Customer Reviews

One, Two, Three

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have always loved this movie for two reasons: James Cagney and James Cagney. A lesser-known Billy Wilder comedy gem, this film moves like greased lightning. An out and out farce, the modern audience may not appreciate some of the Cold War jokes, but the movie is still well-worth anyone's while to see Cagney's brilliant performance and the non-stop machine-gun delivery of one-liners and asides.

The head of Coca Cola in Cold War divided Berlin (but before the Wall), is saddled with the twit daughter (she of the over-active hormones), of one of his Coke Atlanta Office superiors. She becomes involved with an East German communist bohemian/activist, the parents from Atlanta are on the way, and all the fun begins.

The jokes are rapid fire and non-stop. The cast impeccable. I can't imagine anyone other than Cagney doing his role (its that indelible). In its own way a daring little picture, the world was incredibly tense when this movie came out, much like it is today but for different reasons. Berlin was one of the world's "hot spots" and a face-off point with the Soviet Union and a possible spark for Armageddan. Wilder found humor in that tension and the laughs that resulted were relief at the discovery of the human comedy within the Cold War. He put a human face on the communists and found in their foibles the same age-old human weaknesses of greed & lust & envy. In other words, they were the same as us. That meant there was hope.

But the heck with that, its funny as hell. Take the ride.

Billy Wilder made the great comedy "Some Like it Hot" in 1959. The following year, he broke Academy records by winning THREE Oscars for "The Apartment" (Writer, Director, Producer); his next film brought James Cagney his (almost) last role, a role that exhausted him (& the audience) so much he said he'd never make another film (1981's RAGTIME brought him out of retirement for a small role). It's almost impossible to imagine that he was having nothing but fun. Truth is, Cagney was having problems remembering lines, Wilder was pushing him (not unlike Monroe) and wringing out of him the most energetic performance I've ever seen. Subtlety, social comment, outrageous events--all staples of a Wilder film--were wrought with the complete insanity taken way over the top. The plot, involving Coca Cola's executive in Berlin in 1961, revolved around family life and corporate BS, and has to be one of the most frantic & enjoyable experiences, not to mention, breathless. Brilliant black & white Panavision photography by Daniel L. Fapp was Oscar nominated, but the rapid-fire, (often improvised) screenplay by Wilder & regular collaborator, I.A.L. Diamond was ignored by the Academy, as well as Cagney's incredible performance. The acting, besides Cagney, is acceptable; Pamela Tiffen & Horst Buchholz only had to look pretty and very affected, in which case their over-acting was appropriate. Arlene Francis seemed to be the "grounded force", keeping things a bit down to earth with droll humor. But the real acting support came from the lovely & wonderful Lilo Pulver and the agile Hanns Lothar. Leon Askin, a character actor so often in unrecognizable roles, is again brilliant here. The scenes at the Grand Hotel Potemkin are hilarious, and seeing Hanns Lothar in drag is something to behold! This film is so very important, on so many levels. Wilder laughed directly in the face of East German officials and methods; it was made because of the building of the Berlin wall; it showed Capitalism as a pleasant alternative to what was going on there; family crises were dealt wit seriously; extra-marital nonsense was treated as just that; Cagney's junior-Megalomania is treated justly; and the bottom line is that love conquers all, and, as Cagney/Wilder says "It's what makes our system work...everybody owes everybody..." A treat for all. If you haven't seen this, TREAT YOURSELF!! There's also a running gag, "Totally unacceptable...full of holes", which I still haven't figured out, and I've seen this film at least 50 times.

Set your time machine for 1961 and go back to the days of Khrushchev, Huntley-Brinkley, and the height of the Cold War. Billy Wilder's screwball farce is set in West Berlin, where Macnamara (James Cagney), the head of the local Coca Cola office, wants " the pause that refreshes" to be the first American product sold behind the Iron Curtain. He also has to baby-sit his boss's wild teenage daughter (played by Pamela Tiffin), who quickly marries a raging communist from East Berlin and finds herself in the family way. And now her father is coming over to see how well Macnamara is taking care of his little girl.

This frenetic comedy is not for everyone, but if you can remember pill box hats and Berlin before the Wall, you will probably love it. The one-liners come fast and furious as all the actors shout their lines, and the "Sabre Dance" is the background music for the non-stop physical humor. Cagney hams it up as the harried Coca Cola boss who barks orders to his ex-nazi assistant and keeps wife Arlene Francis from leaving him. Tiffin, a teen icon at the time, floats through the movie in a Southern-belle haze, mostly ogling handsome Horst Buchholz, who plays her commie beatnik husband, Otto ("He doesn't even wear socks!"). The supporting cast is full of German and Russian stereotypes of the period who race around at breakneck speed trying to make Otto into a respectable husband.

