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One, Two, Three

  • 19611961
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 44m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
21K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
One, Two, Three (1961)
Watch {VideoTitle}
Play trailer2:13
1 Video
49 Photos
  • Comedy

In West Berlin during the Cold War, a Coca-Cola executive is given the task of taking care of his boss' socialite daughter.In West Berlin during the Cold War, a Coca-Cola executive is given the task of taking care of his boss' socialite daughter.In West Berlin during the Cold War, a Coca-Cola executive is given the task of taking care of his boss' socialite daughter.

IMDb RATING
7.9/10
21K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Billy Wilder
  • Writers
    • Billy Wilder(screenplay)
    • I.A.L. Diamond(screenplay)
    • Ferenc Molnár(play "Egy, kettö, három")
  • Stars
    • James Cagney
    • Horst Buchholz
    • Pamela Tiffin
Top credits
  • Director
    • Billy Wilder
  • Writers
    • Billy Wilder(screenplay)
    • I.A.L. Diamond(screenplay)
    • Ferenc Molnár(play "Egy, kettö, három")
  • Stars
    • James Cagney
    • Horst Buchholz
    • Pamela Tiffin
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 148User reviews
    • 84Critic reviews
    • 73Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 1 win & 8 nominations total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:13
    Official Trailer

    Photos49

    James Cagney, Horst Buchholz, Hanns Lothar, and Pamela Tiffin in One, Two, Three (1961)
    James Cagney in One, Two, Three (1961)
    James Cagney and Liselotte Pulver in One, Two, Three (1961)
    Horst Buchholz and Pamela Tiffin in One, Two, Three (1961)
    Horst Buchholz in One, Two, Three (1961)
    James Cagney, Liselotte Pulver, Leon Askin, Peter Capell, and Ralf Wolter in One, Two, Three (1961)
    James Cagney, Christine Allen, John Allen, and Arlene Francis in One, Two, Three (1961)
    James Cagney in One, Two, Three (1961)
    Horst Buchholz in One, Two, Three (1961)
    James Cagney, Horst Buchholz, and Pamela Tiffin in One, Two, Three (1961)
    James Cagney, Liselotte Pulver, and Hanns Lothar in One, Two, Three (1961)
    James Cagney and Pamela Tiffin in One, Two, Three (1961)

    Top cast

    Edit
    James Cagney
    James Cagney
    • C.R. MacNamaraas C.R. MacNamara
    Horst Buchholz
    Horst Buchholz
    • Otto Ludwig Pifflas Otto Ludwig Piffl
    Pamela Tiffin
    Pamela Tiffin
    • Scarlett Hazeltineas Scarlett Hazeltine
    Arlene Francis
    Arlene Francis
    • Phyllis MacNamaraas Phyllis MacNamara
    Howard St. John
    Howard St. John
    • Wendell P. Hazeltineas Wendell P. Hazeltine
    Hanns Lothar
    • Schlemmeras Schlemmer
    Leon Askin
    Leon Askin
    • Peripetchikoffas Peripetchikoff
    Ralf Wolter
    • Borodenkoas Borodenko
    Karl Lieffen
    • Fritzas Fritz
    Hubert von Meyerinck
    Hubert von Meyerinck
    • Count von Droste Schattenburgas Count von Droste Schattenburg
    Loïs Bolton
    • Melanie Hazeltineas Melanie Hazeltine
    • (as Lois Bolton)
    Peter Capell
    Peter Capell
    • Mishkinas Mishkin
    Til Kiwe
    Til Kiwe
    • Reporteras Reporter
    Henning Schlüter
    • Dr. Baueras Dr. Bauer
    Karl Ludwig Lindt
    • Zeidlitzas Zeidlitz
    Liselotte Pulver
    Liselotte Pulver
    • Fräulein Ingeborgas Fräulein Ingeborg
    • (as Lilo Pulver)
    John Banner
    John Banner
    • Krauseas Krause
    • (voice)
    • …
    Christine Allen
    • Cindy MacNamaraas Cindy MacNamara
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Billy Wilder
    • Writers
      • Billy Wilder(screenplay)
      • I.A.L. Diamond(screenplay)
      • Ferenc Molnár(play "Egy, kettö, három")
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Berlin is the epitome of political and economic polarization. A microcosm of that polarization is the life of American C.R. MacNamara, known as Mac to his friends. He is Coca-Cola's head of West Berlin operations, although he feels he deserves to be Coca-Cola's head of European operations based in London. His wife Phyllis wants him to get a steady, stable job back in head office in Atlanta. His West Berlin staff is still used to treating him like their old master, the Führer. The one exception is his secretary Ingeborg, who is the latest in his long line of secretary mistresses. And he's working on a trade agreement of getting Coca-Cola into the Russian market. His life goes into a tailspin when he hosts Scarlett Hazeltine, 17-year-old spoiled partygirl daughter of his Atlanta-based boss, Wendell Hazeltine. Unlike most of the stops she's made on her European trip, Scarlett seems to like West Berlin and stays longer than expected. On the day that Mac learns that Mr. and Mrs. Hazeltine will be in Berlin in 24 hours to retrieve their daughter, he learns that Scarlett has married Otto Ludwig Piffl, a staunch East German Communist. Mac feels this marriage will ruin his career and does whatever he can to get rid of Otto for good and wipe any record of the marriage off the official books. But when Mac further learns that Scarlett is pregnant, he must get Otto back, which is more difficult than getting rid of his was, and to make him respectable in Mr. Hazeltine's eyes. Meanwhile, Phyllis has her own ideas of what is right and wrong in both Scarlett's and Mac's lives and takes appropriate action. —Huggo
    • coca cola
    • berlin germany
    • iron curtain
    • communism vs capitalism
    • communist
    • 141 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Billy Wilder's Explosive New Comedy
    • Genre
      • Comedy
    • Certificate
      • Not Rated
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In James Cagney's autobiography, he says that Horst Buchholz was the only actor he really hated working with because he was uncooperative and tried all kinds of scene-stealing moves, which Cagney depended on Billy Wilder to correct. Had Wilder not firmly directed Buchholz, Cagney said that he "was going to knock Buchholz on his ass, which at several points I would have been very happy to do".
    • Goofs
      Schlemmer calls his former superior officer in the SS "Herr Oberleutnant". The SS had no rank of Oberleutnant nor did its members call each other Herr. Oberleutnant was a German Army rank. The corresponding SS rank was Obersturmführer. In the German (dubbed) version, Schlemmer correctly addresses him as "Obersturmführer".
    • Quotes

