History Film / OneTwoThree

* ActorAllusion: There are several in-jokes about Creator/JamesCagney. At one point he threatens to push a grapefruit in Otto's face, mimicking the most famous scene in ''Film/ThePublicEnemy1931'', and after meeting [=MacNamara=], Red Buttons' character does a Cagney impression with the shrugging gesture that Cagney's character used in ''Film/AngelsWithDirtyFaces''.

* ActorAllusion: There are several in-jokes about Creator/JamesCagney. At one point he threatens to push a grapefruit in Otto's face, mimicking the most famous scene in ''Film/ThePublicEnemy1931'', and after meeting McNamara, Red Buttons' character does a Cagney impression with the shrugging gesture that Cagney's character used in ''Film/AngelsWithDirtyFaces''.

* SettingUpdate: The original Molnár play is, about a businessman whose biggest client's daughter marries an obnoxious young socialist. Wilder kept the basic premise but updated it from 1920s Paris to Berlin at the height of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar.

* SettingUpdate: The film is based on a 1928 play by the Hungarian writer Ferenc Molnár, about a businessman whose biggest client's daughter marries an obnoxious young socialist. Wilder kept the basic premise but updated it from 1920s Paris to Berlin at the height of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar.

[[TheFilmOfThePlay Adapted from]] a 1929 Hungarian play (''Egy, kettő, három'') by Ferenc Molnár, with plot elements lifted from Wilder's own screenplay for ''Film/{{Ninotchka}}''. James Cagney retired from acting after making this film, although he returned 20 years later to star in ''Film/{{Ragtime}}''.

Scarlett's parents have made plans to come and take her back home. Unfortunately, her new, East German husband, Otto Ludwig Piffl (Creator/HorstBuchholz), has other plans. It seems Scarlett had been sneaking out of the house the whole time she was with the [=MacNamaras=], and slipping behind the Iron Curtain to have fun on the town. Which is where she ran into the young Communist, and naturally, they fell in love... ''[[SarcasmMode naturally]]''. At first Mac tries to get the marriage annulled, by hook or by crook, but then it turns out that Scarlett is pregnant. So now Mac must try and somehow make Otto acceptable to Scarlett's conservative, high-society parents or he'll be thrown out into the streets.

''One, Two, Three'' is a 1961 comedy film directed and co-written by Creator/BillyWilder. Set in UsefulNotes/{{Berlin}} shortly before the wall was built, it's about a Coca-Cola executive in West Berlin who has to care for his boss's daughter, who's spending her holiday there. And also tries to do business with some Communists to expand Coca-Cola beyond the Iron Curtain. And finds his marriage is about to fall apart. Plenty of HilarityEnsues.

''One, Two, Three'' is a 1961 comedy film directed and cowritten by Creator/BillyWilder. Set in UsefulNotes/{{Berlin}} shortly before the wall was built, it's about a Coca-Cola executive in West Berlin who has to care for his boss's daughter, who's spending her holiday there. And also tries to do business with some Communists to expand Coca-Cola beyond the Iron Curtain. And finds his marriage is about to fall apart. Plenty of HilarityEnsues.

Scarlett's parents have made plans to come and take her back home. Unfortunately, her new, East German husband, Otto Ludwig Piffl (Creator/HorstBuchholz), has other plans. It seems Scarlett had been sneaking out of the house the whole time she was with the [=MacNamaras=] and slipped behind the Iron Curtain to have fun on the town. Which is where she ran into the young Communist, and naturally, they fell in love... ''[[SarcasmMode naturally]]''. At first Mac tries to get the marriage annulled by hook or by crook, but then it turns out that Scarlett is pregnant! So now Mac must try and somehow make Otto acceptable to Scarlett's conservative, high-society parents or he'll be thrown out into the streets.

James Cagney retired from acting after making this film, although he returned 20 years later to star in ''Film/{{Ragtime}}''.

* ProductPlacement: No wonder, if the main character is a Coca-Cola exec.

