It Happened at the World's Fair (1963) - Turner Classic Movies

Brief Synopsis

A pilot's efforts to help a lost girl at the Seattle World's Fair lead to love.

Cast & Crew

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Norman Taurog

Elvis Presley

Joan O'brien

Gary Lockwood

Vicky Tiu

H. M. Wynant

Photos & Videos

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Alicia Malone Intro -- It Happened At The World's Fair (1963)

It Happened at the World's Fair -- (Movie Clip) Relax

It Happened at the World's Fair -- (Movie Clip) Kick Me

Alicia Malone Intro -- It Happened At The World's Fair (1963)

Film Details

Also Known As

Take Me to the Fair

Genre

Musical

Adventure

Comedy

Romance

Release Date

Jan 1963

Premiere Information

Los Angeles opening: 3 Apr 1963

Production Company

Ted Richmond Productions

Distribution Company

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.

Country

United States

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 45m

Sound

Mono

Color

Color (Metrocolor)

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

2.35 : 1

Synopsis

Mike and Danny, two bush pilots, are grounded when a local sheriff attaches their plane as security for unpaid bills resulting from Mike's weakness for women and Danny's for gambling. They hitch a ride to Seattle with Walter Ling, a Chinese farmer, and his young niece Sue-Lin. Upon arrival the uncle finds it impossible to take Sue-Lin to the World's Fair, and Mike volunteers to accompany her while Danny goes to search for a friend, Vince Bradley. Sue-Lin gets a stomach ache after sampling every kind of food and going on every ride. In the dispensary Mike makes a successful play for nurse Diane Warren, but during their dinner date Sue-Lin arrives and tearfully explains that she has lost her uncle. Mike takes her under his wing, but she is taken away by the Child Welfare Board, supposedly on Diane's recommendation. In reality, Danny is the informer--he wants Mike to help him pilot a plane for Vince. Mike agrees, but he learns just before takeoff that Sue-Lin has run away. He finds her at the fair and takes her to the airplane. Meanwhile, Diane, also looking for Sue-Lin, has arrived at the runway. Mike becomes suspicious of Vince and discovers that the cargo they were to transport consists of smuggled furs. A scuffle ensues, police apprehend Vince, Mike and Diane are reconciled, Sue-Lin is reunited with her uncle, and all ends happily.

Director

Norman Taurog

Cast

Elvis Presley

Joan O'brien

Gary Lockwood

Vicky Tiu

H. M. Wynant

Edith Atwater

Guy Raymond

Barney Thatcher

Dorothy Green

Kam Tong

Yvonne Craig

Dorothy Johnson

The Jordanaires

The Mellomen

Crew

Dorothy Aldrin

Script Supervisor

Clint Althouse

Shirley Althouse

Preston Ames

Jack Baker

Music numbers staged by

Mark Barkan

Ruth Batchelor

Bernie Baum

Roy C. Bennett

Ray Bisordi

Otis Blackwell

Milford Cline

George W. Davis

Dolores Fuller

Bill Giant

Henry Grace

Don Guidice

Sydney Guilaroff

Dick Hendrickson

George Hollister

Camera Assistant

Hugh Hunt

Bill Ion

Camera Assistant

Seaman Jacobs

Al Jennings

Assistant Director

Wallace Jones

Assistant Director

Larry Jost

Florence Kaye

Harold F. Kress

Jim Luttrell

John Mehl

Camera Operator

Franklin Milton

Recording Supervisor

Jim Myers

Assistant Director

Col. Tom Parker

Technical Advisor

Ben Raleigh

Ted Richmond

Ted Richmond

Bob Roberts

Don Robertson

Si Rose

Joseph Ruttenberg

Director of Photography

Winfield Scott

Al Shenberg

Assistant Director

Fredric Steinkamp

Leith Stevens

Roy Stork

Al Strasser

Sophia Stutz

Jim Taylor

Sid Tepper

William Tuttle

Sid Wayne

Ben Weisman

Fred Wise

Photo Collections

Videos

It Happened at the World's Fair -- (Movie Clip) Relax Mike (Elvis Presley) performs "Relax" by Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett while working his charms on Yvonne Craig (as "Dorothy" in director Norman Taurog's It Happened at the World's Fair, 1963

It Happened at the World's Fair -- (Movie Clip) Kick Me Mike (Elvis Presley) hires a kid (Kurt Russell!) to injure him so he can visit the fetching nurse Diane (Joan O'Brien) in It Happened at the World's Fair, 1963

It Happened at the World's Fair -- (Movie Clip) Seattle, 1962 The Monorail and Space Needle are prominent as Mike (Elvis Presley) and friend Sue-Lin (Vicky Tiu) take in the sights in It Happened at the World's Fair, 1963.

