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Spoilers (2)
The first ever witty Bond one-liner in a James Bond movie occurs at the beginning of this tele-movie when James Bond's ally Clarence Leiter asks, "Aren't you the fellow who was shot?" and James Bond replies, "No, I'm the fellow who was missed."
This version appears on one of American DVD releases of Casino Royale (1967).
The "Casino Royale" tele-movie was lost for decades until it resurfaced in 1981 when film collector and airlines executive Jim Shoenberger discovered a 16mm kinescope print of it amongst some old cans of film. The copies were labeled "Casino Royale" and he thought they were the Casino Royale (1967) James Bond parody. When he realized they were black-and-white prints, he played the reels out of curiosity as the 1967 spoof was a color movie. The 1954 telemovie was thence rediscovered and it was screened in a theater, shown on TBS and released on videocassette. It is now available on DVD.
This is the only James Bond movie to have these attributes: made during the 1950s, scoreless and without a soundtrack, made for television, filmed in black and white, portraying the Bond character as American, does not feature any cars or vehicles, and there is no consummated affair.
Ian Fleming started writing the first ever James Bond novel "Casino Royale" on his Imperial typewriter at "Goldeneye", Jamaica on Tuesday 15th January 1952 and completed it on Tuesday 18th March 1952. As this tele-movie was made in 1954, it was the closest ever window between the writing of a James Bond novel and its filming.
In this tele-movie, Zoltan's gun passed for a cane. James Bond eventually gives Clarence Leiter the cane-gun as a present for Scotland yard's Black Museum. This type of gadget weapon was actually the first ever gadget seen in a James Bond movie. This type of gadget weapon would be repeated in The World Is Not Enough (1999). In this later movie, Zukovsky's (Robbie Coltrane) walking stick also doubled as a gun.
Le Chiffre is a French word which translates into English as "The Cypher" or "The Number". Other translations in different languages include "Die Nummer", "Herr Ziffer", and "Mr. Number." The first reference to Le Chiffre is by Leiter, when Leiter refers to him first as Herr Ziffer, when he tells Bond "You know you're here to deal with Herr Ziffer....Le Chiffre, he's the same fellow."
Apart from the title being mentioned by host William Lundigan during the intro, the words/title "Casino Royale" are never mentioned during the narrative of this tele-movie.
Ian Fleming is said to have based the character of the villain Le Chiffre in the novel "Casino Royale" on English occultist Aleister Crowley.
Barry Nelson is the first actor, and only American, to play James Bond in an authorized production, although American Richard Conte was the drawing model for the British paperback cover of "Casino Royale" 1955 reprint. Linda Christian played the first ever Bond Girl, Valerie Mathis (combining two book characters, Vesper Lynd and Rene Mathis). Peter Lorre played Le Chiffre, the first ever Bond villain in film.
Three years after this telemovie was broadcast by CBS, this company offered Ian Fleming a James Bond television series. The deal has been reported to have included either thirteen or thirty two episodes which were to have run over two years. Fleming had written between three to seven outlines for the series when CBS axed the project. Bond did not return to film until Dr. No (1962). The unused television scripts were turned into short stories and published in the James Bond books "Octopussy" and "The Living Daylights" with little of the original plots in the movies that used those names.
Michael Pate played the first ever Bond ally and screen incarnation of Felix Leiter but named Clarence Leiter instead.
When CBS rang Barry Nelson about the James Bond role, the future first ever James Bond to be was actually in Jamaica when he got the call. Jamaica was the home of James Bond creator Ian Fleming who wrote all the James Bond novels at his 'Goldeneye' resort in Jamaica.
In an interview with Starlog Magazine in October 1983, Barry Nelson said: "So they went through and cut three words here, a line there, a half-a-word here, and their script ended up looking like a bad case of tic-tac-toe. I tell you it was so frightening that when I entered my only thought was, 'Oh, God, if I can only get out of this mother!'. I was very dissatisfied with the part, I thought they wrote it poorly. No charm or character or anything." Peter Lorre played arch-villain Le Chiffre and acted opposite a worried Nelson. Due to the last minute script-changes, apparently Lorre said to the panic-stricken Nelson, "Straighten up, Barry, so I can kill you!".
Barry Nelson has said that his main impetus for taking the role was the opportunity to work with legendary actor Peter Lorre. Nelson had been a fan of the actor's great body of work and believed that if he didn't take this opportunity to work with him here it may not present itself again.
