The third episode of the 1950s CBS anthology series “Climax!” was almost lost to time — and with it, the first ever onscreen appearance of James Bond.
Eight years before the release of “Dr. No,” CBS approached author Ian Fleming about adapting his recent spy novel for its new anthology show “Climax!” The result was the 1954 special “Casino Royale,” an hour-long adaptation of James Bond’s first adventure that introduced the now-iconic agent to the screen. Starring Barry Nelson as the first onscreen Bond, the “Climax!” take on “Casino Royale” also saw Peter Lorre portray the Bond villain Le Chiffre, an equally historic performance from the Hungarian-born actor.
The original “Casino Royale” telecast was lost after the show’s first airing on CBS, and it didn’t resurface until 1981, when film enthusiast Jim Schoenberger discovered what he initially believed to be the 1967 parody version of “Casino Royale” in a collection of reels inherited from his uncle. “Since I didn’t care for that movie anyway, I prepared to cut it and use it for leader,” Schoenberger told the Los Angeles Times in a 1981 interview (via Television Obscurities). “But what came on but William Lundigan (the host of ‘Climax!’) I was paralyzed by this. It was like coming across the Holy Grail.”
The first onscreen James Bond was American
Released years before James Bond became a pop culture icon, the CBS 1954 adaptation stripped its protagonist of many traits now considered essential to the character. For example, the “Climax!” special presented the classically British 007 as an American operative known as Jimmy Bond, a now-unthinkable change that was no doubt made with CBS’ U.S. audience in mind. (The episode would still offer a nod to its source material by giving Jimmy Bond a British partner named Clarence Leiter, likely based on Fleming’s American agent Felix Leiter.) An 1995 Los Angeles Times article covering past James Bond actors additionally described the 1954 Bond as “sexless and glum,” a far cry from the suave gentleman spy popularized by the late Sean Connery.
Despite its unglamorous American Bond and notable lack of car chases, the 1981 rediscovery of the CBS “Casino Royale” telecast gave it new relevance in the scope of the James Bond oeuvre. The episode was even included as a special feature on the rereleased DVD of the 1967 “Casino Royale” spoof, and contemporary film reviewers regard Peter Lorre’s portrayal of Le Chiffre — described by 3 Brothers Film as “deranged” — as an impressive foreshadowing of later, better-remembered Bond villains. Eventually, of course, EON Productions’ acquisition of the “Casino Royale” rights prompted the 2006 film reboot of the same name, reviving the story that, through “Climax!,” first brought James Bond to life on the screen.