      Borodenko: When will papers be ready?

      C.R. Macnamara: I'll put my secretary right to work on it.

      Mishkin: Your secretary? She's that blonde lady?

      C.R. Macnamara: That's the one.

      Peripetchikoff: [after conferring with the others] You will send papers to East Berlin with blonde lady in triplicate.

      C.R. Macnamara: You want the papers in triplicate, or the blonde in triplicate?

      Peripetchikoff: See what you can do.

    • Connections
      Edited into Amérique, notre histoire (2006)
    • Soundtracks
      Sabre Dance
      (uncredited)

      from "Gayaneh"

      Music by Aram Khachaturyan

    User reviews148

    Review
    Top review
    Outstanding Comedy
    Howard Hawks usually gets the palm for the fastest dialogue in comedies but Wilder probably ties him here. This must be one of the funniest comedies to come out of Hollywood, at least during the sound era. The gags come fast -- and thick. If one doesn't work you don't have time to be disappointed because the next one is already underway.

    It's one of those movies in which the gags would be spoiled if they were described to a person who hadn't yet seen the film. For the most part they are tied closely to the plot and often build on one another. But I'm compelled to give one example. Cagney is an executive in Berlin and his first-hand man is Schlemmer. Schlemmer has a habit of clicking his heels before and after addressing Cagney. At one point Cagney chews him out and asks him, "just between us," what Schlemmer did in the war. "I was in the underground," says Schlemmer. "Oh, the resistance?" "No, the underground. The subway. I was a conductor." Cagney says supiciously, "And I suppose you never were a supporter of Adolf." Schlemmer: "Adolf who? You see, I was always in the underground. They never told us anything down there."

    The dialogue is shouted rather than spoken. Heels are clicked, people leap to attention, fingers are snapped, orders are flung about. The only person who doesn't run around frantically is Lilo Pulver who does not have to run to attract anyone's attention. She can simply stand still and get the job done. She's Cagney's secretary and tells him she's thinking of getting a job elsewhere as a translator. "Don't forget I am bilingual." "Don't I know it," Cagney mutters ruefully.

    But I won't go on because I'll just wind up giving away more gags. Check the trivia entries too. This was Cagney's last major role and one of Wilder's best comedies. It's simply hilarious and not to be missed.
    helpful•73
    12
    • rmax304823
    • Dec 5, 2003

    FAQ2

    • What does MacNamara say about alligator shoes offered as possible executive attire for Otto?
    • Lilo Pulver---Who Was She?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 16, 1961 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
      • Russian
    • Also known as
      • 1, 2, 3
    • Filming locations
      • Coca-Cola Niederlassung, Hildburghauser Strasse 224 - 232, Lichterfelde, Berlin, Germany
    • Production companies
      • Bavaria Film
      • Pyramid Productions
      • The Mirisch Corporation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $3,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 44 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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