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Directed by: Billy Wilder Starring: James Cagney, Arlene Francis, Horst Buchholz, etc. One, Two, Three tells a story about the corporate life of a Coca-Cola executive in post-war Berlin. C.R MacNamara (Cagney, in his last role before a long retirement from acting broken by 1981's Ragtime) is the hyperactive head of the Berlin Coca-Cola operation, with a staff of kooky ex-Nazis catering to his managerial whim. When MacNamara hears from his boss in Atlanta (Howard St. John, with an over-the-top ol' South accent) that the boss's teen-age daughter will be arriving in Berlin, he reluctantly breaks plans to send his wife off on a vacation - planned originally to provide opportunity for some hanky-panky with bombshell secretary Ingeborg (Lilo Pulver). The daughter (Pamela Tiffin, who's "just dreamy!") turns out to be a handful who hangs around for months instead of the anticipated few days, finally disappearing shortly before the anticipated arrival of her father. The revelations about her Berlin "vacation" set the stage for a tour de force by Cagney, who has to wrench success out of the clutches of the Cold War within about 24 hours. There are times where you'll find yourself out of breath as Cagney's delivery (which provides the film's title!) machine-guns you into sheer amazement. The jokes are dated and the early 60's sexism is a real trip, but this movie delivers. Get some friends, some German beer (or some Coke), and a big basket of pretzels, and settle in for one awesome film. RATING: 4.5 PROS: Fantastic pacing, cool sets, car chase, balloons, CAGNEY!! CONS: Dated, silly, black&white ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://imdb.com/title/tt0055256/
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May 17, 2004 02:43
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| # ? Apr 24, 2024 19:42 |
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