Originally broadcast live - in colour - on 21st October 1954, Casino Royale was dramatised as an episode of CBS's Climax! drama series. It starred Barry Nelson as American agent "Card Sense" Jimmy Bond, Peter Lorre as Le Chiffre, Linda Christian as Valerie Mathis (an amalgamation of Vesper Lynd and René Mathis) and Michael Pate as British agent Clarence Leiter.
Although for many years it was assumed that there were no recorded copies of this (largely forgotten) live broadcast, in 1981 two black and white kinescope copies were located by film historian Jim Schoenberger. At last, James Bond's screen debut was available for us to see.
BARRY NELSON AS “CARD SENSE” JIMMY BOND
PETER LORRE AS LE CHIFFRE
LINDA CHRISTIAN AS VALERIE MATHIS
MICHAEL PATE AS CLARENCE LEITER
EUGENE BORDEN AS CHEF DE PARTIE
JEAN DEL VAL AS CROUPIER
HOSTED BY WILLIAM LUNDIGAN
THE END
OF
CASINO ROYALE
JAMES BOND
WILL RETURN
IN
