Casino Royale....1954!

jamesbondagent007 · January 2008

I don't know if any of you were aware, but the old '54 episode of Climax! with Barry Nelson and Peter Lorre is available in 7 parts on YouTube!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rnPOe4nNdus

Enjoy! I know I did. :007)

jamesbondagent007 · January 2008

For those of you who don't have the '67 film on DVD, that is...

cpoulos62 · January 2008

Nice find.

highhopes · January 2008

{[] Thanks for the tip -- I've never seen it

scaramanga1 · January 2008

Thanks for that link -I only have this on VHS video and the last few seconds of it are missing -so now at last I've seen the final bit properly. So cheers! {[]

7289 · January 2008

Taking everything into consideratibon, the 1954 version is really quite a good show!!

highhopes · January 2008

Well, now that I've seen it, all I can say is:

Barry Nelson -- the Best Bond Ever!

)

)

Just kidding ... But it was an interesting show.

John Drake · January 2008

That's the first time I've seen that as well. It was kind of odd seeing an American Bond and an English Leiter. Peter Lorre was as inimitable as ever and I liked the actress playing Valerie Mathis, (was it?).

7289 · January 2008

This episode is part of the '67 Casino Royale DVD, I watched it not too long ago and was impressed on how "Bondian" it was in spite of the odvious changes to shorten the story for the one hour TV format.

In part it serves to answer the question about an American as oo7. Of course since this was made before Connery and EON there were no preconceptions about how Bond should be played.

I did notice that Barry seemed to have a hair-do much like Danny Craig's. That can't be a mere coincidence!!!!

John Drake · January 2008

7289 wrote:

This episode is part of the '67 Casino Royale DVD,

Which edition of the CR 67 is this? I live in the UK and the only release I've seen is a vanilla disk, but i've been dying to get a hold of something with extra features. Is this Region 1 Us disk?

7289 · January 2008

The Disc I have with the 54 Episode is indeed a Region 1, "Casino Royale '67, put out by MGM. In addition to the "Made for TV movie" there is an interview with Director Val Guest.

My understanding is this disc is being "remastered" and was supposed to be re-released last year, but that has been delayed.

John Drake · January 2008

7289 wrote:

The Disc I have with the 54 Episode is indeed a Region 1, "Casino Royale '67, put out by MGM. In addition to the "Made for TV movie" there is an interview with Director Val Guest.

My understanding is this disc is being "remastered" and was supposed to be re-released last year, but that has been delayed.

{[] Thanks. I'm going to have to search E-bay for this one.

Johnny Danger · February 2008

My advice to anyone except hard-core collectors is to rent or borrow the DVD, or look for it in the "used" DVD/VHS stores. I bought the VHS version, because being a huge Bond fan, I just had to see it out of curiosity.

It's entertaining and suspensful, but basically just a curiosity, and a very low-budget one at that. The plot is still pretty much Fleming's, but it's not Fleming's Bond at all, and it's certainly not as good as any of the EON films.
"Card Sharp" Jimmy Bond is an American CIA agent, Clarence Leiter is with Station S of the British Secret Service, Vesper Lynd becomes Valerie Mathis. Peter Lorre is a reasonably good LeChiffre. I don't want to give away the ending, but LeChiffre tortures Bond (not with a ball-beater) and there are no SMERSH assasins to intervene and save our man Jimmy. There is very little "action" and it is more like watching a stage play.

Most Bondian moment:
Leiter: "Aren't you the fellow who was shot?"
Bond: "No, I'm the fellow who was missed!"
I could almost hear Connery uttering that line.

taity · February 2008

Johnny Danger wrote:

Most Bondian moment:
Leiter: "Aren't you the fellow who was shot?"
Bond: "No, I'm the fellow who was missed!"
I could almost hear Connery uttering that line.

I think I could picture any Bond (okay, maybe not Dalton) saying that. Amazing line.

I found it a comical oddity, much as I did the '67. Good to see it once, but I doubt I would watch it over and over if I had it.

I couldnt believe how much of a ******* Jimmy was to Valarie in his hotel room at the start. Rough speaking, no bull**** - something I could also picture Craig doing.

stumac7 · February 2008

Well it must be better than the 67 version!!

Barbel · February 2008

John Drake wrote:

It was kind of odd seeing an American Bond and an English Leiter. Peter Lorre was as inimitable as ever and I liked the actress playing Valerie Mathis, (was it?).

Yes, it was. The character is basically Vesper Lynd with elements of Rene Mathis' plot role incorporated; the final revelation of her duplicity is given some representation earlier in the storyline although this isn't presented with anything like the emphasis of either the book or the 06 film (or even the 67 film for that matter!) and is downplayed becoming merely some romantic/dramatic tension between her and James... er, Jimmy.

Johnny Danger · February 2008

stumac7 wrote:

Well it must be better than the 67 version!!

Yes, CR54 is probably much better, but they are so different, it's hard to compare. CR54 was only about an hour long, in B&W, but at least was fairly true to Fleming's plot. I could hardly sit through CR67. It seemed to go on forever, and was so surreal and nonsensible that I was starting to wonder if somebody had dosed my martini with acid.-{:s

Casino Royale....1954!

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