"My life depends on finding that check. So, by the way, does yours."
Written: Dec 12 '05 (Updated Mar 23 '06)
Product Rating:
Action Factor:
Special Effects:
Suspense:
Pros: Peter Lorre, chance to see first ever Bond and Bond film
Cons: Weak production values; American Bond (sacrilege); English Leiter (huh?); boring henchmen
The Bottom Line: There's no reason to see this film unless you're an avid Bond fan, in which case it's a worthwhile curiosity piece. Besides, it'll make you a real Bond trivia expert!
Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.
If you're like most movie lovers, you probably would answer the question "Who was the first actor to play James Bond" with "Sean Connery." Connery had the honor of being the first on the big screen, but Barry Nelson beat him to the role if you include this television program, Casino Royale, from 1954, not to be confused with either the 1967 Bond spoof of the same name or the up-coming Bond film scheduled for release in November, 2006, starring Daniel Craig and directed by Martin Campbell. Soon there will be three versions of Casino Royale, but the one reviewed here is the earliest.
Historical Background: It wasn't until the early sixties that the Bond novels by Ian Fleming really began to catch on, when the popular American president, John F. Kennedy, listed the first of them, Casino Royale (1952), on his top-ten reading list. Long before Harry Saltzman and Albert Broccoli got the idea to introduce 007 in the film Dr. No (1962), a television version of Casino Royale was made as part of the weekly hour-long television series called Climax that featured live adaptations of literary pieces. Barry Nelson played the part of James Bond and Peter Lorre the villain, Le Chiffre. Linda Christian played the first ever "Bond girl." The program was broadcast on October 21st, 1954. It was to be a pilot for a James Bond television series, which never materialized.
The Story: The story is told in three Acts (to allow for the commercial breaks of television). William Lundigan acts as the show's host, providing a short opening and closing narration. In his opening spiel, Lundigan explains the shoe used in baccarat, designed to preclude the dealer from drawing cards from the bottom of the deck. In Act I, the doorman (Eugene Borden) at the Casino Royale opens the door as the wealthy patrons arrive. When Jimmy Bond (Barry Nelson) arrives, he has to duck quickly behind a pillar when an unknown assailant files shots at him. Once inside, Bond buys chips at the office. As Bond is sizing up the baccarat table, a man approaches and inquires about how the game is played. Soon, the man introduces himself as Clarence Leiter (Michael Pate). [In contrast to all Bond films for the big screen, this one has Bond as an American spy and Leiter working for the British Secret Service!] The two men are to work together on a special assignment. There's a brutal Soviet agent called Le Chiffre (Peter Lorre), also known as "The Sheik," who needs to be neutralized and his weakness is gambling. Le Chiffre has used Soviet money to support his gambling habit and needs to win 80 million francs or face elimination by his superiors. Bond has a reputation for both skill and luck at cards. In fact, he's known as "card sense Jimmy Bond."
Le Chiffre is a toad-like man who travels with three bodyguards wherever he goes. There's a tall, blond, thuggish fellow named Basil (Gene Roth). Another one, Zolto (Kurt Katch), looks like a basset hound. If Le Chiffre goes down, they'll go with him, so Bond is up against a set of desperate and determined men. Le Chiffre has the suite immediately above Bond's in the hotel and has bugged Bond's room. Le Chiffre sends a female accomplice, Valerie Mathis (Linda Christian), to Bond's room, to warn him not to go up against Le Chiffre at baccarat. Valerie and Bond are former lovers and she's still smitten with Bond (or is feigning so), but she has to play her part, since Le Chiffre is eavesdropping. Bond turns up the music in the background during part of their interaction to thwart the audio bug.
The CIA is backing Bond to the tune of 26 million francs. That's a sizable nest egg, but not enough of a margin to ensure success. When Leiter shows up with the cash, one of Le Chiffre's henchmen threatens to blow him away unless he turns it over. Leiter is able to outfox the man, however, and deposit the stash with the cashier. Later, as Bond is about to sit down at the table, he receives a phone call warning him that Valerie will be killed if he wins.
