source: One, Two, Three

Trailer—One, Two, Three

One, Two, Three

This, and not Doctor Strangelove, is the supreme satire of the Cold War. From Cagney's hilarious opening narration, to its wonderful punch line, this masterpiece sustains a comic pace and energy that would almost no active film maker could hope to equal. The interrogation of Piffle is unforgettable, as is the meeting between Cagney and the commissars in the beer hall. In a word-MAGNIFICENT.

Comedy about Coca-Cola's man (James Cagney) in West Berlin, who may be fired if he can't keep his American boss's daughter from marrying a Communist. This is Billy Wilder's finest work, and considering that I think pretty much everything he touches is gold, this is high praise. The humor, the action, this is just a great film from beginning to end. Cagney apparently hated working on this one, but I would also say it is one of his best roles, as well. What strikes me is the use of puns and fast-paced action (not quite slapstick, but close). Some jokes are hard to catch because they go so fast, and many are just downright clever. I was hooked as soon as they let loose with the ten-foot pole joke. I did not know they even made movies like this since the Marx Brothers stopped, and I cannot say they have done anything like this ever again.

Although "One, Two, Three" was made at a tense and crucial point in the Cold War standoff, it is bitingly funny and has aged well. As previous reviewers have noted, the performances are top notch, particularly those delivered by Cagney, Bucholz and Arlene Francis. The satire is thick in every scene, with particularly sharp barbs aimed at the behavior and attitudes of post-war Germans. The parodies of and references to Cagney's earlier films are also very funny. Cagney's makeover of the committed young Communist is outrageous. A definite "10"...Wilder during his career peak, and Cagney delivering a fitting career finale.

C.R. 'Mac' MacNamara (James Cagney) is a Coca-Cola exec in charge of the West Berlin operations. Tension is rising across the Iron Curtain. It's a little over a year before the start of the Berlin Wall. He's trying to introduce Coke to the East. The communists want the secret formula. There is his sexy secretary Fräulein Ingeborg. His wife wants a quiet life in Atlanta. His boss dismisses expanding into Russia and asks Mac to care for his clueless party-girl daughter Scarlett Hazeltine. The talk is fast-paced. The humor is broad and full of Wilder wordplay. Cagney is an unrelenting engine. He is buzzing with energy and I half-expected him to explode in song and dance. The machine gun dialog is non-stop and can get tiring at some point. This is a feat of performance from the great Cagney.

In his last main-career film, James Cagney is an electric dynamo and so pushy his wife keeps referring to him as mein fuhrer. He is racing a mile a minute, playing tricks on the East Germans and trying to set up a date with his secretary. The best made plans get sidetracked when the boss send his 17-year-old daughter over for a couple of weeks and she ends up married to a Communist and pregnant. You can't take your eyes off the screen for a second as Capitalist and Communist jokes are flying so fast you can hardly keep up with the. This is Wilder at his best - Cagney, too. They are assisted by the Golden Globe nominated Pamela Tiffin as the ditzy Southern belle who falls in love with everyone, Horst Buchholz as her East German husband, Golden Globe nominated German actress Liselotte Pulver as the hot secretary that has the Russian trade delegation panting, and many more fine actors and actresses. This is a classic Wilder comedy and it will keep you in stitches.

"One, Two, Three," is a fast paced, cleverly scripted comedy, with an absolutely stellar performance from James Cagney. Billy Wilder's direction is vigorous and tight-knit, with a tempo that doesn't let up, yet doesn't tire either. One good line after the next, in an original comedy with loads of laughs. But it's Cagney's show, and does he give it his all! This is a wonderful tribute to one of the screen's all-time great actors.