Casino Royale 1954 Full Movie

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Mission
The very first screen appearance of James Bond 007, made in 1954 for US TV channel CBS. Bond's task is to destroy the evil Le Chiffre, and his plan is to force him to lose a large sum of money at the gambling tables of Casino Royale.

Author: OTG Software, Inc.NZZZY2ZZZIUZPN3ZZZYZZSZPRZ7ZZ5ZCJ2HDZ Created Date: 1/18/2006 11:46:38 AM. A short time after the “Climax” episode aired, Fleming sold full “Royale” rights for $6000 (buying a car with the spoils), and it reached the big screen in 1967 as a goofy, spoofy movie with little relation to the novel. The 1954 “Royale” was included as an extra on the 2002 DVD release of the 1967 version. Overview of Casino Royale, 1954, directed by William H. Brown, with Peter Lorre, Linda Christian, Barry Nelson, at Turner Classic Movies. CASINO ROYALE first found life as a one-hour TV show for CBS's 'Climax' in 1954, starring Barry Nelson. The film rights were sold in 1955 and eventually acquired by ex-agent Charles Feldman. Sean was the first actor to play bond in a 'theatrical' movie. But in 1954, 8 years before Dr. No hit the screens, 007 was introduced for the first time on Television broadcast. The movie was called Casino Royale, based on the first novel by Ian Fleming.

Release Data
US Premiere: October 21, 1954 (CBS)
Part of the 'Climax!' TV Series (1954-1958)
Running Time: 60 minutes

Best Line
US Leiter: 'Are you the fellow that was shot?'
Bond: 'No, I'm the fellow that was missed'

Cast
James BondBarry Nelson
Valerie MathisLinda Christian
Le ChiffrePeter Lorre
Clarence LeiterMichael Pate
BasilGene Roth
ZoltoKurt Katch
Chef de partieEugene Borden
CroupierJean De Val
Crew
DirectorWilliam H. Brown Jr
HostWilliam Lundigan
WritersIan Fleming
Charles Bennett
Anthony Ellis
ProducerBretaigne Windhurst
Associate ProducerElliott Lewis
Art DirectorsRobert Tyler Lee
James DeVal
MusicJerry Goldsmith

Above: Linda Christian as Valerie Mathis

History
Contrary to popular belief, the honour of being the first actor to play James Bond fell not on Sean Connery, but on American Barry Nelson, who starred in this live 1 hour production of Ian Fleming's Casino Royale. The performance on 21st October 1954 (8.30pm EST) was the first in CBS's 'Climax' series of dramas.

CBS brought the rights for Fleming's first book for $1000. Since then the rights have gone via Charles Feldman's spoof of 1967 to Eon Productions, who picked them up in early 2000. The film, which is black and white, was actually lost until 1981, and even then all of the various VHS incarnations (except the Special Edition from Spy Guise Video) lack the climax of the film, stopping with Le Chiffre apparently dying, but having just got the razorblade from his hat.

Plot
The film is quite loyal to Fleming's version, with a few changes of nationality and sides. It starts with Bond being shot at but ducking behind a pillar outside the casino. Leiter (who is English and whose first name is Clarence) approaches 'Card Sense Jimmy Bond' as he is nicknamed, and is met by the first Bond one-liner (see 'Best Line').

Over supper Bond explains Baccarat to Leiter and the audience, and Leiter explains the CIA's Bond (not 007) his mission: Le Chiffre, the Soviet spymaster in France, is in financial difficulty, but intends to save his life and Communist funds by winning it back at the casino. Bond's job is to clean him out.

Matters are complicated when Bond's former lover, Valerie Mathis turns out to be a communist agent with Le Chiffre. They meet in Bond's room, and knowing about Le Chiffre's bug they turn up the music and kiss, before acting their parts for the villain.

