So, flew back from Chicago in time for Pizza and Movie Night, which has been a household tradition since Biggest Guy was watching kiddie films a long time ago.
Last night, TG and LG were – suspicious – to say the least at my latest Netflix film, Billy Wilder’s brilliant comedy “One, Two, Three“.
By the time the film was over, LG decided we needed to own it.
It’s a hysterical period comedy set in West Berlin just before the border was closed. If you haven’t seen it, you’ll never think of Pepsi (or Jimmy Cagney) in the same way again. Watch it tonight…
“One, Two, Three” is a brilliant film, and Cagney is at the top of his game as a Berlin-mired Coca-Cola exec. He is the definition of frenetic. The supporting cast is damn near perfect, too.
After watching it you may end up talking in bulleted phrases as you snap your fingers, and you will never hear Katchaturian’s ‘Sabre Dance’ or ‘Itsy Witsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini’ again without thinking of this film.
At the end of the film, Cagney uses a Coke machine and gets a Pepsi. “I’ve been ROBBED!” I’m not sure you could make this film today without getting sued.
Good to see other people know about this excellent movie. Cagney was brilliant here (I think this was his last film); I can’t think of anyone in Hollywood today who could pull off that long scene where he picks up the telephone and starts snapping out the huge list of orders.
One of lines there is particularly biting today (quoting from a faulty memory):
“I’ve only been a capitalist for 10 minutes, and I’m already $30,000 in debt!”
“That’s what makes the system work–everybody owes everybody else!”