One, Two, Three
Billy Wilder's Explosive New Comedy
1961 | 109m | English
Popularity: 4 (history)
| Director: | Billy Wilder |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Billy Wilder, I. A. L. Diamond |
| Staring: |
| C.R. MacNamara is a managing director for Coca Cola in West Berlin during the Cold War, just before the Wall is put up. When Scarlett, the rebellious daughter of his boss, comes to West Berlin, MacNamara has to look after her, but this turns out to be a difficult task when she reveals to be married to a communist. | |
| Release Date: | Dec 15, 1961 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Billy Wilder |
| Writer: | Billy Wilder, I. A. L. Diamond |
| Genres: | Comedy |
| Keywords | berlin, germany, prison, clerk, atlanta, cold war, capitalist, soviet union, headquarter, iron curtain, totalitarian regime, chamber of commerce, pregnancy, east berlin, west berlin, principal, wedding, american, baffled, cheerful |
| Production Companies | United Artists, The Mirisch Company |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $4,000,000
Budget: $3,000,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 01, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| James Cagney | C.R. MacNamara |
| Liselotte Pulver | Fräulein Ingeborg |
| Horst Buchholz | Otto Ludwig Piffl |
| Pamela Tiffin | Scarlett Hazeltine |
| Howard St. John | Wendell P. Hazeltine |
| Loïs Bolton | Melanie Hazeltine |
| Hanns Lothar | Schlemmer |
| Karl Lieffen | Fritz |
| Arlene Francis | Phyllis MacNamara |
| Leon Askin | Peripetchikoff |
| Ralf Wolter | Borodenko |
| Hubert von Meyerinck | Count von Droste Schattenburg |
| Peter Capell | Mishkin |
| Til Kiwe | Reporter |
| Henning Schlüter | Dr. Bauer |
| Karl Ludwig Lindt | Zeidlitz |
| Christine Allen | Cindy MacNamara |
| John Allen | Tommy MacNamara |
| John Banner | Krause / Haberdrasher (voice) |
| Max Buchsbaum | Tailor (uncredited) |
| Werner Buttler | East German Policeman (uncredited) |
| Red Buttons | MP Sergeant (uncredited) |
| Paul Bös | Krause (uncredited) |
| Josef Coesfeld | Hairdresser (uncredited) |
| Siegfried Dornbusch | East German Policeman (uncredited) |
| Gernot Duda | Suitcase Salesman (uncredited) |
| Otto Friebel | Interrogator (uncredited) |
| Friedrich Hollaender | Conductor at Grand Hotel (uncredited) |
| Rose Renée Roth | Berta (uncredited) |
| Sig Ruman | Count von Droste Schattenburg (voice) (uncredited) |
| Helmut Schmid | East German Policeman (uncredited) |
| Jaspar von Oertzen | Haberdasher (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Billy Wilder | Director, Screenplay |
| André Previn | Original Music Composer, Conductor |
| Daniel L. Fapp | Director of Photography |
| I. A. L. Diamond | Screenplay |
| Daniel Mandell | Editor |
| Tom Pevsner | Assistant Director |
| Saul Bass | Title Graphics |
| Ferenc Molnár | Theatre Play |
| Basil Fenton-Smith | Sound Designer |
| Milt Rice | Special Effects |
| Robert Stratil | Production Design |
| Heinrich Weidemann | Production Design |
| Werner Fischer | Production Manager |
| Richard Carruth | Music Editor |
| Conrad von Molo | Production Supervisor |
| Lothar Winkler | Still Photographer |
| John Brommage | Boom Operator |
| William A. Calihan Jr. | Production Manager |
| Del Harris | Sound Effects Editor |
| André Smagghe | Second Unit Director |
| May Wale Brown | Continuity |
| Alexandre Trauner | Art Direction, Production Design |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Billy Wilder | Producer |
| I. A. L. Diamond | Associate Producer |
| Doane Harrison | Associate Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 15 | 24 | 9 |
| 2024 | 5 | 17 | 26 | 11 |
| 2024 | 6 | 17 | 29 | 9 |
| 2024 | 7 | 17 | 26 | 12 |
| 2024 | 8 | 12 | 19 | 8 |
| 2024 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 6 |
| 2024 | 10 | 14 | 28 | 8 |
| 2024 | 11 | 11 | 23 | 7 |
| 2024 | 12 | 11 | 22 | 6 |
| 2025 | 1 | 13 | 18 | 9 |
| 2025 | 2 | 10 | 14 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 2025 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
Trending Position
Amazing Cagney performance in a film that has no resonance now. C.R. MacNamara is the head of Coca-Cola's bottling interests in Germany, he is a forceful man who wants to be all that he can be. He hopes to be the head of European operations for the company and is well on his way until the teenage ... daughter of Coca-Cola big wig Wendell P. Hazeltine shows up and he is asked to baby-sit her for a two week trip thru the continent. I wish I could have been around to watch this on its release in 1961, for I'm sure I would of laughed my head off at the relevant jokes of the time. Full of communist bluster dialogue and jokes in keeping with the times, One, Two, Three has all the trademarks of a classic Billy Wilder/I.A.L. Diamond picture. Yet viewing it now, one finds that the jokes are tired and weary, and although the frenetic pace of the film is incredible {it really is like a scattergun exploding upon the viewers senses}, the film is something of an archaic oddity. Boasting a quite brilliant performance from James Cagney, the picture is never less than watchable, but the advent of time means the film is stuck firmly in 1961, regardless of the fine work from lead man and director alike. 6/10