Barry Nelson and Peter Lorre in the very first Bond film. Casino Royale aired live on October 21st in 1954 as the third episode of Climax! It disappeared from public consciousness until the 1980s when film historian Jim Schoenberger located it, albeit without its final credits. We’re lucky Schoenberger found it, as it’s a fascinating oddity. The opening credit animation by Richard Williams parodies illuminated manuscripts with cartoon-style calligraphy. It sets the tone for the film as a psychedelic 'knight's tale' of Sir James Bond. Casino Royale is a 1954 US television adaptation of Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel. This version premiered on television on October 21, 1954 as the third episode of the Climax!Mystery Theater program on CBS. The adaptation featured Barry Nelson as Jimmy Bond, an Americanized version of the character made famous eight years later by Sean Connery in the film Dr.
Casino Royale is a 1954 US television adaptation of Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel. This version premiered on television on October 21, 1954 as the third episode of the Climax! Mystery Theater program on CBS. The adaptation featured Barry Nelson as Jimmy Bond, an Americanized version of the character made famous eight years later by Sean Connery in the film Dr. No. This particular adaptation simplified the plot of the original novel, combining several characters (and turning CIA agent Felix Leiter into an English government agent named Clarence Leiter) and condensing the action to fit into an hour-long live television segment. Casino Royale was also adapted as a 1967 feature film comedy spoof as well as an official James Bond film that marked the debut of Daniel Craig as Agent 007.
The following firearms were used in the 1954 Climax! television segment Casino Royale:
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Colt Official Police
The opening shot of the film shows James Bond walking into a French casino. A gunman takes aim at him with a Colt Official Police and fires three shots that miss before driving off. It is assumed that the shots are fired by one of Le Chiffre's Soviet agents.
Cane gun
Although not used until The World Is Not Enough in an official Bond film, this adaptation features a 'cane gun' similar to the one described in Fleming's original novel. In this show, the gun is held by Zoltan (Kurt Katch), one of Le Chiffre's assassins.
Mauser 1934
Le Chiffre (Peter Lorre) and his Soviet henchman Zuroff each carry a Mauser 1934.
FN Model 1900
James Bond (Barry Nelson) disarms Basil (Gene Roth), the third of Le Chiffre's thugs, of an FN Model 1900, using it to shoot both him and Le Chiffre during the finale.
First James Bond Movie 1954
Casino Royale 1954 Movie Cast
Summary
The complete list of unofficial James Bond films, lesser known than the 24 official films made by EON Productions. Includes multiple adaptions of Casino Royale, and a remake of Thunderball.
« See also: List of all official Bond films
#1 Casino Royale, 1954
| James Bond: | Barry Nelson |
|---|---|
| Bond Girl: | Valerie Mathis |
| Director: | William Brown Jr. |
| Running Time: | 48 Minutes |
Synopsis:
American secret agent 'Card sense Jimmy' Bond meets British agent Clarence Leiter at Casino Royale. Bond teaches Leiter how to play baccarat, and then defeats Soviet villain Le Chiffre at a high stakes game. Le Chiffre, afraid that the KGB will kill him for gambling away their money, tries to steal it back from Bond. Bond prevails, killing Le Chiffre and winning back his girlfriend.
#2 Casino Royale, 1967
| James Bond: | David Niven |
|---|---|
| Bond Girl: | Vesper Lynd |
| Director: | John Huston, Ken Hughes |
| Running Time: | 131 Minutes |
Synopsis:
Sir James Bond, played by David Niven, is forced out of retirement when M blows up his house! In a psychedelic spoof of the Sean Connery films, Niven takes over MI6 and renames every agent 'James Bond' to confuse the enemy (who turns out to be lead by his nephew.)
#3 Never Say Never Again, 1983
| James Bond: | Sean Connery |
|---|---|
| Bond Girl: | Domino Petachi |
| Director: | Irvin Kershner |
| Running Time: | 134 Minutes |
Synopsis:
Never Say Never Again is a remake of Thunderball by Kevin McClory, who sued for the film rights to the book. The title refers to the fact that Sean Connery vowed he would 'Never Again' play Bond, after filming Diamonds Are Forever. With an almost identical plot to Thunderball, SPECTRE steal two nuclear warheads and try to extort NATO. Bond must eliminate SPECTRE before they make good on their threats.
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