District of Columbia

I've seen that movie umpteen times. It's one of my favorite movies EVER. Like you, I saw it for the first time when NBC showed it on that Saturday night in 1961. It had a profound effect on me then, at age 11, and it still affects me deeply now. The music is wonderful; I think it's as good an example as anybody can find of a movie soundtrack that complements the movie perfectly.

Now for the correction: Klaatu didn't go to Professor Barnhardt's home with Patricia Neal's character, but with her son, her little boy. The boy was showing Klaatu around D.C. and that was one of the places they visited. The elevator scene you reference is between Klaatu and Patricia Neal's character, and yes, it is a very important scene in the movie.

If you haven't seen it already, don't watch that awful remake with Keanu Reeves. It is truly dreadful; when they made that movie they completely forgot what made the original so good. They totally ruined it. Which is what usually happens when they start taking liberties with original classics.

-- Ron