Elvis Presley's 12th feature film, It Happened at the World's Fair is a 1963 comedy musical directed by Norman Taurog.
Mike Edwards (Presley) is a crop-duster pilot whose plane gets confiscated when his partner Danny (Gary Lockwood) wastes their money on gambling debts. As they look for a way to raise the money needed to stop their plane from getting auctioned off, they end up at the Century 21 Exposition in Seattle, Washington and Mike becomes the impromptu guardian to a little girl, Sue-Lin (Vicky Tiu), who's seemingly been abandoned by her uncle. Mike also romances a nurse, Diane Warren (Joan O'Brien).
Tropes:
- Accidental Misnaming: Mike misnames his squeeze Dorothy as Shirley, showing that he's a ladies' man who either has so many ladies that he can't keep them straight anymore, or he just doesn't care to.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Mike is an inveterate skirt-chaser, but he takes well to being suddenly left in charge of a small girl and cares for Sue-Lin's well-being.
- Little Girls Kick Shins: Mike convinces a boy (Kurt Russell in his first film appearance) to kick him in the shin hard so he has an excuse to go see Diane. The boy does so in exchange for a quarter and remarks on adults being all nuts when Mike leaves.
- Parents Walk In at the Worst Time: Mike visits his girlfriend Dorothy, serenades her and the two make out. They are interrupted by Dorothy's parents walking in. The father is outraged and grabs a gun, so Mike makes a run for it.
- Playing Sick:
- While Sue-Lin is getting treated for a (real) stomach ache, Mike meets the pretty nurse Diane and tries to come on to her and get close to her by faking he's got something wrong with him as well. She catches on quick and isn't amused.
- Sue-Lin pretends to have a fever so that Diane will come check on her. This is a ploy to get her together with Mike.
-
Technology Marches On: A good chunk of the second half of the film wouldn't have happened after the advent of cell phones. Sue-Lin's uncle could have let everyone know he was in the hospital and Mike either wouldn't have had to look after Sue-Lin, or he could have contacted Child Services and granted his permission for Mike to take care of her, thus removing the biggest romantic obstacle between him and Diane. The movie would have been a lot less interesting, though.
