"Climax!" Casino Royale (1954)

Director:

William H. Brown Jr.

Writers:

Charles Bennett (writer)
Anthony Ellis (writer)

TV Series:

"Climax!" (1954)

Original Air Date:

21 October 1954 (Season 1, Episode 3)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

American spy James Bond must outsmart card wiz and crime boss LeChiffre while monitoring his actions.

Plot Keywords:

Spy | Soviet | American | Monaco | Intelligence

Cast

Barry Nelson	...	James Bond
Peter Lorre	...	Le Chiffre
Linda Christian	...	Valerie Mathis
Michael Pate	...	Clarence Leiter
Eugene Borden	...	Chef de Partie
Jean Del Val	...	Croupier (as Jean DeVal)
Gene Roth	...	Basil
Kurt Katch	...	Zoltan
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
William Lundigan	...	Host

Runtime:

48 min | USA:58 min | USA:50 min | USA:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG (video rating) | USA:Not Rated (VHS) | USA:Unrated (DVD) | USA:Not Rated (video) | UK:U (VHS)

Filming Locations:

CBS Television City - 7800 Beverly Blvd., Fairfax, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

CBS Television Network

Trivia:

CBS purchased the rights to the Ian Fleming novel for $1000. John Shepridge negotiated the sale of the film and television rights in 1954.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: As Bond walks Valerie to the elevator, the shadow of the boom mic is visible at the top of the screen.

Quotes:

Le Chiffre: Oh, as you most certainly know, Mr. Bond, no secret agent can ever be quite sure when another agent isn't working for the other side. Although I... I always thought that mutual love means mutual trust.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Behind the Scenes with 'Thunderball' (1995) (V)

not typical Bond

This is not your typical James Bond movie as we know James Bond today. I purchased it on video cassette and started watching it and was surprised to find a black and white movie in which James Bond is a CIA Agent and his counter part Felix Leiter is a British Secret Service agent. As far as action goes in this movie, it is a 1950's style of fights and action, do not expect it to be what you are used to. For something filmed years ago and seen today it is not the best, but for something of its time period it is a good film. The casino sequences are the majority of the movie. There are very few scenes set or shot outside the casino in this film. The actors did a good job of portraying the characters and setting the tone for the action to come. If you are a true James Bond fan then this is a must see movie for you, if not then don't waste your time.