The first public screening of the tele-movie in a theater was held in July 1981 not long after it was re-discovered by Jim Shoenberger. It played at a Los Angeles James Bond Weekend where the telemovie's James Bond star Barry Nelson was in attendance. A luncheon and trivia marathon were also held in conjunction with the film event.
According to the book "Martinis, Girls and Guns: 50 Years of 007" by Martin Sterling and Gary Morecambe, the failure of this tele-movie to garner any big success following its initial broadcast caused utter disappointment for creator Ian Fleming. James Bond had been much touted with cinematic potential, but the lack of success of this tele-film was merely a temporary interruption for the success that would follow in the next decade during the 1960s and after.
Le Chiffre's three henchmen were called Basil, Zoltan and Zuroff. Due to missing and/or incomplete credits on most available prints and copies, it is not commonly known who played the third henchman, Zuroff, in this tele-film.
An original newspaper ad for the show had top billing for the villain over James Bond. It also mentioned a number of makes of the show's sponsor Chrysler. It stated: PETER LORRE - LINDA CHRISTIAN - BARRY NELSON in "Casino Royale" - Presented by CHRYSLER CORPORATION - Plymouth - Dodge - DeSoto - Chrysler - Imperial.
Just before the show went to air, the producers discovered that the live performance would run three minutes over its allotted running time. In haste, lines, part-lines and words were cut to bring the running time down.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight (1981) during 1987, Barry Nelson said he had been working on a CBS TV series called My Favorite Husband (1953) when he received a rushed telephone call from CBS who were in a bit of trouble casting the show. Nelson said that he had not read the original "Casino Royale" novel at the time and the James Bond phenomenon was not a big thing in those days. He added that he modestly did the best he could and only considered himself to be a Double-O One and a Half.
The code number 007 is never mentioned during this tele-film nor does James Bond ever say "Bond, James Bond", although the line "Bond. James Bond" is spoken in the original novel.
Ian Fleming received three offers for the film rights to his "Casino Royale" novel during 1954. Producer and Director Gregory Ratoff bought the rights to the novel in May 1954 for $600. It was a six month option and Ratoff took this to CBS whom produced and broadcast this one hour episode for Climax! (1954)[See: Climax!: Casino Royale (1954)]. CBS purchased the rights to the Ian Fleming novel for $1000. John Shepridge negotiated the sale of the film and television rights in 1954. Before the sale, the "Casino Royale" novel had not been successful, and was even retitled and Americanized for its paperback issue. Fleming also needed money. Twelve months later, and after the TV screening, Ratoff bought "Casino Royale" outright in perpetuity for an additional $6000. Both sales including the option and the buy-out are considered to have been sold too cheaply and were two sales that Ian Fleming later regretted. With the money from the larger sale, Ian Fleming bought a Thunderbird car at the cost of £3000. Gregory Ratoff passed away on 14 December 1960. His widow in 1961 sold the rights to Charles K. Feldman for $75,000. Feldman would go on to make the James Bond parody, Casino Royale (1967) and it would not be made as an EON Productions film until Casino Royale (2006).
According to the book "Spy Television", Michael Garrison once owned the rights to "Casino Royale".
Producer and Director Gregory Ratoff bought the rights to the Ian Fleming novel "Casino Royale" in May 1954. It was a six month option and Ratoff took this to CBS whom produced and broadcast this one hour episode for Climax! (1954). Before the sale, the "Casino Royale" novel had not been successful, and was even retitled and Americanized for its paperback issue. Fleming also needed money. Twelve months later, and after the TV screening, Ratoff bought "Casino Royale" outright in perpetuity for an additional $6000. Both sales including the option and the buy-out are considered to have been sold too cheaply and were two sales that Ian Fleming later regretted. With the money from the larger sale, Ian Fleming bought a Thunderbird car at the cost of £ 3000. Gregory Ratoff passed away on 14 December 1960. His widow in 1961 sold the rights to Charles K. Feldman for $75,000. Feldman would go on to make the James Bond parody, 'Casino Royale (1967).
For reasons unknown, the name of the character of Felix Leiter in the novel "Casino Royale" was changed to Clarence Leiter for this telemovie. The character is English in this film whereas in all the other James Bond novels and movies Felix Leiter is an American. Clarence is identified as an 'English name' whereas Felix is less-telling of a person's (or character's) potential nationality.
CBS purchased the rights to the Ian Fleming novel for $1000. John Shepridge negotiated the sale of the film and television rights in 1954.
