The Love's Fair: It Happened at the World's Fair

IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD'S FAIR

(US, 1963)

Original title: It Happened at the World's Fair

Filming date:

September - October 1962

Release date:

April 3, 1963

Running time:

105min

Production company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer

Budget:

US$ 1,3 million

Box office:

US$ 2,25 million

Main cast:

Elvis Presley

Joan O'Brien

Gary Lockwood

Yvonne Craig
Vicky Tiu
Kurt Russell

Soundtrack:

"One Broken Heart For Sale" (single)
[b/w "They Remind Me Too Much of You"]
(January 29, 1963)
"It Happened at the World's Fair" (LP)
(April 10, 1963)

"It Happened at the World's Fair" (CD/LP)
(FTD - 2003/2022)

It Happened at the World's Fair was Elvis's 12th film. In it, a crop pest control plane pilot ventures to Seattle to try to recover his livelihood after an accident.

Shot on location in Seattle, this film takes advantage of the backdrop of the 1962 World's Fair to unfold. As incredible as it may seem, this would end up being one of the best films made by Elvis in 1962 and also one of the best releases of 1963 for the actor.

Elvis arrives in Seattle to film his scenes surrounded by cops and security

Filming on the streets of Seattle was a great adventure and a dangerous gamble for the production, but fortunately nothing went wrong or out of control apart from occasional stops during filming to greet fans and sign autographs.

Vicky Tiu and Elvis backstage at filming location; September 5, 1962

One of the film's main scenes, where Elvis' character sings "I'm Falling in Love Tonight" in the revolving restaurant of the Space Needle tower, deserves special attention: Elvis sang live accompanied by the orchestra positioned right behind the cameras - which generated the effusive applause heard at the end of the song.

Elvis sings "I'm Falling in Love Tonight" live to Joan O'Brien

There's a collection of big names appearing in supporting roles in the film. Kurt Russell, who here is just the little boy who kicks Elvis in the shins, would become a renowned actor in the near future and impersonate Elvis three times - once when playing the King of Rock in the telefilm "Elvis" (1979) , another when lending his voice to 'Elvis' in "Forrest Gump" (1994) and another when dressing up as him in "3000 Miles to Graceland" (2001).

Russell says that he had a very pleasant experience being able to act with Elvis in this film, but that he didn't want to kick him in the shins and only did so after the King paid him $5.

The iconic scene with Kurt Russell

Joan O'Brien had been well known since 1949 and was nearing the end of her career - which was in 1966 - but she provided an ideal match for the character of Elvis and for the film itself. Gary Lockwood, who plays Elvis' character's partner, was a regular name in several series since 1959 and this fame would continue to this day.

Elvis and Gary Lockwood pose for a promotional still

But the most successful name of all is certainly Yvonne Craig. The actress has always been highly regarded in Hollywood for her figure and beauty, factors that have given her roles in several series and films since 1957. However, she is best known as Batgirl from the original "Batman" series (1966 - 1968).

Elvis and Yvonne Craig

Released on April 3, 1963, the film did not have a good audience and raised little, despite having a much better plot than the ones Elvis was used to appearing in.


SOUNDTRACK

From the soundtrack, the only two songs released as a single - on January 29, 1963 - were "One Broken Heart For Sale" and "They Remind Me Too Much of You".

The version of the first found on this single is only 1:35 long, having been very truncated with the cutting of a verse for unknown reasons. This meant that it had no success until it appeared complete on the LP.

Recorded in two sessions at Radio Recorders in August and September 1962, the film's soundtrack album was in fourth place in sales in 1963.

The ten songs from the film were well received by the public, including "One Broken Heart For Sale", which appears here in its entirety, unlike the error made on the single release.










---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUPPORTING CAST

JOAN O'BRIEN

Born on February 14, 1936, Joan Marie O'Brien made a name for herself in the field of acting and music mainly in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1954 she began appearing as a guest singer on The Bob Crosby Show, and from there she went to the cinema in memorable productions alongside Tony Curtis, Jerry Lewis, John Wayne and, of course, Elvis Presley.

During the 1960s, her role was much greater on TV, appearing in several series such as "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." (1964) and "Perry Mason" (1965). The actress ended her TV and film career in 1966, becoming part of the backing vocals in Harry James' band in 1968. After the singer's death in 1983, O'Brien retired permanently.

As of 2024, Joan is 88 years old and lives in California.

GARY LOCKWOOD

Born in California in 1937, Lockwood was a stuntman and stand-in - mainly for actor Anthony Perkins - in the late 1950s. His skills quickly led to success and two series where he was the main star in the early 1960s. "Follow the Sun" (1961-1962), began shortly after his appearance in "Wild in the Country" and ended shortly before he was called to co-star in "It Happened at the World's Fair".

In the rest of the 1960s until the 1980s, the actor was widely used in series, both as a guest and as a main or supporting character. His most remembered work on TV is that of the helmsman of the Starship Enterprise who becomes the enemy in the pilot episode of the series "Star Trek" (1966 - 1968). In cinema, his most notable role was that of astronaut Dr. Frank Poole in "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968).

As of 2024, the 87-year-old actor and his daughter, actress Samantha Lockwood, live in Los Angeles.

YVONNE CRAIG

Born in 1937, Yvonne Joyce Craig spent the first 18 years of her life dedicating herself to ballet and became an official member of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in the 1950s. She gradually became interested in acting and it was not difficult to land her first role already alongside Bing Crosby in 1959. The following year Craig acted alongside Cesar Romero, who would later become The Joker in the series "Batman" (1966 - 1968) and would have a great influence on the choice of the actress to play Batgirl in 1967.

From 1964 onwards, the actress had a solid career on TV. In the 1980s she ended her TV and film career and began working as a corporate events producer and real estate agent.

Yvone passed away on August 17, 2015, aged 78, due to breast cancer that spread to her liver.

VICKY TIU

Vicky Tiu, who plays the adorable Sue-Lin, would only appear in this film, but her great performance does not go unnoticed. She would later become the First Lady of Hawaii when she married Governor Ben Cayetano in 1997.

Now 67 years old (2024), she and the former governor still live in Hawaii.

KURT RUSSELL

Born on March 17, 1951 in Springfield, Massachusetts, Kurt is the son of actor Bing Russell and dancer Louise Julia Russell. He started his career by kicking Elvis in the shins in "It Happened at the World's Fair" and in 1964 he already had his own series, "The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters". Kurt's career was helped immensely by Walt Disney, who wrote his name on a piece of paper minutes before he died.

In 1979 he would play Elvis in the biographical film of the same name and in the 1980s he would be one of the industry's most sought-after actors for action and horror films, such as "Escape from New York" (1981) and "The Thing" (1982). From the mid-1980s to the present, Russell has appeared as a guest star or made cameos in several productions, with "The Hateful Eight" (2015) being one of the most remembered.

The actor, now 72 years old (2024), lives in California with his partner, actress Goldie Hawn, 78.