Climax – ThrowbackMachine.com

Climax

Climax!, later known as Climax Mystery Theater is an American anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958.

The series was hosted by William Lundigan and later co-hosted by Mary Costa.  It was one of the few CBS programs of that era to be broadcast in color (using the massive TK-40A color cameras pioneered and manufactured by RCA, and used primarily by CBS’ arch-rival network, NBC).  Many of the episodes were performed and broadcast live, and although the series was transmitted in color, only black-and-white kinescope copies of some episodes survive to the present day.

In 1954, an episode of Climax! featured Ian Fleming’s secret agent James Bond in a television adaptation of Casino Royale.  It starred Barry Nelson as American secret agent “Jimmy Bond” and Peter Lorre as the villain Le Chiffre.  This was the first screen adaptation of a James Bond novel, made before Eon Productions acquired the Bond film rights.

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