It Happened at the World's Fair

Elvis as a small plane pilot at the World’s Fair in Seattle

Because of the gambling debts of his partner (Gary Lockwood), a crop-dusting pilot in Washington State (Presley) is forced to hitchhike to the World’s Fair in Seattle to find work to get his plane back. While Danny tries to get cash playing poker, Mike takes care of a small Asian girl while pursuing an attractive hard-to-get nurse (Joan O'Brien).

"It Happened at the World's Fair" (1963) was Elvis' 12th movie of the 31 he did. He was in his prime here, lean and charismatic. Unfortunately, this is one of the lesser Presley flicks. Sure, it’s interesting seeing the real-life World’s Fair in Seattle, 1962, and there are some interesting bits, like the song “Relax,” a brawl with gamblers, the two protagonists hitchhiking to Seattle, and Elvis as a babysitter, but the story somehow lacks pizzazz.

On the female front, Joan O'Brien is too straight-laced and standoffish to stir interest, not to mention she seems too old for the role even though she’s a year younger than Elvis. Thankfully, a youthful Yvonne Craig is on hand for an amusing sequence early on.

Despite the negatives, like most Elvis flicks this one takes you back to more innocent, fun times. It’s pleasant enough, but kinda dull and deservedly obscure in his oeuvre.

The film runs 1 hour, 45 minutes, and was shot in the greater Seattle area with other stuff done at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Culver City, California.

GRADE C