Ep. 171: One Two Three (1961) or ‘Coca-Cola Presents- The Testament of Billy Wilder’

Ep. 171: One Two Three (1961) or ‘Coca-Cola Presents- The Testament of Billy Wilder’

From Yesteryear Ballyhoo Revue by Yesteryear Ballyhoo Revue

April 10, 2026 · 2h 30m

About this episode

Zach and historian Craig Shemin discuss the film 'ONE TWO THREE' and its historical context.

Zach welcomes back historian and writer Craig Shemin (Sam & Friends: The Story of Jim Henson’s First Television Show) for a trip to post-war Germany where neither East or West Berlin can contain the Madness and Mayhem of Billy Wilder’s 1961 Comedy Classic, ‘ONE TWO THREE’ Join the duo as the unpack the history surrounding the films production, take a stab at deconstructing Wilders approaches on everything from humanism to capitalism to communism, ponder over this being James Cagney’s penultimate motion picture, and settle upon the ways the film has influenced the cinema of today.   If You are in New York and want to laugh along with Craig and the Marx Brothers Council, join them April 12th at the Museum of the Moving Image for a screening of ‘Horse Feathers’ followed by a live podcast! Tickets at https://movingimage.org/event/horse-feathers/   Be sure to pick up a copy of Craig’s books on the history of Sam & Friends for a deeper look into its history. Sam and Friends: The History…

People in this episode

Host: Zach

Guest: Craig Shemin

Topics covered

  • Billy Wilder
  • comedy
  • post-war Germany
  • film history
  • capitalism
  • communism

Keywords

  • Billy Wilder
  • ONE TWO THREE
  • comedy classic
  • film production
  • James Cagney
  • post-war Germany

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Museum of the Moving Image, Marx Brothers Council

Products: Sam & Friends: The Story of Jim Henson’s First Television Show, Sam and Friends: The History, Sam and Friends: The Script Book

Books & works: ONE TWO THREE

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