The Elvis Movies by Neibaur James L.;

Author:Neibaur, James L.; [Neibaur, James L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 2014-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Magazine ad promoting the release of It Happened at the World’s Fair

Variety was more accurate when it reviewed the film:

This is apt to be tedious going for all but the most confirmed of Presley’s young admirers. The 10—count ’em—10 tunes [staged by Jack Baker] he sings may be cause for rejoicing among his more ardent followers but, stacked up proportionately against the skinny story in between, it seems at least three too many. Admitting the slim scenario, so many warbling interruptions upset the tempo of the yarn and prevent plot and picture from gathering momentum.

Screenplay springs off to a fairly bright start, thrusting “bush pilot” Presley and sidekick Gary Lockwood into several situations, airborne and earthbound, that have a fair humor content. Most of the action takes place at the 1962 Seattle Fair and vicinity, the yarn implicating Elvis with a temporarily abandoned type (Vicky Tiu) and a nifty nurse (Joan O’Brien).

Presley effortlessly executes his customary character—red-blooded wolf on the crust, clean-cut nice guy at the core. Lockwood, as his gambling chum, makes a good impression. O’Brien is easy to look at. Little Miss Tiu is tiu precious for words.

It is interesting that the review points out that the songs interrupt the tempo of the action, especially in that this is not the first time Variety made such a statement. Elvis was likely quite pleased if he ever became aware of such reviews, as he continued to want to explore other avenues for his acting. However, what the critics said was not as impactful as how audiences reacted. Moviegoers giddily proclaiming that the Elvis Presley vehicles were surefire box office hits were more important than critics who wished that there were fewer songs and that Elvis had more of a chance to act.

It Happened at the World’s Fair was certainly not the box office smash that Blue Hawaii had been. But it was a hit, it pleased moviegoers, and its formula was in the manner that caused the Elvis Presley movies to extend past his immediate fan base and become more mainstream. Many say that was at the expense of his integrity as a performer. Elvis would eventually agree.

As the Elvis Presley movies had now settled into a formula, his next film, back at Paramount, was another musical comedy. It did, however, reunite him with Richard Thorpe, who had directed Presley in Jailhouse Rock, one of his better pre-army movies, so Elvis hoped for some level of creative challenge. Fun in Acapulco was not filmed on location, relying instead on stock shots of Mexico, but it did feature the colorful production and pretty girls that defined the Elvis movies produced by Hal Wallis. Even theater owners recognized that the most popular Presley movies were Wallis productions for Paramount Pictures. Elvis, however competent and willing he was to do his best in such movies, still had his sights on roles that better suited his perspective and his personality. Another musical did not allow the growth that Elvis sought.

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