The next night at the casino the game takes place. Bond is told if he wins, Valerie will die. Bond is beaten by Le Chiffre, but then gets an extra donation, with which he cleans out the 'toad'-like villain. Valerie disappears, and Bond returns to his room after dealing with a henchmen using a gun disguised as a cane. He hides the cheque just before Valerie comes (she is in fact a French agent, who supplied the extra donation), but Le Chiffre and his men capture them. Bond is tied to a bath and tortured by having his toenails removed with pliers (rather than Fleming's version using a seatless cane chair and carpet beater).

Valerie gives away the location of the cheque, but helps Bond reach the razorblade in Le Chiffre's cigarette case, which he had left on the bath. Bond escapes, and overcomes a henchmen. Le Chiffre enters the bathroom with a gun, and he and Bond shoot each other. Le Chiffre is more seriously hurt, but reaches another razorblade, hidden in his hat. Bond says 'call the police' just as Le Chiffre lunges. Bond fans with bad videos will now be infuriated as they miss the climax. Bond dodges the razor blade and finally overcomes Le Chiffre.

Above: The final scene which is missing in all VHS releases except the 1997 Special Edition by Spy Guise Video.

Review
Peter Lorre is superb as the villain Le Chiffre. His toad-like looks and menacing acting make him a great villain. Michael Pate is annoying but acceptable as Englishman Leiter, and Linda Christian is competent enough as Valerie Mathis, although her looks are taken away from by the black and white.

But what about the first James Bond? Barry Nelson is just about okay. He is handsome and about the right age, and unlike Roger Moore he has at least read the books, although his Americanisation of Bond takes away slightly from Fleming's cold character. Nelson was born in San Francisco, California on 16th April 1920, and was a regular actor in mid-sized roles on Broadway in the '40s. Since Casino Royale he has appeared in 'Airport' (1970) and 'The Shining' (1980). So how did he do? Certainly he is credible as Bond, although he lacks flair. He delivers the one-liners sharply, and his interpretation of the role is not too bad, although being an American he will always look out of place. Nelson's Bond is hard and cold, as 007 should be. He struggles at the fight scenes (hardly surprising considering the production was filmed live) but he does a reasonable job, with a similar quality of acting to Lazenby.

The picture itself, directed by William H Brown Jr. and written by Antony Ellis and Charles Bennet, with music by Jerry Goldsmith is reasonably filmed, and remains tense throughout (an effect slightly spoiled by the needless use of Act intros). Obviously the usual special effects are lacking, but overall this is a credible performance of Fleming's book, with good production values and passable performances.

Availability
Spy Guise Video now made this amazing and historic program available back in 1997 - complete with the restored ending missing from previous video versions. The added ending restores the final confrontation between Bond and Le Chiffre in which Bond comes out victorious. There is a traditional Bond ending 'with a kiss' and then the credits appear.

This deluxe collector's edition also featured many extras: an exclusive overview of the life of Ian Fleming and the 'Casino Royale' legacy hosted by Lee Pfeiffer, co-author of the best-selling book 'The Essential Bond: An Authorized Celebration of 007'.

Additionally, this version contained rare promotional advertisements, photographs, and information about James Bond clubs, magazines and officially licensed collectibles.

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Casino Royale 1954
the Columbia Broadcasting System or CBSTelevision purchased Casino Royale for a one time live presentation ontheir new anthology program Climax Mystery Theater. They paid Fleming$1000.00.


A publicity shot of Barry Nelson for “My Favorite Husband”
– the TV series he toplined the year before playing Bond.

Watch the Casino Royale trailer from 1954

(EpisodeCredited cast)

Barry Nelson...James Bond/Jimmy Bond
Eugene Borden...Chef DePartre/Chef De Partie
Linda Christian...Valerie Mathis
Jean Del Val...Croupier (as Jean DeVal)
Kurt Katch...Zoltan

Peter Lorre...Le Chiffre/Herr Ziffer
William Lundigan...Host
Michael Pate...Clarence Leiter
Gene Roth...Basil
publicity shot of Barry Nelson for “My Favorite Husband”
– the TV series he toplined the year before playing Bond.

Nelson’s Bond is not the secret agent we’ve subsequently come to know; he’s an American that works for “Combined Intelligence” and orders Scotch-and-waters (there are no martinis to be found). Naturally, the brutal passages of Fleming’s novel are watered down for 1950s television, and so genital torture becomes toe torture.