It Happened at the World's Fair -- (Movie Clip) Open, Beyond the Bend Opening sequence introducing crop-duster Mike (Elvis Presley) singing "Beyond the Bend" by Fred Wise, Ben Weisman and Dolores Fuller, from Norman Taurog's It Happened at the World's Fair, 1963.

It Happened at the World's Fair -- (Movie Clip) One Broken Heart Mike (Elvis Presley) knocks out "One Broken Heart for Sale" by Otis Blackwell and Winfield Scott, springing from a card game in It Happened at the World's Fair, 1963.

It Happened at the World's Fair -- (Movie Clip) Happy Ending Mike (Elvis Presley) signs up for NASA then leads Diane (Joan O'Brien) through the finale production number "Happy Ending" by Sid Wayne and Ben Weisman in It Happened at the World's Fair, 1963.

It Happened at the World's Fair - (Original Trailer) A pilot's efforts to help a lost girl at the Seattle World's Fair leads to romance in It Happened at the World's Fair (1963) starring Elvis Presley and Joan O'Brien.

Intro Aired: Aug 2018

Alicia Malone Intro -- It Happened At The World's Fair (1963) TCM’s Alicia Malone introduces It Happened At The World’s Fair, 1963.

Intro Aired: Jul 2018

Alicia Malone Intro -- It Happened At The World's Fair (1963) TCM’s Alicia Malone introduces It Happened At The World’s Fair, 1963.

Intro Aired: Jun 2016

Madeleine Stowe Intro -- It Happened At The World's Fair (1963) Guest host Madeleine Stowe introduces It Happened At The World’s Fair, 1963.

Film Details

Also Known As

Take Me to the Fair

Genre

Musical

Adventure

Comedy

Romance

Release Date

Jan 1963

Premiere Information

Los Angeles opening: 3 Apr 1963

Production Company

Ted Richmond Productions

Distribution Company

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.

Country

United States

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 45m

Sound

Mono

Color

Color (Metrocolor)

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

2.35 : 1

Articles

It Happened at the World's Fair

April 20, 2005

He's played a water ski instructor, a ghetto doctor, a lifeguard, an underwater demolitions expert, a tuna fisherman and on at least three occasions, a race car driver so why shouldn't Elvis get to add another occupational hazard to his list of screen characters? In It Happened at the World's Fair (1963), he plays a freelance charter airplane pilot named Mike Edwards who travels to Seattle with his buddy Danny (Gary Lockwood) to check out the action. In no time flat, Danny's gambling debts force the duo to relinquish their plane and come up with another game plan - smuggling. Of course, the plot is secondary to the sights and sounds of the World's Fair. After all, who can compete with the Space Needle, the Skyride, the "Dream Car" exhibit, and the Floating City of Tomorrow? Elvis, that's who. He serenades his fans with "Cotton Candy Land," "Happy Ending," and "I'm Falling in Love Tonight." He also shares a duet - "How Would You Like to Be" - with tiny Vicky Tiu in her screen debut as Sue-Ling and if that number doesn't give you diabetes, nothing will.

During the filming of It Happened at the World's Fair in Seattle, MGM executives took extra security precautions and made sure the king was surrounded at all times off-camera by a group of Pinkerton plainclothes detectives. And speaking of kings, when Elvis returned to MGM after the location shooting, he was given Clark Gable's former dressing room at the studio.

Want some more trivia? Recognize that little boy who kicks Elvis in the film? Yes, that's Kurt Russell in his first film appearance. His first screen role, however, was in the television series Sugarfoot. Russell would go on to play the Tupelo wonderboy in John Carpenter's made-for-TV biopic, Elvis in 1979. And yes, Elvis did have an offscreen affair with co-star Yvonne Craig who also turned up in another Elvis film, Kissin' Cousins.

