One, Two, Three

88%

Tomatometer

25 Reviews

88%

Audience Score

2,500+ Ratings

C.R. MacNamara (James Cagney) will do anything to get a promotion within the Coca-Cola company, including looking after boss W.P. Hazeltine's (Howard St. John) rebellious teenage daughter, Scarlett (Pamela Tiffin). When Scarlett visits Berlin, where C.R. is stationed, she reveals that she is married to a communist named Otto Piffl (Horst Buchholz) -- and C.R. recognizes that Otto's anti-establishment stance will clash with his boss's own political views, possibly jeopardizing his promotion.

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One, Two, Three

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Critics Consensus

Billy Wilder's One, Two, Three is an uproarious Cold War satire, offering devastating critiques of both factions with an effortless touch and a powerhouse performance from James Cagney.

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Critics Reviews

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Gwen Ihnat

AV Club

Past the manic frenzy of the screwball comedy are many sly nods to the frosty Cold War relations between the East and the West.

Jun 28, 2019

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Variety Staff

Variety

The screenplay, based on a one-act play by Ferenc Molnar, is outstanding.

Aug 15, 2007

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Don Druker

Chicago Reader

The pace is blistering, and Wilder's deep-seated hatred of Germans has never been put to more comic use.

Aug 15, 2007

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Pauline Kael

Film Quarterly

One, Two, Three is overwrought, tasteless, and offensive -- a comedy that pulls out laughs the way a catheter draws urine.

Sep 11, 2023

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

...plays as a farce at breakneck speed, with Cagney ripping through his dialogue with real verve…

Rated: 3/5

Jun 7, 2022

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Cagney performs at such a breakneck speed, it's no wonder he retired from movies immediately thereafter, only returning 20 years later for a role in 1981's Ragtime.

Rated: 3.5/4

Nov 16, 2021

Full Review

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Audience Reviews

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Lanfranco C It is funny, but not Wilder at His best. Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 11/15/23 Full Review Bob W This is one of my favorite movies though younger people who are not up on their Cold War history may want to hang on to their phones for explanations. Still, the frenetic pace and a super-duper tour de force semi-final performance by the great Jimmy Cagney make this first rate entertainment for people who enjoy broad satirical farces. Cagney really gives it his all...he found the experience so exhausting that he retired from the movies for a twenty years but he left it all on the screen! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/22/23 Full Review acsdoug D The movie a bit dated, the plot is ridiculous and all the actors shout their lines at a frenetic pace. Still, there are some real laughs here, enough to recommend. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/19/23 Full Review David S Very funny satire poking fun at capitalism, communism, politics, with great dialogue. Cagney was great! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/30/23 Full Review Wolfgang G Eins, zwei, drei ist eine Filmkomödie von Billy Wilder, der auch mit I. A. L. Diamond das Drehbuch verfasste. Die Geschichte basiert auf dem Theaterstück Eins, zwei, drei (Originaltitel: Egy, kettő, három) von Ferenc Molnár aus dem Jahr 1929… Billy Wilder verlegte die Handlung nach West-Berlin zu Zeiten des Kalten Krieges, dort bekam ein führender Coca-Cola-Angestellter den Auftrag, die schicke und verwöhnte Tochter seines Chefs zu betreuen… Eins, zwei, drei ist eine temporeiche, schrille, bissige und zugleich liebevolle Farce, die herzlich mit einem satirischen Humor gewürzt ist… Ja, "eins, zwei, drei" zählt zu meinen Lieblingsfilmen, ich kann diesen flotten Klassiker immer wieder sehen… Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/10/23 Full Review Dominique W Under appreciated Cold War comedy equal in qualify to Dr. Strangelove Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews

One, Two, Three

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Cast & Crew

Billy Wilder Director James Cagney C.R. MacNamara Pamela Tiffin Scarlett Hazeltine Horst Bucholz Otto Ludwig Piffl Arlene Francis Phyllis MacNamara Liselotte Pulver Fräulein Ingeborg

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One, Two, Three (1961)

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Movie Info

Synopsis C.R. MacNamara (James Cagney) will do anything to get a promotion within the Coca-Cola company, including looking after boss W.P. Hazeltine's (Howard St. John) rebellious teenage daughter, Scarlett (Pamela Tiffin). When Scarlett visits Berlin, where C.R. is stationed, she reveals that she is married to a communist named Otto Piffl (Horst Buchholz) -- and C.R. recognizes that Otto's anti-establishment stance will clash with his boss's own political views, possibly jeopardizing his promotion.

Director: Billy Wilder
Producer: Billy Wilder
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, United Artists, MGM Home Entertainment
Production Co: Mirisch Films, Pyramid Productions Inc.
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 15, 1961, Wide
Release Date (DVD): May 30, 2017
Runtime: 1h 48m