In Act II, the card game begins in earnest, overseen by the croupier (Jean Del Val), as is the custom in baccarat. Le Chiffre has the shoe and Bond has a run of bad luck and is cleaned out. He is handed another 35 million francs, however, and is then able to turn his fortunes around. He breaks Le Chiffre by winning two massive pots. After the game breaks up, one of the henchmen puts a potentially lethal cane in Bonds back, demanding the winnings, but Bond is able to break away and have the man arrested. Bond has the money converted into a check and heads back to his hotel in order to locate and, hopefully, protect Valerie. Bond hides the check behind the room number plate on the door by loosening the screws, inserting the check, and retightening the screws. Valerie arrives, but right behind her are Le Chiffre and his two remaining thugs, Basil and Zolto. Le Chiffre is desperate and determined to find out where Bond has hidden the check. He'll torture Bond and/or Valerie to get that information if necessary. I'll leave Act III for readers to discover on their own. I'll only say that there's a dramatic scene in which Le Chiffre holds a razorblade to Valerie's throat.
Production Values: The screenplay for this film, written for television by Anthony Ellis and Charles Bennett, adheres somewhat more closely to the book and the Bond character than do the later films produced by Broccoli. Bond is human, with anxieties and doubts, not the superhero projected in the cinematic versions. There's more character development (within the confines of a 54 minute program) and less action or humor than in the films. The only cool gadget is a weapon disguised as a cane and the other side holds it. Although Bond is sometimes referred to as "James," he is most often referred to as "Jimmy."
The film was produced by Breteigne Windust and directed by William H. Brown. It was shot in black-and-white. The art directors were Robert Tyler Lee and James D. Vance. The cinematography is mediocre.
Barry Nelson was an accomplished actor, born Robert Haakon Neilson on April 16th, 1920, in Oakland, California. Barry entered the film industry directly out of college (UCLA, Berkeley) in 1941. He typically played pleasant natured leads and supporting roles, mainly for MGM. His debut film, Shadow of the Thin Man (1941), was followed in the same year by Johnny Eager. The best of the films in which Nelson appeared include Bataan (1943), A Guy Named Joe (1944), Airport (1970), and The Shining (1980). His success as a stage actor actually exceeded his popularity as a screen performer. He appeared in several Broadway hits, including The Rat Race, The Moon Is Blue, Mary Mary, and Cactus Flower. He starred in the television series The Hunter (1952-4) and My Favorite Husband (1953-5). As Bond, he is far less suave or self-assured than his film counterparts are in the role. When he's shot at while entering Casino Royale, he hides behind a pillar and, after finally looking, says, "Well, I'll never catch him now." That contrasts sharply with the cinematic Bonds, who are not above jumping onto the outside of an airplane to pursue an opponent.
Peter Lorre was one of the greatest actors of his generation particularly as a villain. He was born Laszlo Löwenstein on June 26th 1904, in Rosenberg, Hungary, and died in 1953. He was trained as a stage actor in Vienna and made his debut in Zurich. After seven years of theater experience in Switzerland, Austria, and Germany, he was chosen by Fritz Lang for the career making role of serial killer Franz Becker in the classic M (1931). That effort ranks as one of the top screen portrayals in film history. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Lorre quickly exiled himself to Paris, London, and, finally, Hollywood. In America, Lorre landed some excellent roles in fine films, including Made Love (1935), Secret Agent (1936), Stranger on the Third Floor (1940), The Maltese Falcon (1941), Casablanca (1942), The Mask of Dimitrios (1944), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), My Favorite Brunette (1947), and 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (1954). In a more substantial film, Lorre would likely have been one of the all-time great Bond villains. Even in this 54 minute short film, Lorre makes a sinister impression.
Linda Christian is pretty enough and talented enough to be a Bond girl. She was born in 1924 and appeared in about thirty films. Examining her resume, it looks to me that she had mostly good parts in bad films. She was in one top film, Show Boat (1951), but only as a chorus girl. Michael Pate, born 1920, does good work in this little film as Clarence Leiter. He was best known for roles in Five Fingers (1952), Julius Caesar (1953), and Brainstorm (1965).
Bottom-Line: I am completing my Bond cycle with this least familiar of the Bond films. There are two versions of this television film in circulation, one missing the last minute or so of the program, resulting in a less conclusive ending. The shortened version appeared in Europe and the longer one in America. The DVD for the 1967 cinematic version of Casino Royale includes this television version sharing the same title, but it is the shorter version. The product reviewed here is the only version currently available with the final minute or so restored. I recommend this film only for established Bond enthusiasts. Here is my Overall Certified Gold Bond Rating (designed to facilitate comparisons between the various 007 films):
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