Producer: Ted Richmond
Director: Norman Taurog
Screenplay: Si Rose, Seaman Jacobs
Cinematography: Joseph Ruttenberg
Film Editing: Fredric Steinkamp
Art Direction: E. Preston Ames, George W. Davis
Music: Leith Stevens
Cast: Elvis Presley (Mike Edwards), Joan O'Brien (Diane Warren), Gary Lockwood (Danny Burke), Vicky Tiu (Sue-Lin), H.M. Wynant (Vince Bradley), Yvonne Craig (Dorothy Johnson).
C-106m. Letterboxed. Closed Captioning.

by Jeff Stafford

It Happened At The World's Fair

It Happened at the World's Fair

He's played a water ski instructor, a ghetto doctor, a lifeguard, an underwater demolitions expert, a tuna fisherman and on at least three occasions, a race car driver so why shouldn't Elvis get to add another occupational hazard to his list of screen characters? In It Happened at the World's Fair (1963), he plays a freelance charter airplane pilot named Mike Edwards who travels to Seattle with his buddy Danny (Gary Lockwood) to check out the action. In no time flat, Danny's gambling debts force the duo to relinquish their plane and come up with another game plan - smuggling. Of course, the plot is secondary to the sights and sounds of the World's Fair. After all, who can compete with the Space Needle, the Skyride, the "Dream Car" exhibit, and the Floating City of Tomorrow? Elvis, that's who. He serenades his fans with "Cotton Candy Land," "Happy Ending," and "I'm Falling in Love Tonight." He also shares a duet - "How Would You Like to Be" - with tiny Vicky Tiu in her screen debut as Sue-Ling and if that number doesn't give you diabetes, nothing will. During the filming of It Happened at the World's Fair in Seattle, MGM executives took extra security precautions and made sure the king was surrounded at all times off-camera by a group of Pinkerton plainclothes detectives. And speaking of kings, when Elvis returned to MGM after the location shooting, he was given Clark Gable's former dressing room at the studio. Want some more trivia? Recognize that little boy who kicks Elvis in the film? Yes, that's Kurt Russell in his first film appearance. His first screen role, however, was in the television series Sugarfoot. Russell would go on to play the Tupelo wonderboy in John Carpenter's made-for-TV biopic, Elvis in 1979. And yes, Elvis did have an offscreen affair with co-star Yvonne Craig who also turned up in another Elvis film, Kissin' Cousins. Producer: Ted Richmond Director: Norman Taurog Screenplay: Si Rose, Seaman Jacobs Cinematography: Joseph Ruttenberg Film Editing: Fredric Steinkamp Art Direction: E. Preston Ames, George W. Davis Music: Leith Stevens Cast: Elvis Presley (Mike Edwards), Joan O'Brien (Diane Warren), Gary Lockwood (Danny Burke), Vicky Tiu (Sue-Lin), H.M. Wynant (Vince Bradley), Yvonne Craig (Dorothy Johnson). C-106m. Letterboxed. Closed Captioning. by Jeff Stafford

Quotes

You didn't tell me she was put together like that!
- Danny Burke

Can't you tell a nice girl when you meet one?
- Mike Edwards

Oh oh! Now he's a cub scout. What happened, somebody steal your wolf whistle?
- Danny Burke

Hey kid, how would you like to kick me in the shin?
- Mike Edwards

How would I like to kick you in the shin?
- Boy

Uhum.
- Mike Edwards

Mister are you drunk?
- Boy

No. I'll tell you what, if you kick me in the shin I'll give you a quarter, here.
- Mike Edwards

Ohhhh! Ohhhh! I don't feel good, Mr. Mike. I don't feel good!
- Sue Lin

I wonder why!
- Mike Edwards

Trivia

'Russell, Kurt' (in his screen debut) kicks Elvis' shins.

Notes

Location scenes filmed at the Century 21 Exposition. Working title: Take Me to the Fair.

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States April 1963

Released in United States on Video December 6, 1988

Released in United States Winter January 1, 1963

Released in United States Winter January 1, 1963

Released in United States April 1963

Released in United States on Video December 6, 1988

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