The episode became a forgotten piece of the Bond saga until years later, when a man named Jim Schoenberger bought a 16mm kinescope (the process of filming a television monitor to preserve a live show for posterity) of the program – reportedly at a flea market sometime in the 1970s.

According to Bond authority and Cinema Retro magazine publisher Lee Pfeiffer, Schoenberger bought the 1954 “Casino Royale” as an unmarked 16mm canister at the flea market, at first not knowing what he had. Bond book author Steve Rubin understands it slightly differently.

“The canister was labeled as the 1967 ‘Casino Royale,’” says Rubin. “But he looked at the print and saw it was black and white.” In any case, Schoenberger bought the “Royale” kinescope, and the episode was soon to get its first showing in decades.

Around the time Rubin’s book “The James Bond films: A Behind the Scenes History” was published in 1981, the author organized the James Bond Weekend at the Playboy Club in Century City. He decided to screen the 1954 “Casino Royale” and invite Barry Nelson.

“He was a little surprised,” Rubin says about the star’s reaction to the invite. Although Nelson wasn’t actively associated with the Bond legacy at the time, neither had he fallen into total obscurity; the actor had recently completed the hotel-manager role for Stanley Kubrick’sThe Shining.” (Nelson is the fella who hires Nicholson.)

The “Climax” episode became available as a public-domain video dupe, and Pfeiffer says the 16mm kinescope was donated to the Museum of Television and Radio. But in 1998, Pfeiffer finally gave the ‘54 “Royale” the royal treatment, with a handsomely packaged Collector’s Edition, introduced by Pfeiffer himself.

“There were two versions floating around out there,” says Pfeiffer, “And I realized I had the one with the complete ending.” So he released the Collector’s Edition through his company Spy Guise Entertainment. “I was able to do it pretty cheaply. We shot the intro in my basement.”

A short time after the “Climax” episode aired, Fleming sold full “Royale” rights for $6000 (buying a car with the spoils), and it reached the big screen in 1967 as a goofy, spoofy movie with little relation to the novel. The 1954 “Royale” was included as an extra on the 2002 DVD release of the 1967 version. (And Rubin is now working with Fox to create the extras package for another DVD edition of “Royale” ‘67.) The official Bond film series – as produced by Eon Productions – acquired the rights to Fleming’s inaugural Bond novel in the late 1990s. Now it’s been made by Eon as the 21st official Bond film, with Daniel Craig in the tuxedo and a newly created adventure preceding the casino action.

So in some ways, the original “Casino Royale” adaptation is still the most faithful (and it’s the only to include the memorable cane-gun scene). As for “Jimmy” Bond, the still-living Barry Nelson gets the occasional fan letter but considers his Bond connection to be “more of a trivia question,” according to Pfeiffer. The current issue of Cinema Retro features an interview with the actor.

Linda Christian, Actress: The Devil's Hand. Born Blanca Rosa Welter, her father was an executive ...Valerie Mathis. – Casino Royale (1954) … Valerie Mathis...

Born Blanca Rosa Welter, her father was an executive with an important oil company and the future Linda Christian followed him from country to country: South Africa, Romania, Germany, France, Switzerland, England, Palestine. This was beneficial in that the little girl - a very good pupil at school - was eventually able to speak seven different foreign languages...

Linda Christian, a 1940s Hollywood actress nicknamed 'anatomic bomb' by Life magazine for her stunning looks and famous for her marriage to actor Tyrone Power, has died aged 87, her daughter said here Saturday.

Romina Power told journalists in Rome that her mother, who had been suffering from colon cancer, died in Palm Springs on Friday.

Born in 1923 in Mexico, Christian — whose real name was Blanca Rosa Henrietta Stella Welter Vorhauer — was known for playing Mara in the last Tarzan film starring Johnny Weissmuller in 1948.

She was also the first James Bond girl in the 1954 television adaption of 'Casino Royale'.

