enjoyable Elvis caper with great archive footage, 16 March 2003

Author: Arun Vajpey from Wootton Bassett, England

I like this film. It has everything for a relaxed, stress-free Sunday afternoon entertainment. Elvis Presley, lots of gloriously silly early sixties fluff and footage from the 1962 Seattle World fair. It has nostalgic moments too, like Kurt Russell's famous kick-on-the-shin to Elvis. I only wish there was a bit more footage of the Fair attractions, like the Bubbleator. Perhaps MGM will bear this in mind when they bring out the DVD.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Fun for Elvis fans only, 15 October 2002

Author: funkyfry from Oakland CA

Enjoyable but standard Elvis fare with Elvis girl-hunting and babysitting at the World's Fair in Seattle. Songs are a bit too cutesy, reflecting the shift in Elvis' image since his return from Germany. Fun story, though, and a fun song with Yvonne Craig. Douglas appears in a very early role as a kid who kicks Elvis on the shin -- twice. Lockwood is, as always, sufficient. Fans of Expos and World's Fairs (any others of us out there?) should be pleased to see so much footage of the excellent grounds and exhibits that graced the Seattle Expo.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Romance in the air at Seattle's World Fair., 23 October 1999

Author: Michael O'Keefe from Muskogee OK

The 1962 World's Fair is the eye filling backdrop for this typical Elvis Presley project. Elvis and his flying buddy (Gary Lockwood) have their plane confiscated. Trouble occurs with involvement with gamblers and gangsters. Elvis befriends a little 7 year old girl that wants to go to the fair. Elvis uses the girl and a little boy (Kurt Russell) to aid him in romancing the infirmary nurse (Joan O'Brian). Ten light and whimsical tunes make up a pleasant soundtrack featuring "One Broken Heart For Sale". A small scene with Yvonne Craig could scorch a ten ton block of ice. This may be the hardest of the Elvis movies to find on home video. Worth seeing!

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
What Happened to Elvis?, 15 July 2008

Author: wesconnorsehny from United States

Elvis Presley (as Mike Edwards) goes to Seattle for their 1962 "World's Fair" (set mainly in Culver City, though). Accompanying the singing pilot is his crop-dusting partner Gary Lockwood (as Danny Burke). Along the way, they pick up cute little Vicky Tiu (as Sue-Lin); and, they agree to take her to the fair, for her uncle. Mr. Presley and Mr. Lockwood succumb to weaknesses for women and gambling, and lose little Miss Tiu. Presley sings ten songs; he ogles shapely women, and falls for one Joan O'Brien (as Diane Warren).

Truly a FAIR film; "It Happened at the World's Fair" is more disappointing in that it does, after all, star Elvis Presley, a man capable of so much more. Two of the ten new songs are worthy: "They Remind Me Too Much of You" is a strongly sung ballad; and, "One Broken Heart for Sale" is a good, albeit medium-paced, rocker. The version of the latter song has an extra verse in the film, but the album version is punchier. Look out for future "Batgirl" Yvonne Craig (Dorothy Johnson) to really bust things up, in an early scene. At the fair, young Kurt Russell kicks Presley in the shins a couple times, after asking him, "Are you drunk?" Not enough happened at the world's fair to justify the length of this movie.

**** It Happened at the World's Fair (1963) Norman Taurog ~ Elvis Presley, Joan O'Brien, Gary Lockwood

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Formula Presley film with interesting fair backgrounds..., 13 July 2008

Author: Neil Doyle from U.S.A.

ELVIS PRESLEY gets to sing several non-memorable songs, the best of which is "One Broken Heart for Sale", but IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD'S FAIR is strictly standard Presley stuff wherein the guy has his eye on a pretty gal (JOAN O'BRIEN) and makes a pitch, the sort that turns her off at first. Predictably, after a few misunderstandings involving a small girl abandoned at the fair, a happy ending is soon in sight.

The music by Leith Stevens is pleasant enough and the fair grounds at the 1962 Seattle World's Fair make colorful backgrounds for the slight story. GARY LOCKWOOD is Elvis' pilot pal, both of them down on their luck but seeming to spend plenty of money on the fair and decent lodgings. The sub-plot involving both bachelors entrusted with the care of a seven year-old by a complete stranger is more than a little improbable, especially given today's public awareness of children being taken advantage of by adults with criminal behavior.

