The Happening is a 1967 American crime comedy film directed by Elliot Silverstein, and starring Anthony Quinn, Michael Parks, George Maharis, Robert Walker Jr., Martha Hyer, and Faye Dunaway.

[citation needed] Bosley Crowther, in a review for The New York Times, wrote "Granted, one might expect a film called "The Happening" to appear intentionally superficial, spontaneous and unrehearsed.

That still would not provide enough forbearance to prepare one for the sloppiness and bad taste of the picture bearing that title," and that it "truly looks as though this clutter of cheap plot and slapdash camera style […] has been recklessly thrown together by the young director, Elliot Silverstein, during or after a trip—and I mean trip—with a bunch of those kids who assemble periodically at Fort Lauderdale.

He also cricized the acting, pointing at the young main cast (particularly singling out Faye Dunaway as a "a carbon copy" of Jane Fonda, who the review points out starred in Silverstein's previous film Cat Ballou), Anthony Quinn, whom Crowther says "can't seem to get out of his system the old infection of Zorba the Greek complicated by Barabbas.

That's no good for this sort of beach-boy junk," while adding that "Martha Hyer, Milton Berle and Oscar Homolka are also shamefully bogged down in it.