Yes I know it's not a movie but what do you think of Casino Royale (1954)? - Blu-ray Forum

Benoit Blanc · 09-07-2022, 05:43 PM

The first EVER screen appearance of Bond, played by American Barry Nelson, the guy from The Shining.

I think it's pretty decent for what it is and all its limitations, and Nelson's not BAD, just meh. Pretty bland, average performance for that sort of character back in those days.

witheygull · 09-07-2022, 06:30 PM

Climax! The only show that truly satiates your lust for entertainment.

...is the tagline they wish they could have used for the TV series Casino Royale was a part of.

The episode itself has greater worth as an historic curiosity than as good content. (Though I would rather watch it than any of the Moore-era films).

buck135 · 09-07-2022, 07:39 PM

I get a kick out if him being called Jimmy Bond because James is too British.

Benoit Blanc · 09-07-2022, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buck135

I get a kick out if him being called Jimmy Bond because James is too British.

I think he does refer to himself as James Bond, though. I think it's only "Clarence" Leiter who calls him Jimmy.

Zechs Merquise · 09-07-2022, 08:37 PM

Peter Lorre was an excellent Le Chiffre, in his bloated, morphine addicted days looked exactly as Ian Fleming described him. The atmosphere actually fit the book, not hard seeing as it was made a year after the book was published, and at least they actually play baccarat in this one.

All in all it was decent, not spectacular. Barry Nelson wasn't up to much as Bond and the censorship prevented any depiction of the novel's rawer material

Winslow Leach · 09-07-2022, 09:22 PM

It was rumored that Peter Lorre, after his death scene, got up and walked offstage to his dressing room, with the camera still on him. This doesn't appear in the YouTube version of Casino Royale, nor does the story appear to be true...at least where Casino Royale is concerned.

A couple of weeks earlier, during the premiere episode of Climax! (which was an adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel The Long Goodbye), an actor playing a corpse thought the scene was over, and crawled on all fours offstage. Somehow this moment got confused with Lorre.

Overall, the 1954 Casino Royale is a decent (for TV) version of the book. Lorre is well cast, and the show moves at a good pace.

DouglasJ · 09-08-2022, 12:03 AM

It's pretty forgettable stuff, but does have one moment that captures a spark of what Bond would become.

Quote:

Leiter: Aren't you the fellow who was shot?
Bond: No, I'm the fellow who was missed.

Pure Bond, that.

09-07-2022, 05:43 PM	#1
Benoit Blanc Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Feb 2020 Location:Dublin, Ireland Blu-ray collection:76	Yes I know it's not a movie but what do you think of Casino Royale (1954)? The first EVER screen appearance of Bond, played by American Barry Nelson, the guy from The Shining. I think it's pretty decent for what it is and all its limitations, and Nelson's not BAD, just meh. Pretty bland, average performance for that sort of character back in those days.

09-07-2022, 06:30 PM	#2
witheygull Special Member Top contributor Member since:Feb 2008 Location:northwest GA, U.S.A. 4K collection:445 Blu-ray collection:2231 DVD collection:965 Blu-ray reviews:2 Trading Score:1	Climax! The only show that truly satiates your lust for entertainment. ...is the tagline they wish they could have used for the TV series Casino Royale was a part of. The episode itself has greater worth as an historic curiosity than as good content. (Though I would rather watch it than any of the Moore-era films).

09-07-2022, 07:39 PM	#3
buck135 Blu-ray Samurai Top contributor Member since:Jan 2011 4K collection:416 Blu-ray collection:2365 Trading Score:11	I get a kick out if him being called Jimmy Bond because James is too British.

09-07-2022, 08:37 PM	#5
Zechs Merquise Special Member Member since:Oct 2012	Peter Lorre was an excellent Le Chiffre, in his bloated, morphine addicted days looked exactly as Ian Fleming described him. The atmosphere actually fit the book, not hard seeing as it was made a year after the book was published, and at least they actually play baccarat in this one. All in all it was decent, not spectacular. Barry Nelson wasn't up to much as Bond and the censorship prevented any depiction of the novel's rawer material

09-07-2022, 09:22 PM	#6
Winslow Leach Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Feb 2020 Location:Connecticut 4K collection:54 Blu-ray collection:254 DVD collection:312	It was rumored that Peter Lorre, after his death scene, got up and walked offstage to his dressing room, with the camera still on him. This doesn't appear in the YouTube version of Casino Royale, nor does the story appear to be true...at least where Casino Royale is concerned. A couple of weeks earlier, during the premiere episode of Climax! (which was an adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel The Long Goodbye), an actor playing a corpse thought the scene was over, and crawled on all fours offstage. Somehow this moment got confused with Lorre. Overall, the 1954 Casino Royale is a decent (for TV) version of the book. Lorre is well cast, and the show moves at a good pace.

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