Presley shares some effective scenes with the little girl but has his standard "boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy wins girl" routine with leading lady O'Brien, a pert blonde who plays a nurse who suspects him of feigning illness as a part of his wolf routine. Naturally, the little girl is responsible for bringing them together again after a few silly misunderstandings keep them apart.

Nothing special, but passes the time pleasantly whenever Elvis sings, which is pretty often.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Okay Elvis fare, 6 July 2008

Author: blanche-2 from United States

As someone else mentioned, 1963 is still early enough that Elvis Presley looks like he's enjoying himself in "It Happened at the World's Fair," which also stars Gary Lockwood, Joan O'Brien and Vicky Tiu. Pilots Mike (Elvis) and Danny (Lockwood) find themselves without a plane after it's confiscated for debts due to Lockwood's addiction to gambling. They hitch a ride to Seattle with a man and his 7-year-old niece Sue-Lin (Tiu), and Mike ends up taking the little girl to the 1962 World's Fair. When she eats too much junk, he takes her to the clinic, where he meets Diane Warren (Joan O'Brien), a nurse. He comes on a little strong - so strong, I'm surprised she didn't call security. In order to see her again, he gives a little boy (Kurt Russell) a quarter to kick him in the shins.

After he return Sue-Lin to her uncle, she finds Mike again when her uncle doesn't come home from making a delivery. Mike now has to cope with a not very helpful partner, trying to think of a way to get his plane back, romancing Diane and taking care of a 7-year-old girl.

This is the usual Elvis travelogue, but more interesting than others because it's shot on the grounds of the Seattle World's Fair and has that iconic moment when future brilliant Elvis impersonator Russell lets him have it in the shins. Elvis looks great and as usual sings beautifully. The music is pretty good. This wasn't the film career Elvis wanted but unfortunately for his ambitions, these films made money. Enjoyable.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Great Elvis Presley Film, 22 June 2008

Author: whpratt1 from United States

Enjoyed this Elvis Presley film where he plays the role as Mike Edwards who is down on his luck and meets up with a sweet little girl named Sue-Lin, (Vicky Tiu) who likes Mike and he agrees to watch her while her uncle takes care of his business affairs. Mike takes Sue-Lin to the Seattle World's Fair and they take in all the rides and Sue-Lin also wins a huge doll which is larger than she is. Mike buys Sue all kinds of food at the fair and she gets sick and is taken to a hospital where Mike runs into a very attractive blonde nurse, Diane Warren, (Joan O'Brien) who puts the make on her and Diane quickly brushes Mike off. Elvis performs various songs which were not very popular and this was not necessarily a great Presley film, but the story was very cute and if you missed the Seattle World's Fair, you will enjoy all the photography taken at the fair.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
It Happened at the World's Fair (1963) ***, 10 August 2007

Author: JoeKarlosi from U.S.A.

For me, this is one of Elvis' more enjoyable early-'60s "formula" films, partly because at this point it was still early enough that Presley still seemed to pretty much have his heart in it and is not yet bored by it all. He's an out-of-work pilot named Mike Edwards who finds himself saddled with babysitting a sweet little girl (Vicki Tui - very cute and a fine little actress) at the 1962 Seattle World's Fair when her dad drops her off and then disappears. While seeing the sights, Elvis makes the acquaintance of a lovely nurse whom he keeps trying to snare, and this necessitates a hilarious and oft-cited scene with a very young Kurt Russell as a kid at the fair who agrees to kick Elvis hard in the shin for a quarter; it's a short sequence but it's a lot of fun, and quite ironic since Russell would wind up playing Presely himself in a 1977 TV movie.

This one's got laughs, romance, and also some of the best trademark Elvis fist-fighting (it's amazing to me that he would be allowed to do his own stunts in these movies where he could easily have gotten injured). Oh yeah -- and there are more songs -- quite a few of them, actually -- but only "One Broken Heart For Sale" was of moderate interest for me.

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