But she was perhaps most famous for her seven-year marriage to 20th Century Fox star Tyrone Power, with whom she had two children.

Thousands of people flocked to Rome to celebrate their wedding in 1949 in the Santa Francesca Romana church, a stone's throw from the Colosseum. The newlyweds were later received by Pope Pius XII.

Linda Christian föddes den 13 November 1924 i Tampico, Mexico. Hon hette egentligen Blanca Rosa Welter och hennes far var född i Holland och hennes mor var av tysk-fransk-spansk härkomst. Hon upptäcktes av Errol Flynn.


Linda Christian,
torontosun.com/2011/07/24/first-bond-girl-dies
Linda Christian Berry Nelson
Valerie Mathis
James Bond/Jimmy Bond
Barry Nelson taken one year before he would play James Bond.

Barry Nelson died 13th April 2007

Casino Royal 1954 trailer
Barry Nelson (1917-2007)
Casino Royale 1954 Full Movie
Director: Watch the Casino Royale trailer from 1954
William H. Brown Jr.
Writers:
Charles Bennett (adaptation)
Anthony Ellis (adaptation)
more
Original Air Date:
21 October 1954 (Season 1, Episode 3)
Plot Outline:
American spy James Bond must outsmart card wiz and crime boss LeChiffre while monitoring his actions. more
Plot Synopsis:
This plot synopsis is empty. Add a synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Gambling House / Gambler / Counter Intelligence / Kidnapping / Hiddenmore
User Comments:
Jim Bond, old-time American-style more
Runtime:
48 min / USA:58 min / USA:50 min / USA:60 min
Language:
English
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
USA:Not Rated(video) / USA:Not Rated(VHS) / USA:Unrated(DVD) / UK:U(VHS) / Australia:PG(video rating)
Filming Locations:
CBS Television City - 7800 Beverly Blvd., Fairfax, Los Angeles, California, USAmore
Trivia:
The only James Bond movie which is scoreless and without a soundtrack. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: A prop gun went off accidentally right at the beginning of the show. Four shots are heard but only three gunshot markings are seen on the casino building. more
Quotes:
James Bond: [James Bond in bathtub. Zuroff is tying rope on him. Le Chiffre, Valerie, Basil enter bathroom]
Le Chiffre: All right Mr Bond where's that money? Look Mr Bond, as you should know by now I... I'm quite without mercy and if you continue to be that obstinate, I... I'll have to torture - - - you'll be tortured to the edge of madness. Believe me. You have no hope whatsoever. You hear. None
[Turns to face Valerie]
Le Chiffre: Nor has she.

Bond Reaches Climax

In 1954, the Columbia Broadcasting System or CBSTelevision purchased Casino Royale for a one time live presentation ontheir new anthology program Climax Mystery Theater. They paid Fleming$1000.00.

Barry Nelson as Jimmy 'Card-Sense' Bond andPeter Lorre as Le Chiffre.

The $25,000 live production aired on Thursdaynight October 21, 1954 at 8:30 EST. It starred Barry Nelson as American CombinedIntelligence Agent ‘Card Sense’ Jimmy Bond. Veteran actor Peter Lorre ishonored by being the first Bond villain, Le Chiffre, and Linda Christian playedthe first Bond girl Valerie Mathis. Although the production was basically astage play, many of Fleming’s elements from the novel remained. The classiccard game against Le Chiffre is obviously there, however it is refreshing to seethe scene where Basil, one of Le Chiffre’s henchmen, holding up his walkingcane revolver against Bond’s spine only to have Bond foil the henchman’smurderous plans by falling backwards on top of the cane. A definite highlightfrom the novel.

Casino Royale 1954 full movie, online

Bond faces danger with LeChiffre's henchman who has a concealed gun inside his walking cane.
Linda Christian plays Valerie Mathis enjoys an intimate moment with Bond.

Just before airtime, the producers realized thesixty-minute production was over by three minutes.

