"Climax!" (1954) TV series 1954-1958

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Directors:

Tony Barr
John Frankenheimer

Writers:

Eliot Asinof (writer) (episode)
Marc Brandell (writer) (episode)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | unknown

Release Date:

7 October 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Casino Royale | James Bond

Awards:

Nominated for 13 Primetime Emmys.

Cast

Harry Townes	...	Arthur Cook / ... (8 episodes, 1956-1958)
Michael Rennie	...	Charles Martin Westling / ... (7 episodes, 1955-1957)
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Clifton Lattimer / ... (6 episodes, 1955-1957)
Everett Sloane	...	Captain Wirtz / ... (6 episodes, 1956-1958)
William Lundigan	...	Himself - Host / ... (5 episodes, 1954-1958)
Peter Lorre	...	Benny Kellerman / ... (5 episodes, 1954-1957)
Marilyn Erskine	...	Alice James / ... (5 episodes, 1955-1958)
John Forsythe	...	Adam Barclay / ... (5 episodes, 1955-1958)
Mona Freeman	...	Cynthia Crane / ... (5 episodes, 1955-1958)
Lloyd Bridges	...	Jason Burrage / ... (5 episodes, 1955-1957)
Diana Lynn	...	Catherine Barkley / ... (5 episodes, 1955-1957)
Phyllis Thaxter	...	Helen Ditmar / ... (5 episodes, 1955-1957)
Eduardo Ciannelli	...	Amelio / ... (5 episodes, 1956-1958)
Dewey Martin	...	Emmett Shore / ... (5 episodes, 1956-1958)
William Talman	...	Gene / ... (4 episodes, 1956-1958)
Arthur Franz	...	Dick Crosby / ... (4 episodes, 1954-1957)
Dennis O'Keefe	...	Evans / ... (4 episodes, 1954-1956)
Sally Forrest	...	Cherry Carson / ... (4 episodes, 1955-1958)
Mary Astor	...	Clarissa Bowman / ... (4 episodes, 1955-1957)
John Baragrey	...	Dr. Frank Monk / ... (4 episodes, 1955-1957)
Richard Boone	...	Colonel Hughes / ... (4 episodes, 1955-1957)
Marguerite Chapman	...	Kitty / ... (4 episodes, 1955-1957)
Kathleen Crowley	...	Hence Cayley / ... (4 episodes, 1955-1957)
Leif Erickson	...	Doug Randell / ... (4 episodes, 1955-1957)
Jay C. Flippen	...	Detective / ... (4 episodes, 1955-1957)
Wallace Ford	...	Bunco Kelly / ... (4 episodes, 1955-1957)
Macdonald Carey	...	Allen Moore / ... (4 episodes, 1955-1956)
Rita Moreno	...	Denise Cardoza / ... (4 episodes, 1956-1958)
Shepperd Strudwick	...	Bert / ... (4 episodes, 1956-1958)
Judith Evelyn	...	Evelyn / ... (4 episodes, 1956-1957)

Also Known As:

Climax Mystery Theater (USA)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

CBS Television

Trivia:

This adaptation of the James Bond novel "Casino Royale" was a pilot for a James Bond TV series that never materialized.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "American Masters: Rod Serling: Submitted for Your Approval" (1995)

Great series with great stars in great roles

I have only seen a few of these shows, they are pretty rare to see. One of them was "Trail of Terror" with Robert Preston and Diana Lynn in 1957. It was a live tv production, about the murder of a Dr., Lynn's husband. Preston was great in this as the police detective, and Lynn gave one of her typically latter day great tv performances. She acted on television from 1950 to 1965 and really expanded her range of acting; this was a typical great one as the grieving wife who almost goes against her values but is able to right her mistake at the last minute. Another excellent episode of Climax, and they are basically one hour long live films, was Katherine Ann Porter's "Pale Horse, Pale Rider." It starred Dorothy McGuire and John Forsythe, the second of their live television performances (they had earlier starred in a 1951 live remake of Dark Victory). Pale Horse, Pale Rider was a beautiful love story set in 1918, with the backdrop of WWI and the Spanish Flu, from which more Americans died than did American soldiers in WWI. This was one of the last, really, of McGuire's romantic roles and she is typically beautiful, charming, and lovely in it. It is one of her best television roles and she is very moving as the girl who falls in love only once. All in all, Climax was a great show from the ones I have seen and I wish I could see more!