The first drink James Bond ever had in a James Bond movie was not a martini shaken, not stirred. It was a scotch and water in this tele-movie. It was ordered at the Monte Carlo Casino whilst colleague Clarence Leiter had a scotch and soda.
There are three acts to the "Casino Royale" tele-movie: Act 1 includes the Opening and the Baccarat sequences; Act 2 the Hotel Room sequences; and Act 3 is the Ending.
Taglines for this telemovie on posters or when released on DVD / video have included "The Lost TV Classic"; "The Original 007 Screen Adventure"; "See the First 'Bond' Movie!"; "It all began here..."; "The Lost Bond...Found!" and "On October 21, 1954, Climax! (1954) Mystery Theater presents the first screen James Bond adventure".
This was the only television incarnation of James Bond for 37 years until James Bond Jr. (1991), which incidentally is actually James Bond's nephew. There has never been another actual dramatic James Bond film made-for-television (not including documentaries), though attempts have been made by at least one studio to make it a TV series. Any attempts have always been quashed by EON Production's infamous legal wranglings.
This was made before Harry Saltzman (and later partnered with Albert R. Broccoli forming EON Productions) had purchased the James Bond rights.
When MGM finally obtained the rights to Casino Royale (1967) in 2000, it included the rights to this telemovie.
The year after this American James Bond telemovie was broadcast, the paperback edition of the Ian Fleming "Casino Royale" novel was re-titled as "Too Hot Too Handle" in the USA. Previously, Fleming had also suggested the titles "The Double-O Agent" and "The Deadly Gamble". In 1960, the title of the novel reverted back to "Casino Royale" in the USA. The "Casino Royale" novel was the first Ian Fleming James Bond novel to have ever been "Americanized" by him, i.e. British idioms changed to American idioms.
Ian Fleming once said on writing the "Casino Royale" novel: "Writing about 2,000 words in three hours every morning, 'Casino Royale' dutifully produced itself. I wrote nothing and made no corrections until the book was finished. If I had looked back at what I had written the day before, I might have despaired."
This episode was the first time that composer/conductor Jerry Goldsmith was ever credited as and performed as "conductor." Previously, he had only been credited as "composer of theme music" on one previous television series.
In the books and movies James Bond is a British agent working for MI6, whose ally and American counterpart is CIA agent Felix Leiter. In this production, the nationalities are reversed - Bond is American and Leiter (renamed Clarence Leiter) is a British secret agent.
The "Casino Royale" (1953) James Bond novel is one of only two Ian Fleming novels to be adapted for film more than once using the title, with it also being re-made as Casino Royale (1967) and Casino Royale (2006). The other is Thunderball (1965) and its remake Never Say Never Again (1983). Story elements from Fleming's "Moonraker" (1955) novel were used for Die Another Day (2002), and similarly, parts of Fleming's Bond novel "Live And Let Die" (1954) were used for both Licence to Kill (1989) and For Your Eyes Only (1981), and of course the more fully filmed adaptation itself, Live and Let Die (1973).
First on-screen appearance of James Bond. The popular James Bond is also known as "Jimmy" Bond or 'Card Sense' Jimmy Bond or 'Card Sharp' Jimmy Bond, as well as James Bond. [In point of fact, Bond is a "Card Shark", not a "Card Sharp"; a Sharp cheats to make money, while a Shark deliberately plays against weaker players in order to make money]. According to the telefilm, he got the nickname "Card Sense Jimmy Bond" whilst playing the Maharajah in Deauville.
The first lines that were ever heard in a James Bond movie were when James Bond arrives at the Casino Royale in Monte Carlo in this tele-movie. After being shot at three or four times, the porter said: "Are you hurt?" whilst James Bond replied: "No. Still in one piece, but I wouldn't know how."
This is the one and only time that any filmed (television or movie) James Bond story is demarcated into acts with on screen titles, when this production is divided with on screen title announcements of Casino Royale Act I, Casino Royale Act II, and Casino Royale Act III. Act I is approximately 24 minutes including the pre-act introduction by William Lundigan, Act II is approximately 15 minutes, and Act III is approximately 10 minutes. The closing credits take up the remaining time of less than 1 minute.
Spoilers
In the original Ian Fleming novel, in a famous scene, Le Chiffre tortures Bond on the testicles with a carpet beater whilst sitting in a bottomless cane chair. In this tele-movie, Le Chiffre tortures James Bond on the feet, toes and toenails with pliers in a bathtub
The American SpyGuise video release runs for an extra one minute more than the other versions. It shows Le Chiffre (Peter Lorre) actually being shot twice.
