Conforming with the title of Elvis' latest movie it premiered at the world's fair in Los Angeles on April 3, 1963. The business in the US and Canada generated rental fees of 2.25 million USD, so the box office was supposingly 5 million USD. According our rough factor of 15 it would be 37.5 / 75 million USD today.

In Germany the movie was called "Ob Blond, Ob Braun..." which translates to "If blonde, if brown...". The name is an allusion to the song "Ob Blond, Ob Braun, Ich Liebe Alle Frauen" (I Love All Women, No Matter If Blonde Or Brunette) by Robert Stolz. It was the main theme of the musical "Ich Liebe Alle Frauen" (I Love All Women) from 1938 and was still very popular in the early 1960s. MGM released the movie on November 29, 1963.

Storyline

Mike Edwards (Elvis) and Danny Burke are freelance pilots but Danny's gambling leads to the loss of their plane and their money. On their way to Seattle they meet a girl named Sue-Lin and her uncle Walter. When he suddenly disappears the men take care of Sue-Lin. On the fairgrounds Mike falls in love with the nurse Diane, a social worker wants to take Sue-Lin away from Mike and Danny teams up with gangsters to raise some money.

Production Staff

Ted Richmond (producer), Norman Taurog (director), Si Rose und Seaman Jacobs (script), Leith Stevens (music), Joseph Ruttenberg (camera), Fredric Steinkamp (editor).

Principal Cast

Elvis Presley (Mike Edwards), Gary Lockwood (Danny Burke), Joan O' Brien (Diane Warren), Vicky Tiu (Sue-Lin), H.M. Wynant (Vince Bradley), edith Atwater (Miss Steuben) und Guy Richmond (Barney Thatcher). The German voice of Elvis was dubbed by Rainer Brandt.

Production

In January 1961 MGM contacted Colonel Parker and offered a multi-picture deal. Back in 1957 they had earned quite a bit with "Jailhouse Rock" and the success of Paramount's "G.I. Blues" convinced the management that Elvis Presley still was an asset. The singer was to make four movies, paid with a fee of $400,000 and a lump sum for additonal expenses of $100,000 each. On top of that he would receive 50% of the earnings, reduced by the fee and the lump sum. Translated to the present (by using the factor 15) it was a deal of 30 million USD plus 50% of the earnings reduced by this amount.

Because MGM had seen 20th Century Fox and Mirisch fail to find their own way of presenting Elvis, they simply copied  Paramount's concept. A lightweight story, an interesting scenery and lots of songs. But they also added something new: Elvis was now a family man! All throughout the film the well-being of the little girl is his priority. MGM also took his style to a new level and put him in smart business suits. "It Happened At The World's Fair" was budgeted with 3 million USD and produced between August 27th and November 9th 1962. The crew worked at MGM's studio lot in Los Angeles and of course at the world's fair in Seattle. A by now well known fun fact is the appearance of Kurt Russell, who played a boy that kicked Elvis in the shin. Later Russell became a star himself and even portrayed the singer in John Carpenter's "Elvis - The King" in 1979. 

Soundtrack

In early 1963 "One Broken Heart For Sale" became the first new Presley single since 1956 that failed to reach Billboard's top ten. The album also wasn't selling as well as the previous one. Of course nobody could complain about 4.5 million units, but it was considerably less than expected. In a somewhat strange move RCA Victor put the children's song "How Would You Like To Be" on the flipside of "If Every Day Was Like Christmas" in 1966. This release sold another million copies, even though not because of the movie tune. By tapping on the covers you'll be forwarded to the accordant reviews.  

Home Entertainment

The movie got its release in 2021 as part of the "Warner Archive Collection". From 2023 onwards other Presley movies followed. Tap on the cover for a short review.