'So they went through and cut three wordshere, a line there, a half-a-word here, and their script ended up looking like abad case of tic-tac-toe.' recalled Barry Nelson in a Starlog interview from1983. I tell you it was so frightening that when I entered (the scene) my onlythought was, ‘Oh, God, if I can only get out of this mother!’' 'Iwas very dissatisfied with the part, I thought they wrote it poorly. No charm orcharacter or anything.'

Peter Lorre agreed and saw Nelson so nervous withall the changes to the script that he commented, 'Straighten up, Barry, soI can kill you!'

For decades afterwards, Bond fans had wonderedwhy Barry Nelson was chosen for the role. However, hismain reason for accepting the part was simply to work with Peter Lorre. Nelson was a great admirer of Lorre's work and felt he might never get anotheropportunity to work with him again.

The live performance was considered lost on thepretense that it was not filmed on a 16mm kinescope telecine. However, in1981 a Chicago airline executive named Jim Schoenberger discovered, whilesifting through old film canisters of presumably the 1967 version of CasinoRoyale, the black and white film strip. Quickly he ran the filmthrough a projector and found a pristine copy of the 1954 production. Thefilm had its first public performance at the James Bond Weekend in July 1981. Barry Nelson was also in attendance.

VHS and DVD copies are available including oneVHS version from Spyguise that hasan additional 60 seconds where Le Chiffre is shot not once, but twice beforesuccumbing to an eternal sleep.

As if the future of the TV production of CasinoRoyale’s fate was foreshadowed in the first few seconds of the liveproduction, when a prop gun misfired, so would the novel for the next fiftyyears misfire on the theater screen.

From A Russian, With Love?

In 1955, flamboyant Russian actor and directorGregory Ratoff was in Cairo, Egypt. According to the story by screenwriterLorenzo Semple, Jr. (he would also pen the 1960's Batman TV series andthe screenplay to Never Say Never Again) , 'Gregory had been actingin a film titled The Royal Bed, which was about King Farouk. It was a bigrip-off. Everyone was trying to rob as much money as possible from the Italianbackers, who weren’t allowed into the country. Gregory stole 10,000 pounds in cash,and needed a way to get it out of Egypt. He got down on his knees at theCairo airport and prayed: ‘As God is my witness, if I get through with thiscash, I’m going to buy a TIME magazine when we land in Athens, and use themoney to purchase film rights to the first book I read a review of’.'

The book turned out to be Casino Royale.

Ratoff borrowed money from then- head of 20thCenturyFox, Darryl Zanuck and long time friend and producer Charles K. Feldman and paidFleming $6000.00 for the film rights. During the next five years, Ratoff triedto bring James Bond to the silver screen - unsuccessfully.

Bond

'I was a bright young guy fresh out ofcollege.' said Semple, 'Gregory hired me to write the screenplay. Iworked without pay, but it was a great deal of fun. We traveled around the worldwhile he gambled in casinos, supposedly doing research. He was too old-fashionedto work, so I would sit at the typewriter for four or five hours a day inwhatever hotel we were staying in, and just turn out pages and pages of scenes.I probably wrote several scripts during a year of traveling throughout Europe.Gregory thought the story was too silly. He said: ‘Nobody believe this JamesBond, so we make him into woman. Then, we make great movie.’ The idea was towrite it as a vehicle for actress Susan Hayward.'

Flamboyant actor and director Gregory Ratoffenvisioned actress Susan Hayward as secret agent Jane Bond.

On December 14, 1960, Gregory Ratoff died fromleukemia and his widow was left holding the proverbial empty bank account. Shewas forced to sell any film properties her late husband owned to get out of debt.Feldman was one of the creditors to the Ratoff estate. The former lawyer turnedtalent scout and producer was handed the film rights to Casino Royale.

A Cry to Battle

Feldman was one of Hollywood’s most intelligentand cultivated talent agents. Handsome, tanned and sophisticated, He was thefull definition of success. His yearly salary in 1933 (at the height of theGreat Depression) was approximately $500,000 before taxes. His company, FamousArtists, specialized in bringing new and aspiring talent to the studio system.His 300 client list included John Wayne, Richard Burton, Greta Garbo, TyronePower, William Holden, George Raft, Lana Turner and Marilyn Monroe.