If you liked the wacky political humor that was popular at the time, you'll enjoy this very funny comedy, filmed in glorious black and white.

Kona

An ambitious American Coca-Cola executive in Berlin is a promising plot line which James Cagney and an excellent cast turn into a great comedy film. There are numerous small points that please the eye and add to the enjoyment of the film. The office staff springing to attention each time "the boss" enters the room is great. The administrative assistant who reflexively clicks his heels each time Cagney addresses him - he barely resists the stiff armed salute, is another pleasing sequence. Cagney's passionate pursuit of his secretary is equally fun to watch - you realize that his wife will ultimately know, which adds to the fun and sense of inevitability.

Tasked with keeping an eye on his bosses daughter, who is mostly occupied with chasing boys, becomes Cagney's all consuming passion and concern. His total inability to carry out this task is what makes this movie so amusing. He can control Coca-Cola operations in Europe, but not a teenaged girl. Cagney's East German/Soviet Bloc opponents read like the "usual suspects" in send up movies, but they all work well in thier quest for the secret formula that makes Coke so successful. Cagney's cataloging of their failed attempts is side-spliotting. The double talk and double dealing is non-stop and excellently done and just adds to the fun of the film.

This is a film that is little known but it shouldn't be. Made at the end of Cagney's career, it highlights just how versatile he was as an actor and what a great comedic actor he was. Anyone with an interest in Cagney would enjoy this film and view it more than once.

This is also a chance to see Berlin before it was altered and changed by the erection of the Berlin Wall which was went up not too long after this film was made. It is a Berlin under the four powers that no one really knows.

My wife is Russian, and grew up under Communism... this film left both of us laughing so hard we had to keep pausing the DVD to catch up. The dialogue skewers both Capitalist and Communist equally, and uses that split to make fun of marriage, European aristocracy, Germany in the aftermath of WW2, and everything else that strays onto the screen.
Make sure to hit the bathroom before you start watching this film, because you won't want to get up once it starts.

I second every great thing said about this film. A true tour-de-force of comedic writing, acting and direction. It's quite underrated. Watching this should be a blast for students of post-war history, political science, policy, etc. But even if you don't brush up on your cold war history before watching, you'll pick up the tone of the day quickly - and be on the floor!

I'm a film professor, and this one is in my top 10.

This Cold War comedy is surprisingly fresh after forty years. Jimmy Cagney is a Coca Cola executive assigned to West Berlin after a slip on the steps of the corporate ladder sent his once bright prospects into the deep freeze.

Cagney dreams of a London posting, only to learn that he has to babysit his boss' teenage daughter, Pamela Tiffin. The capitalist's daughter from Atlanta somehow slips into East Berlin where she marries a handsome young Red. To make matters worse, she's pregnant and Daddy is landing in Berlin in a few hours.

It is said that Cagney despaired of his own performance and slipped into retirement until coaxed back two decades later to star in Ragtime. It is hard to see much slippage. The delivery of rapid-fire instructions to his buxom secretary is a true work of art!

We need a DVD for this great comedy and soon1

Absolutely hilarious! If you've always wanted to see James Cagney in a comedy role, you must buy this! All the supporting actors/actresses are great, as well. The supporting German cast will keep you in stitches, especially Hanns Lothar as the dutiful and somewhat neurotic Schlemmer. One, Two, Three is a fast-paced comedy which is full of great one-liners and comedy action from beginning to end. I grew up in a German family and so
I find this movie all the more entertaining. You'll want to watch this one over and over! Great entertainment you can enjoy with the entire family. And you'll never look at a bottle of Coca
Cola the same way again. Mach Mal Pause!!

One of Cagney's least known and his best. This zany movie has everything: car chases, love stories, corporate power, and government intrigue. It tastefully pokes fun at Germans, Russians, Americans, Southerners, even the Bulgarians! Definitely a period piece but 1, 2, 3 is witty and fast paced. You can't miss this movie.

I first saw this movie in a US Army theater in Germany in 1961. It was the first time I'd seen a movie audience applaud at the end of a movie...and for good reason. We were over there, and we knew that this film accurately depicted the times in spite of being a satiric farce. The dialogue is extemely witty, and the pacing is breath-taking. I don't buy a lot of movies, but this was at the top of my list of all-time favorite films.