In West Berlin during the Cold War, a Coca-Cola executive is given the task of taking care of his boss' socialite daughter.In West Berlin during the Cold War, a Coca-Cola executive is given the task of taking care of his boss' socialite daughter.In West Berlin during the Cold War, a Coca-Cola executive is given the task of taking care of his boss' socialite daughter.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 win & 8 nominations total
- Fräulein Ingeborg
- (as Lilo Pulver)
- Melanie Hazeltine
- (as Lois Bolton)
- Krause
- (voice)
- …
- Cindy MacNamara
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film recorded a loss of $1.6 million. It didn't do well at either the U.S. or German box office because the story felt much more sinister in 1961 when the Berlin Wall was erected.
- GoofsSchlemmer calls his former superior officer in the SS "Herr Oberleutnant". The SS had no rank of Oberleutnant nor did its members call each other Herr. Oberleutnant was a German Army rank. The corresponding SS rank was Obersturmführer. In the German (dubbed) version, Schlemmer correctly addresses him as "Obersturmführer".
- Quotes
Borodenko: When will papers be ready?
C.R. Macnamara: I'll put my secretary right to work on it.
Mishkin: Your secretary? She's that blonde lady?
C.R. Macnamara: That's the one.
Peripetchikoff: [after conferring with the others] You will send papers to East Berlin with blonde lady in triplicate.
C.R. Macnamara: You want the papers in triplicate, or the blonde in triplicate?
Peripetchikoff: See what you can do.
- ConnectionsEdited into Amérique, notre histoire (2006)
It's one of those movies in which the gags would be spoiled if they were described to a person who hadn't yet seen the film. For the most part they are tied closely to the plot and often build on one another. But I'm compelled to give one example. Cagney is an executive in Berlin and his first-hand man is Schlemmer. Schlemmer has a habit of clicking his heels before and after addressing Cagney. At one point Cagney chews him out and asks him, "just between us," what Schlemmer did in the war. "I was in the underground," says Schlemmer. "Oh, the resistance?" "No, the underground. The subway. I was a conductor." Cagney says supiciously, "And I suppose you never were a supporter of Adolf." Schlemmer: "Adolf who? You see, I was always in the underground. They never told us anything down there."
The dialogue is shouted rather than spoken. Heels are clicked, people leap to attention, fingers are snapped, orders are flung about. The only person who doesn't run around frantically is Lilo Pulver who does not have to run to attract anyone's attention. She can simply stand still and get the job done. She's Cagney's secretary and tells him she's thinking of getting a job elsewhere as a translator. "Don't forget I am bilingual." "Don't I know it," Cagney mutters ruefully.
But I won't go on because I'll just wind up giving away more gags. Check the trivia entries too. This was Cagney's last major role and one of Wilder's best comedies. It's simply hilarious and not to be missed.
- rmax304823
- Dec 4, 2003
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- 1, 2, 3
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $3,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 44 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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