James "Jimmy" Bond appeared in the Climax episode "Casino Royale", a television adaptation of Ian Fleming's first novel which aired in 1954. Though this is regarded as the first onscreen appearance of the character James Bond, the character is an American agent with "Combined Intelligence". He was portrayed by American actor Barry Nelson.
History[]
- "Are you the man that was shot?"
"No, I’m the guy they missed!" - ― Clarence Leiter and James Bond
As soon as he arrives at Casino Royale, Bond narrowly survives an assassination attempt and pairs up with his contact, British Intelligence officer Clarence Leiter, who remembers "Card Sense Jimmy Bond" from when he played the Maharajah of Deauville. While Bond explains the rules of baccarat, Leiter explains Bond's mission: to defeat SMERSH operative Le Chiffre at baccarat and force his Soviet spymasters to "retire" him.
Bond then encounters a former lover and French agent of the Deuxième Bureau, Valerie Mathis, who is Le Chiffre's current girlfriend. Her allegiance is under question throughout the episode, but concludes with her siding with Bond.
Bond beats Le Chiffre at baccarat, but when he returns to his hotel room, is confronted by Le Chiffre and his bodyguards.
Zoltan threatens Bond with his bespoke cane-gun.
Le Chiffre tortures Bond in order to find out where Bond has hidden the cheque for his winnings, but Bond does not reveal where it is. After a fight between Bond and Le Chiffre's guards, Bond shoots and wounds Le Chiffre, saving Valerie in the process.
Exhausted, Bond sits in a chair opposite Le Chiffre to talk. Mathis gets in between them and Le Chiffre grabs her from behind, threatening her with a concealed razor blade. As Le Chiffre moves towards the door with Mathis as a shield, she struggles, breaking free slightly and Bond is able to shoot Le Chiffre.
Appraisal[]
Nelson's Bond is of interest because it is the first onscreen version of the role. However, Nelson was playing a television rôle, rather than a cinematic one.
The tendency is to notice the difference between this version of Bond and the others, notably how the nationalities of Leiter and Bond being swapped in this adaptation. Nelson's characterisation tends to be more boyish, while later adaptations show him as a more mature man. The role also features far less violence and physical action than later Bonds although Le Chiffre does end up being shot.
There are certain elements which do foreshadow the later onscreen Bonds. For example, Nelson's Bond cracks jokes more than his literary predecessor had, something which would later become a major feature of Eon's take on Bond. This Bond is also a lady's man, but he is not a womaniser like Connery or Moore's versions of the character are. He never sleeps with Valerie Mathis or any other women onscreen, perhaps because this would have been unacceptable on American TV at the time.
Behind the Scenes[]
Barry Nelson said that one of the major incentives to take the role was a chance to work with Peter Lorre. He said that he had not read Casino Royale, because the novel was not yet well known in the USA, and he had not been told the main character was originally British.
The performance was also live, putting an additional pressure on Nelson that later Bond actors have not faced.
Gallery[]
James Bond (Barry Nelson)/Gallery