* BrokenPedestal: Otto starts out as a dedicated communist who appears to have enthusiastically swallowed the party line. This changes after the Stasi assume he's a spy and torture him into confessing. When McNamara offers him a job and a title Otto turns into a dedicated capitalist almost immediately.

Scarlett's parents have made plans to come and take her back home. Unfortunately, her new, East German husband, Otto Ludwig Piffl (Horst Buchholz), has other plans. It seems Scarlett had been sneaking out of the house the whole time she was with the [=MacNamaras=] and slipped behind the Iron Curtain to have fun on the town. Which is where she ran into the young Communist, and naturally, they fell in love... ''[[SarcasmMode naturally]]''. At first Mac tries to get the marriage annulled by hook or by crook, but then it turns out that Scarlett is pregnant! So now Mac must try and somehow make Otto acceptable to Scarlett's conservative, high-society parents or he'll be thrown out into the streets.

* StealthInsult: At the hotel, the Russians are entertained by a band playing "Yes, We've Got No Bananas". In the German lyrics (not heard in the movie) a man agonizes that his girlfriend wants bananas even though offers her a variety of local produce. Bananas were the number one example of a thing that was much harder to get in East Germany than in West Germany.

* BrokenPedestal: Otto starts out as a dedicated communist who appears to have enthusiastically swallowed the party line. This changes after the Stasi assume he's a spy based on circumstantial evidence and torture him into confessing.

* BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord: The aforementioned IntrepidReporter is unable to be put off even with extravagant bribes [[spoiler:until Schlemmer does a Nazi salute to him in front of [=MacNamara=]. The reporter quickly backs off]].

* SexySecretary: Ingeborg, played by Lilo Pulver. The Soviet trade delegation is certainly taken with her.

* SexySecretary: Ingeborg, played by Lilo Pulver.

* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: C.R. [=MacNamara=] is a social-climbing, sycophantic, dishonest, adulterous blowhard, but since Creator/JamesCagney's playing him, the audience is still on his side.

[[quoteright:312:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/360x480_214343.jpg]]

''One, Two, Three'' is a 1961 comedy film directed and cowritten by Creator/BillyWilder. Set in UsefulNotes/{{Berlin}} shortly before the wall was built, it's about the boss of Coca-Cola West Berlin, who has to care for the daughter of his boss spending her holiday there. And tries to do business with some Communists, to expand Coca-Cola beyond the Iron Curtain. And finds his marriage is about to fall apart. Plenty of HilarityEnsues.

Things seem to be going fine for C. R. [=MacNamara=] (Creator/JamesCagney): Coca-Cola is doing well in West Germany, and he's about to seal a deal with the Soviet trade commission to get the brand past the Iron Curtain. Hoping this will earn him a prized position in London, sadly Mac has to jump through one more hoop. The daughter of his boss is on a tour of Europe and said boss ''insists'' that Mac look after her. So for over a month Scarlett Hazeltine (Pamela Tiffin) is a guest of the [=MacNamaras=]. Thankfully her parents have made plans to come and take her home. Unfortunately, Scarlet's new ''husband'' Otto Ludwig Piffl (Horst Buchholz) has other plans. It seems that Scarlett had been sneaking out of the house the whole time she was with the [=MacNamara's=] and slipped behind the Iron Curtain to have fun on the town. Which is where she ran into the young Communist, and naturally, they fell in love... [[SarcasmMode naturally]]. At first Mac tries to get the marriage annulled by hook and by crook, but then it turns out that Scarlett is pregnant! So now Mac must make Otto acceptable to Scarlett's conservative high society parents or he'll be thrown out into the streets.

''One, Two, Three'' is a comedy movie by Creator/BillyWilder from 1961. Set in UsefulNotes/{{Berlin}} shortly before the wall was built, it's about the boss of Coca-Cola West Berlin, who has to care for the daughter of his boss spending her holiday there. And tries to do business with some Communists, to expand Coca-Cola beyond the Iron Curtain. And finds his marriage is about to fall apart. Plenty of HilarityEnsues.