Born April 26, 1905 in New York City. One of sixchildren whose family name was Gould. Left as an orphan, he was adopted by theSamuel Feldman family of Bayonne, New Jersey. The family moved to California afew years later. By college, Feldman took up law at the University of Californiaat Los Angeles. His first contact with the movie industry occurred during schoolvacations when he worked at the studios. One of his earliest jobs was as anassistant cameraman for director John (The Searchers) Ford.

Feldman started his own law practice in Hollywoodand specialized in the contractual aspects of the film industry. He came up withthe idea of creating jobs for his clients instead of fighting for the fewavailable ones. This was the origin of what became known as the ‘package deal’.For example, after buying a story idea for as little as $2,500, he found anunemployed writer, actor, director and producer. He once said, 'I didn’tgo into competition with the studios. I just bought what they didn’t want orhad passed up. I would wrap a story up, then stick an important name on thelabel, usually the name of a star or top director. The rest was easy. Noproducer in his right mind would turn down a deal like that.'

During his years as a producer, Feldman wouldbring to the screen films that Hollywood was afraid to touch. Films suchas A Streetcar Named Desire, The Glass Menagerie, The SevenYear Itch, and What's New, Pussycat?

After listening to an inspiring speech in 1942 bythen U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace, Feldman had a brainstorm of an idea. He conceived an episodic film that would highlight war fronts during WWII. Thesix hour film was to be titled 'Battle Cry' and enlisted anarmy of writers including Ben Hecht and Pearl Buck. He even tried to convincethe studio heads to make this film on a non-commercial charity basis. Manyfamous actors and actresses agreed to volunteer their time for this epicproduction and were promised that they would only work 12 days. A list of famousactors included Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Gary Cooper, Bette Davis, IdaLupino, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Boyer, Claudette Colbert, Leslie Howard,Ingrid Bergman, Irene Dunne, Randolph Scott, Merle Oberon, Jean Arthur, MargaretSullivan, John Garfield, Ann Sheridan, and George Raft were all at one timecommitted. Film directors Lewis Milestone, Alexander Korda, and Howard Hawksamong others were being touted to direct their own segments. Only one scene wasfilmed and that was of a burning wheat field in upper state California beforeJack Warner sent word to shut down production because of escalating cost.

Casino Royale 1954 Full Movie Putlocker

Feldman’s epic idea may have gone up in smokebut it would eventually find its way into Casino Royale 25 years later.

Feldman had many dalliances, according to sources,with some of Hollywood’s most glamorous ladies. He often gave lavish gifts tohis clients and kept close ties to studio moguls such as David O. Selznick, JackWarner, and Darryl Zanuck. Only one studio head refused to do business withFeldman - MGM’s Louis B. Mayer.

In 1933, Feldman met actress Jean Howard at aparty in Beverly Hills. According to Ms. Howard, it was ‘love at first sight.’Unfortunately, she was also the girlfriend to Mayer and would cause such a stirthat Mayer would forbid any business transactions with Feldman and FamousArtists.

Charles K. Feldman, Jean Howard, and LouisB. Mayer. The love triangle that eventually affected Cubby Broccoli's workrelationship with MGM Studios.

It was during this time that one of Feldman’sassociates, and aspiring producer, was escorting several new talented actorsonto the MGM lot. This young associate was 24 year old Albert Romolo (Cubby)Broccoli and he was about to learn one of Hollywood’s biggest lessons.

Casino Royale 1954 Movie

According to Broccoli’s autobiography Whenthe Snow Melts, he was there to meet with producer Pandro Berman. Thereceptionist allowed the actors to enter Berman’s office, but not Cubby. Hewas barred from the studio lot. Feeling dejected and confused, he returned toFamous Artists and explained the situation to Feldman, who remained silent.Eventually Cubby discovered the truth about his boss and Mayer, and would workon and off with Famous Artists thru the 30s, 40s and early 1950s.

James Bond Casino Royale Full Movie

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